Harrisburg Bureau of Fire

Harrisburg Bureau of Fire
Official Logo
Operational area
CountryUnited States United States
U.S. StatePennsylvania Pennsylvania
CountyDauphin
CityHarrisburg
Agency overview
Established1791; 233 years ago (1791)
Employees96 (2023)
Annual budget10.4 million (2023)
StaffingCombination career and volunteer
Fire chiefBrian Enterline
Senior Deputy Fire ChiefMichael Souder
Deputy Fire ChiefGlenn Sattizahn
IAFF428
Facilities and equipment
Battalions2
Stations3
Engines3
Trucks3
Squads1
Rescues4
HAZMAT1
Wildland1
Fireboats1
Rescue boats3
Website
Official Website
IAFF Website

Harrisburg Bureau of Fire (HBF) is a firefighting agency that is located in and serves Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding metropolitan area.[1][2] It is a career firefighting agency with at least 15 firefighters and fire officers on duty at any given time, supplemented with volunteer staffing as well. Everyday duties for the Bureau include fire suppression, emergency medical services, tactical rescue, urban search and rescue, water rescue, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, fire codes enforcement, and public safety educations.[3]

History

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PA Governor Tom Wolf (center) with Fire Chief Brian Enterline (right) and Senior Deputy Fire Chief Michael Souder(left)

As Harrisburg became a Borough in 1791, a volunteer bucket brigade was established as the Union Fire Company, and several other temporary ones existed throughout the 19th century. The first hose companies with carriages were formed in 1841 following the installation of the city's water system, initially with the Washington Hose Company.[4][5] On December 1, 1913 following the passing of Clark Act to restructure Pennsylvania cities, the Bureau was named so under the Department of Public Safety (headed by the Mayor). Despite this technicality, it is not uncommon to hear "Harrisburg Fire Department" instead of "Bureau." In 2018, the city approved a budget of 10.1 million dollars, along with a Future of Fire report stating the need for updated equipment and apparatuses in the next 10 years. In January 2019, the city announced its plan to purchase 12 new pieces of apparatus from 2020 through 2035.

Operations

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Specialty units

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  • HAZMAT unit; the HBF is the home station for Hazmat 77 which is housed at Station 1. HAZMAT 77 was recently moved to Dauphin county hazmat teams new station and the team moved HAZMAT 77-3 to station 1. Hazmat 77 is a part of the Dauphin County Hazmat team.
  • Urban search and rescue unit; Harrisburg is mostly urban with small patches of wooded areas and parks throughout. In 1983 the HBF formed an urban search and rescue unit with two Ford F-350 marked trucks. This team is made up of numerous department employees as well as dozens of civilian volunteers.
  • Marine rescue unit; the marine rescue unit is make up of one fireboat and three smaller rescue boats. Due to Harrisburg's proximity to the Susquehanna River the HBF often respond to emergencies in the water. Majority of which include missing swimmers/sportsmen and vehicles which entered the water. This unit is made up of department volunteers and is located at station 8 due to its proximity to the waterfront. The marine unit can respond anywhere along the cities waterfront within 15 minutes of a call.

Stations and apparatus

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  • Station 1: 1820 N. 6th Street
  • Station 2: 140 N. 16th Street
  • Station 8: 9 S. 13th Street
  • Department of Public Safety HQ/de facto Station 4: 123 Walnut Street (Vance C. McCormick Public Service Center)[6]

The Bureau has over 30 apparatuses, trucks, and vans. The HBF fleet contains Pierce and Seagrave firefighting apparatus and Freightliner ambulances. The truck and SUV brands used by the department include Ford and Chevrolet.[7][8][9]

Fallen firefighters

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Rank Name Last Alarm Badge Age Description
Captain Samuel J. Miller May 13, 1859 Unknown 21 Fell and was run over by hand pumper[10]
Fireman George Hotcorn December 19, 1874 Unknown Unknown Succumbed to injuries sustained due to fall and being run over by hand pumper[10]
Fireman Maximillian Grieshaber July 31, 1880 Unknown 27 After developing a cold during 36-hour exposure to fire in December 1878, succumbed to Pneumonia[10]
Fireman William C. Fisher March 28, 1899 Unknown 40 Electrocuted investigating an electrical fire[10]
Fireman Charles F. Deiker April 19, 1901 Unknown Unknown Ruptured intestine while cranking hose reel following structure fire[10]
Fireman Eli K. Hoffman May 13, 1908 Unknown 31 Electrocuted at fire on S 18th Street[11]
Fireman William H. Benner August 15, 1909 Unknown Unknown Succumbed to injuries sustained due to fall from scaffolding inside Fire House while scraping paint[11]
Fireman H. Howard May September 10, 1912 Unknown Unknown Succumbed to Pneumonia after being drenched working a hose on a fire Christmas Eve 1911[10]
Driver Samuel Wanbaugh November 21, 1912 Unknown 45 Killed in an accident at 15th & Market Street responding to scene[12]
Fireman William H. Harris April 8, 1914 Unknown 56 Collapsed from a heart attack while fighting an industrial fire[10]
Fireman Thomas A. Wenrick September 3, 1919 Unknown 45 Succumbed to Tuberculosis after a prolonged heavy cold from manning a hose for hours during a fire[10]
Fireman Charles A. Filmore June 11, 1921 Unknown Unknown Killed in collision with streetcar while riding on running board of pumper[10]
Fireman Daniel P. Huber November 26, 1922 Unknown Unknown Inhaled superheated gases while trapped at a general alarm fire at 14th & Howard Street[11]
Fire Chief Marion Verbeke October 29, 1926 Unknown 64 Succumbed to Bright's disease after inhaling chemical laden smoke while directing a fire[10] (Son of William K. Verbeke)
Fireman Bernard E. Goodyear May 7, 1927 Unknown 29 Smoke inhalation from a large industrial fire[10]
Fire Chief Edward Halbert March 11, 1935 Unknown 58 Succumbed to injuries from three-story fall while surveying a fire[10]
Driver William Metzger June 1, 1941 Unknown 28 Struck by a fast moving car while on scene[10]
Fireman Donald Henery August 22, 1953 Unknown 26 Killed under collapsed wall of large industrial fire[10]
Fireman William F. Barbush May 10, 1968 90 41 Collapsed on duty as a radio dispatcher[10]
Fireman William Corish June 13, 1978 15 51 Succumbed to injuries after being suddenly pinned to a wall by a stalled car he was trying to free[10]
Lieutenant Dennis H. DeVoe March 11, 2017 401 45 Killed in accident when responding to scene[13][14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Metrick, Becky (2019-04-09). "Gas company confirms employee was at Harrisburg home before it was destroyed by fire". pennlive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  2. ^ Ducey, Joe (2019-02-06). "Special Report | Firefighters healing through a tragedy". WHP. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  3. ^ "2021 Proposed Budget" (PDF). City of Harrisburg website. 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  4. ^ "Centuries of Service: Harrisburg Fire Bureau has grown, evolved with the city". TheBurg. 2014-12-30. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  5. ^ David, Houseal (1999). The History of the Harrisburg Volunteer Fire Department. Pennsylvania National Fire Museum.
  6. ^ "Bureau of Fire". City of Harrisburg. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  7. ^ Benscoter, Jana (2019-05-08). "Harrisburg's wish list includes money for technology upgrades, police patrol vehicles". pennlive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  8. ^ "Minivan Crashes into PA Fire Apparatus". Firehouse. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  9. ^ Marroni, Steve (2018-03-07). "$6 million in gaming revenue granted to police, schools, community groups". pennlive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Pennsylvania National Fire Museum
  11. ^ a b c Administrator, 911 Hot Designs. "Allison History - Allison Hook & Ladder #2". Allison Hook & Ladder 2. Retrieved 2021-09-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Austin, Steve. "Remembering Our Fallen Brother Samuel Wanbaugh, Last Alarm Nov 21, 1912 - Allison Hook & Ladder #2". Allison Hook & Ladder #2. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  13. ^ Miller, Barbara (2017-03-12). "Harrisburg firefighter dies of injuries in crash on way to deadly fire". pennlive.com. Retrieved 2019-05-09.
  14. ^ "Years in prison for driver who killed York County firefighter". York Dispatch. Retrieved 2019-05-09.

Further reading

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