History of the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department
Local history was made on the evening of February 1, 1909 when a small band of citizens met at the borough building and organized the first fire company. The name selected was the Good Will Fire Department of Springdale, Pennsylvania. J. Howard Yeagley was elected the Fire Chief, and Wm. B. White was made the first President of the Company. The records for the first year reveal forty-eight members. Authorization was granted for the President, Secretary and Borough Solicitor of Springdale council to execute a contract in the amount of $1050.00 for a chemical engine from the Kanawha Chemical Engine Manufacturing Company. This action was taken only nine days after the first meeting. This engine on wheels was pulled by man-power or connected to a wagon drawn by horses, and is typical of childhood ideas of fire equipment. The first fire alarm system was a large steel ring from an old railroad engine.
The wisdom of our public citizens was proven, for within that year, the first fire was at the Pennsylvania Swedish Iron Works located on Pittsburgh Street. Sixteen firemen were present on that day, December 25, 1909 at 4 p.m. From the record of the fire, we quote, “This fire was extinguished after a thirty-minute battle. The first practical test was made of the newly installed fire whistle at the Pennsylvania Glue Company. About four inches of snow was on the ground; a difficult time was had in reaching the fire, but with the help of Jack Campbell and his horse, the fire was put out.”
It was in 1923 that the company was reorganized with twenty members, and the charter was granted on Sept. 25, 1926. One of the largest fires in the history of Springdale was on July 4, 1920, when the post office was destroyed. The decade of 1930 not only brought another major disastrous fire to the community, but many new events were inaugurated, vivid in the memory of many our citizens was the fire of the United Presbyterian Church which was partially destroyed in the early morning hours of April 5, 1934. Another fire truck and squad truck were purchased by council in 1935 and 1936 to update our equipment at the time. At the 25th anniversary, the first fire Chief and the first Fire Company President took part in this happy occasion. Seventeen of our firemen in World War II service, and Charles Yeagley and Earl Shoop, Jr. gave the supreme sacrifice for God and Country.
The new building was started on July 9, 1948, following the purchase of the property from Mr. A. Winchel, for $1,500. With the purchase of the new squad truck at a cost of $10,000, the Borough of Springdale had some of the most modern fire fighting equipment at the time in the early 1950s. The longest tenured Fire Chief to date was Frank Scholtz who served as Chief of the Department from 1949 to 1969.
In the years that followed the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department grew as an organization in terms of membership and equipment. In 1961 a new fire truck was purchased, an International pumper truck that was used to replace some of the older equipment. Also, in 1973 another new pumper was purchased, a Ward Lafrance. To keep up with the expanding fire company, the building received an upgrade in 1975, when it doubled in size, adding two new garage bays, with taller bay doors to keep up with the size of the larger fire engines that became prominent in the 1970s. During the mid-1980’s the department had 99 active members, a record to this day. And in 1989 the largest fire in Springdale Borough was fought at the Springdale Plastic Plant below the railroad tracks, fire crews were on scene for 7 days during and after the blaze.
In 1991 the 1961 International was replaced with a new KME pumper to once again update equipment and provide the Borough with the best in fire protection. Again, in 1999 the Ward LaFrance was replaced with a newer American LaFrance pumper, with many new features ready to bring the fire department into the 21st Century.
The early 2000s brought many changes to the fire department as it adapted to the new age of firefighting. Many large fires were fought by the department in the early 2000s including the old Baldus building and the Jasmine Veterinary Hospital in 2005 and 2007, respectively. In 2008 the department grew once again expanding into a rescue company with the purchase of used rescue truck which was recently replaced with a newer truck made possible by the support of NRG. In 2011 the department also acquired a ladder truck which has helped the members of the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department with rescue and firefighting operations. Today the fire company operates two pumpers, one ladder truck, one rescue and multiple support vehicles, and require state accredited training that all of our firefighters must undergo before meeting our qualifications. The SVFD is an ISO Class 4 certified fire department, which provides for lower fire insurance rates for borough residents, and we are recognized by the Western Pennsylvania Firemen’s Association and the Allegheny County Firemen’s Association. On average our firefighters dedicate over 300 hours a year of their time to the community volunteering at alarms, trainings and fundraisers.
The wisdom of our public citizens was proven, for within that year, the first fire was at the Pennsylvania Swedish Iron Works located on Pittsburgh Street. Sixteen firemen were present on that day, December 25, 1909 at 4 p.m. From the record of the fire, we quote, “This fire was extinguished after a thirty-minute battle. The first practical test was made of the newly installed fire whistle at the Pennsylvania Glue Company. About four inches of snow was on the ground; a difficult time was had in reaching the fire, but with the help of Jack Campbell and his horse, the fire was put out.”
It was in 1923 that the company was reorganized with twenty members, and the charter was granted on Sept. 25, 1926. One of the largest fires in the history of Springdale was on July 4, 1920, when the post office was destroyed. The decade of 1930 not only brought another major disastrous fire to the community, but many new events were inaugurated, vivid in the memory of many our citizens was the fire of the United Presbyterian Church which was partially destroyed in the early morning hours of April 5, 1934. Another fire truck and squad truck were purchased by council in 1935 and 1936 to update our equipment at the time. At the 25th anniversary, the first fire Chief and the first Fire Company President took part in this happy occasion. Seventeen of our firemen in World War II service, and Charles Yeagley and Earl Shoop, Jr. gave the supreme sacrifice for God and Country.
The new building was started on July 9, 1948, following the purchase of the property from Mr. A. Winchel, for $1,500. With the purchase of the new squad truck at a cost of $10,000, the Borough of Springdale had some of the most modern fire fighting equipment at the time in the early 1950s. The longest tenured Fire Chief to date was Frank Scholtz who served as Chief of the Department from 1949 to 1969.
In the years that followed the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department grew as an organization in terms of membership and equipment. In 1961 a new fire truck was purchased, an International pumper truck that was used to replace some of the older equipment. Also, in 1973 another new pumper was purchased, a Ward Lafrance. To keep up with the expanding fire company, the building received an upgrade in 1975, when it doubled in size, adding two new garage bays, with taller bay doors to keep up with the size of the larger fire engines that became prominent in the 1970s. During the mid-1980’s the department had 99 active members, a record to this day. And in 1989 the largest fire in Springdale Borough was fought at the Springdale Plastic Plant below the railroad tracks, fire crews were on scene for 7 days during and after the blaze.
In 1991 the 1961 International was replaced with a new KME pumper to once again update equipment and provide the Borough with the best in fire protection. Again, in 1999 the Ward LaFrance was replaced with a newer American LaFrance pumper, with many new features ready to bring the fire department into the 21st Century.
The early 2000s brought many changes to the fire department as it adapted to the new age of firefighting. Many large fires were fought by the department in the early 2000s including the old Baldus building and the Jasmine Veterinary Hospital in 2005 and 2007, respectively. In 2008 the department grew once again expanding into a rescue company with the purchase of used rescue truck which was recently replaced with a newer truck made possible by the support of NRG. In 2011 the department also acquired a ladder truck which has helped the members of the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department with rescue and firefighting operations. Today the fire company operates two pumpers, one ladder truck, one rescue and multiple support vehicles, and require state accredited training that all of our firefighters must undergo before meeting our qualifications. The SVFD is an ISO Class 4 certified fire department, which provides for lower fire insurance rates for borough residents, and we are recognized by the Western Pennsylvania Firemen’s Association and the Allegheny County Firemen’s Association. On average our firefighters dedicate over 300 hours a year of their time to the community volunteering at alarms, trainings and fundraisers.