Roscoe firefighters celebrate 90 years
From left are Roscoe Volunteer Fire Company members Josh Pollock, Brian Billy and Todd Mauk. The department recently celebrated 90 years of service to the community.
Roscoe firefighters on the scene of a 1987 fire at the Arlington Hotel in California
From right, Roscoe Volunteer Fire Company members Todd Mauk, Josh Pollock and Brian Billy organize the storage compartments on a truck at the station.
Roscoe firefighters on the scene of a 1987 fire at the Arlington Hotel in California
Ninety-one years is a long time for anything, but that’s a lofty symbolic mark this year for the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department
That point was emphasized when firefighters recently held a special banquet to celebrate 90 years of service to the community.
“Official incorporation and the beginning of the fire department was in 1925, so we marked our 90th anniversary in 2015,” said Larry Pollock, fire chief. “The banquet was held to celebrate the achievements of the department as well to recognize the efforts of our members’ everyday activities to keep the organization running successfully as we head into our 91st year of operation in 2016.”
The Roscoe VFD serves Roscoe, Elco and Long Branch boroughs but is not limited by geographic boundaries.
“We are often assisted by and provide assistance to the California and Stockdale volunteer fire departments,” Pollock said. “We have an excellent working relationship with both departments to provide fire protection in our communities.”
Like other departments in the area, the Roscoe firefighters have answered thousands of calls throughout the region over the years in their own communities as well as assisting other departments. They have been involved in fighting fires, helping flood victims, river rescue and recovery, traffic accidents and myriad other incidents requiring the services of first responders.
Many calls stand out above others, said Pollock, a fireman of 17 years who became chief last year after Todd Mauk retired from that position, but the darkest day in RVFD history is Aug. 9, 2008. That was the day veteran firefighter and Capt. Sean T. Whiten lost his life in the line of duty.
He was 47.
“Sean’s death was devastating to everyone that knew and respected him,” said Pollock, an emergency medical services specialist at UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh who provides education and operation assistance to EMS agencies throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. “He was a brother firefighter, a mentor, a role model, a hero and a friend. He was an inspiration in every sense of the word.”
A graduate of the Pennsylvania Fire Academy, Whiten was a member of the Roscoe Fire Department for 17 years and held numerous leadership posts including chief. He also served as an emergency medical technician and taught EMT classes
It was on the morning of Aug. 9, 2008, that White was instructing a structural burn class in Smithton. After going in and out of the burning building, he became tired, had his vital signs checked and went to his car for a break. It was there he collapsed and died of a heart attack.
The admiration for Whiten was exemplified by a global outpouring of condolences, Pollock said.
“Leaders from fire departments around the nation and other countries of the world called and wrote to express their support,” he said.
One of the worst fires in Roscoe history occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 1, 1951.
A fire in the RVFD station at 320 Furlong Ave. gutted the community recreation hall, destroyed equipment in that section of the building and burned through the roof, consuming the borough alarm siren.
“That was our current building, yes,” Pollock said. “The story of that fire is shared through the generations of firemen here. The young members are always shown the charred timbers that still exist high above the social hall in the attic.”
The areas of the building destroyed by the 1951 fire were remodeled over the next year.
Membership in the RVFD currently numbers 35, 20 of who are active firefighters.
“The remaining members are a vital part of such fundraising efforts as our Friday night bingo, which is our biggest fundraiser,” Pollock said.
The Roscoe firemen entered the new year with four pieces of fire apparatus and a rescue boat. They have two fire engines, a brush truck and an Advanced Life Support squad.
The ALS designation is significant because Roscoe is the first fire department in the Mon Valley, one of only eight departments in Pennsylvania, and one of only two in Washington County (Peters Township is the other) to be licensed as an Advanced Life Support squad.
Pollock said with the ALS license, the firefighters can administer medication vital to survival in emergency situations. They also can employ defibrillation equipment for cardiac arrest victims. Twelve Roscoe firemen are either paramedics or emergency medical technicians. He emphasized the ALS equipment, which is worth about $25,000, was purchased as the result of donations and fundraisers.
Brian Billy, assistant chief and president of the Roscoe Volunteer Fire Department, said the organization remains successful “simply because of our members.”
“They are the ones that do the work, take the initiative and come up with new ideas to perpetuate the progress that has existed here throughout our history,” said Billy, a firefighter for 16 years.
“Most every fire station experiences manpower shortages these days,” he said. “We would like to have more members, yes, but we are doing with well with our current member participation.” He also noted the public “does not understand how difficult it is to” run a successful volunteer fire department.
“Our department, as well as most other volunteer companies, raise their own funds with little or no cost to the taxpayers.
“The cost savings, we feel, is incredible but only remains this way through the commitment and work of the volunteers,” he said.