Hempfield's Fort Allen fire company marks 50 years by hosting annual county convention
Over its half century existence, Fort Allen Volunteer Fire Company has evolved from mainly dousing burning buildings to frequently responding to wrecks on major roads in Hempfield.
The 46-member group will pause this week to look back on the accomplishments of five decades while also hosting the 83rd annual Westmoreland County Firemen's Association Convention and Parade, scheduled Wednesday through Sunday.
"Initially, we were considered a rural fire department," said Bob Cammarata, who served as fire chief for 25 years and now is first deputy chief. "We were looking at going out and putting out barn fires and houses in the middle of nowhere. We had a tanker for years because we had no water access."
The company hasn't responded to a barn fire for about two decades, he said, and its fleet hasn't included a tanker truck since 1995.
"We still have areas that don't have hydrants, but we rely on mutual aid companies that come in with their tankers," said Fire Chief Neil Kush. "We purchased our last tanker in 1990. We had that truck for five years, and it ran on just four calls."
Fort Allen sold it and bought a rescue truck to better respond to traffic accidents. Its 25-square-mile service territory includes a three-mile section of Interstate 70 and, since 1993, the segment of the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Amos K. Hutchinson Bypass between Route 30 and Youngwood.
Of the 108 calls the company answered in September and October 2017, 32 were vehicle accidents and 10 were fires. Overall, the department responds to almost 600 calls annually.
"When we get a call on (Interstate) 70, we don't know what's coming," Cammarata said. "We've had big rigs overturn. We've had messes where we've had to cut people out of their car or truck."
The department formed in December 1968, primarily to protect homes in Hempfield's Fort Allen plan. "The plan was probably 100 to 150 homes," Cammarata said. Then, "Farmland was bought up and developed. It blossomed."
The department bought its first fire truck from neighboring West Point Fire Department, initially keeping it in the driveway of founding Chief Ronnie Ziglear. It was then stored in two different barns before the company in 1976 built its three-bay fire station and social club along Route 136.
The company's response area includes the Buckeye terminal BP refinery, Cleveland Brothers and FedEx Ground facilities, and three Hempfield Area School District buildings — the high school, Harrold Middle School and Fort Allen Elementary. It assists other fire departments in nearby areas, including the Route 30 corridor between routes 66 and 119.
Fort Allen is rated as a Basic Life Support department, with members who can provide basic care to victims at an emergency scene.
"A lot of our guys are EMTs or medics," said Ricky Manley, second deputy chief and emergency medical technician. "They can provide care before the ambulance gets there."
Fort Allen's firefighting fleet today includes a pumper/engine, a heavy rescue truck loaded with tools for freeing motorists trapped in wrecked vehicles, and smaller brush and service trucks.
In 2017, many members became state-certified to serve on a local Wildland Fire Suppression Team that is called upon for "mostly hands-on fire suppression, fire line construction and hand tool operations," the department notes on its website.
"Time has changed the fire service, and it will continue to change," Kush said.
The Fort Allen company's future seems promising, with a large portion of its roster comprised of younger volunteers. The average age is about 30, Kush said.
His goals include recruitment and retention — "keeping the firemen we have, getting new firemen, training and updating our equipment."
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.
