We are a 100% volunteer department with an unstaffed station located Downtown in the city. Emergency calls are dispatched by the Westmoreland County 911 center and our firefighters are alerted via Motorola Minitors (voice fire pagers) and text alerts on the members wireless phones. All members are to report to the station and respond to the scene of the emergency on the necessary fire apparatus. W
e do not have members assigned to particular apparatus. All members receive countless hours of training to be capable of handling the necessary duties of the apparatus which they respond on. The Monessen Fire Department No.1 has 5 pieces of apparatus including:
2 Engines, 1 Ladder Truck, 1 Heavy Rescue and a Squad. Our truck assignments vary given the nature of the alarm and what's requested for mutual aid response. For fire response here in the city, an Engine is 1st out with the ladder truck as the next apparatus to respond. Our 2nd engine follows as the 3rd unit, then rescue 1 responds last. We respond to an approximate number of 300 emergency calls per year including all fire incidents, rescue emergencies, Traffic accidents with injury, entrapment and or hazards, HAZ-MAT situations including Natural Gas and Carbon Monoxide alarms. We do not get called out on EMS assists unless requested by EMS. However we assist EMS with setting up landing zones for emergency medical air transport.
***Despite the fact we are an unstaffed, volunteer department, our on scene response time is under 5 minutes of initial dispatch.***
We have 70 active members including 9 officers which are; a company chief, 2 assistant fire chiefs, 4 captains, a safety officer and an accountability officer. All positions are voted on by the membership except for the 4th captain, accountability and safety officers; who are appointed by the chief officers. The city also has a municipal fire chief, who is appointed by the mayor and city council. The municipal fire chief is responsible for running command on incidents, setting up alarm assignments for incoming mutual aid companies, filing and submitting fire reports to the county, S.O.G.s, and handle disciplinary actions when necessary. The Municipal fire chief responds to the scene via Personal vehicle to establish command and direct units and personnel upon their arrival. We train and set up scenarios to better prepare ourselves for the future emergencies which we will be called to. We have in-house fire schools every Tuesday with the exception of our meeting night which is held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. We also attend state classes when possible to further advance our knowledge and skill. We pride ourselves as being more professional than the typical volunteer fire department. We have built up a respect of the community as well as our fellow comrades of neighboring departments and emergency services. We strive to be the best and intend to not only remain professional and aggressive at what we are called to do but to improve our abilities through strong leadership, training and experience to be even better tomorrow than we are today. Anyone wishing to seek membership with the Monessen Fire Department No.1, please call our quarters or visit on any Tuesday evening for information on how to join our team.
