Monroeville firefighters remember losing colleague in 1997 floodwaters

When a flash thunderstorm dumped rain and sleet on Monroeville in early July, volunteer fireman Kevin Bacco thought about the friend and colleague he lost 15 years ago.

"The torrential downpour we had yesterday was a haunting reminder," Bacco said.

Reminders of the 1997 flood that took one life and displaced hundreds are scattered throughout Monroeville and Pitcairn -- from the wooden cross on Mosside Boulevard, to the flood mitigation project in Pitcairn.

Each year in July, Monroeville volunteer firemen pay tribute to former member Joe Vagnier, who sacrificed his life to save others. He was searching for trapped motorists on Route 48 when a swift current trapped him under a truck. He died two days later.

"We try to take our new members (to the cross) to appreciate the history," Bacco said. "To realize that those things happen and that you have to prepare for those things in the future."

The dedication shown by firefighters who live at the station and serve the community 24-hours a day pays living tribute to Vagnier's character, Bacco said.

"You see a lot of the same character in the guys that come through here. They're eager," he said.

Bacco was a firefighter in both Monroeville and Pitcairn in 1997, so he witnessed the damage in both communities. Floodwaters gushed downhill from Monroeville to Pitcairn.

While there were about 100 homes damaged in Monroeville, the number was four times that in Pitcairn.

While it is important to reflect on the tragedy, it's more important to plan ahead, Bacco said.

Improvements and planned improvements to the infrastructure should prevent flooding in the future, including a flood mitigation project in Pitcairn that has been discussed for decades but is finally gaining momentum.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has agreed to contribute more than $10 million to a concrete channel that would guide floodwaters from Sugar Camp to Turtle Creek, said Pitcairn Councilman Rollo Vecchio.

The borough will contribute around $800,000 he said.

There also is $2.4 million of storm-water management behind UPMC East, and Monroeville public works employees routinely clear trash racks that collect falling debris, said Mike Adams, director of public works.