Pa. firefighters get new home

By Bethany Hofstetter
The Pittsburgh Tribune Review

WEXFORD, Pa. — The Wexford Volunteer Fire Company soon will have a new firehouse to serve the growing population of the North Hills.

After five years of planning, members of the Wexford VFC in Pine broke ground last month on North Chapel Drive, less than a mile from Station 1.

"After so many years of planning and a lot of meetings and a lot of time, it's actually becoming a reality, and that's exciting in itself," said Ken Young, Wexford fire chief.

The new firehouse will total 30,000 square feet of garage space, including four bays for vehicles, which more than doubles the current space. It will include training space, an administrative area and a large dorm area.

In 2003, the company started a live-in program at Station 2, located on Babcock Road. Volunteer firefighters live at the station on either a full-time or rotating basis in exchange for responding to fire calls. Two firefighters live at Station 2.

"We're doing great as far as response," Young said. "We're on the road in two to three minutes from time of call — that's usually the time it takes for a firefighter to drive to the station."

The new facility will expand that program by providing accommodations for six to eight firefighters, with segregated areas for men and women. The ability to have the facility staffed 24 hours will help the company with its goal of creating a regional information center or emergency shelter in the event of a disaster with the help of on-site generators.

The fire company quickly realized it would outgrow its station on Wexford Bayne Road, which has been in operation since 1921, as development boomed in the Wexford and Cranberry areas.

The fire company's service area has a population of about 11,000 people. There are at least 130 commercial buildings, 4,000 homes, five school buildings, 11 churches and two nursing homes. Near the intersection of Routes 19 and 910, developments are under way that will add an additional 83,000 square feet of retail space and 450 townhomes, said Gabe Pellathy, a fire company member who has volunteered his services as a lawyer for the project.

The project is estimated to cost as much as $6 million. Dominic Gigliotti and Pine Development LLC, which is developing the Village at Pine project, donated more than seven acres to the fire department for the facility, and Pine supervisors provided a $2 million grant, which helped fund the down payment on the building.

Pellathy has experience working with government organizations in Washington and said he hopes to find state or federal funds to add to the project.

"If they're sacrificing their time and lives to protect the community, the least I can do is raise awareness in D.C. and Harrisburg," he said.

The fire company projects the first phase of construction will be completed by 2011.

"We're really blessed in that the whole fire company, everyone, is working really hard to see this project come through," Young said. "That makes you feel good that everyone is working to protect the community."

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