Evergreen Fire Company History

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Evergreen Fire Company began organizing in January 1946 but it was not until the November of that year it received its charter.  Prior to its inception, other nearby Fire Companies handled the small area of Evergreen.  As the area grew it became apparent that the other Fire Companies were too far away to cover the area.  It was on the suggestion of a member of one of the Companies, after a building burned down due to the long response time, that a local group formed their own department.

     It was H.B. "Bernie" Reynolds, along with Rudy Radis, the Bitzer brothers and Felix Mayer who took on this task.  These men, along with their neighbors, whom they recruited, began meeting in the old Evergreen School (now Evergreen North) on Peoples Plank Road.  The newly formed organization elected H.B. Reynolds as its first President.  Although he served in that position for only one year, it was the toughest of any President.  Because he was instrumental in the formation of the Company, it was decided that H.B. Reynolds would be the honorary Life President of the Evergreen Fire Company.

     It was not until 1947 that the Townships youngest Fire Company received its first engine.  It was a 1928 GMC pumper that they bought from Franklin Park for $100.00 - a far cry from what we pay for fire trucks today.  The truck was bare except for 250 feet of old hose. Now that they had an engine, they needed to elect their a Fire Chief.  Until now only administrative officers were received.  In 1947 George Maslanka was elected as Evergreens first Fire Chief, serving in that capacity for ten years until 1957.

     From the time the first truck was acquired it would be three years until the fire station was built.  From 1947 to 1950, Evergreen housed its engine and station at the corner of Babcock Boulevard and Peoples Plank Road.  Two old Civil Defense air raid sirens were acquired from the township and mounted on the garage.  When a fire call was received, Ross Township Police would telephone Maslanka and he would set off the siren.

     In 1948, Nellie McCallum donated the property in which the fire station now stands.  The site was not as it appears today - Girty's Run Creek was situated much closer to the road and most of the lot was a swamp.  The founding members received permission from the State to reroute the creek to its present location to improve the site.

     While the property was donated, money was needed to erect the building and purchase much needed equipment.  Street fairs along with the now famous Evergreen car raffles were held at Martha's Barbecue Pit, located on Babcock Boulevard where Hastings Hardware now stands.  It was from these fundraisers, along with donations from residents, that Evergreen was able to hire a contractor and begin construction of the building.     In 1950 construction was completed and the building was dedicated.  Total cost was estimated to be about $15,000.

     Along with the new station came a new siren - actually it was a used siren purchased from Berkeley Hills Fire Company.  At that time Fire Companies relied solely on members hearing the siren to know when there was a fire.  Because the fire station sat in the valley, many members could not hear siren.  So, the old CD sirens were mounted on members houses - one on Bernie Leonard's house on Peoples Plank Road and one on Nelson Run Road, near Renfer Street.

     It was also around that time it became apparent that the 1928 fire engine was inadequate.  A new 1950 white Ford with a 500 gallon Hale pump and 500 gallon tank was purchased.  In 1954 Evergreen doubled its fleet with the addition of a new Ford squad truck.

     In 1957, after serving ten years as Chief, George Maslanka retired and Bernie Leonard assumed the role until 1975.  In his years as Chief, Bernie saw his Company, along with the other township companies, go through many changes.  Old, Navy-style, carbonfilter masks were replaced with chemical re-breathers and then today's SCBA.  Training improved from the old days of less than adequate facilities in South Park, to a new, modern, facility in North Park.  Closer to home, a new building addition was built in the early '60's to better house the equipment and provide for more hall rentals. In 1967 the white Ford was replaced with a new red International engine and in 1972 the squad was replaced withan International Brush Truck, which was equipped to handle car fires.

   On Bernie Leonard's retirement, after 18 years of service in 1975, Al Gavulic served as Fire Chief for one year.  It was during this year, 1975, that the most infamous fire in Evergreen history took place.  On Wednesday May 21st, at 3.15 in the afternoon, the Beverly Hills Hotel caught fire.  Assistant Chief Frank Mann was the first on scene and, according to news accounts, described the building as "totally in flames".  It took five hours and over 200 firefighters to bring the blaze under control.

   In 1976, Frank Mann became the fourth Fire Chief in Evergreen history.  As he continues to lead the Company today, Chief Mann has seen the intervention of the technical age.  More advanced equipment with specialised training make the fire service more complex than it used to be.  In 1977, the International pumper was replaced with a 1500 Ward LaFrance, and in 1981 the Brush Truck was replaced with a second 1500 GPM Pierce Pumper (246 Engine 1).

    The late 1990's brought many changes to Evergreen. In 1998 the 1977 Ward La France engine was sold to Horton Township, Elk County, which they still have in service today as their primary attack engine and the Ford F-250 Pickup Truck (246 Utility) was purchased. In 1999, Evergreen saw many changes with outgrowing the two-bay station and the declining hall rentals, the members decided to close the banquet hall and totally renovate the station. A new three-bay addition was added and the total building renovated to accommodate a new kitchen, lounge, training room, bunkroom, administrative, and line offices.

    Changes continued in the 2000's. Evergreen went back to a second engine with the purchase of a 2000 GPM Smeal Engine (246 Engine 2). In 2002, Evergreen Fire Company received it's first federal grant for $35,000 to purchase a new cascade system and in 2004 the purchase of a 1999 Crown Victoria (246 Squad) from Ross West View E.M.S.A was placed into service.

    In late 2006, Fire Chief Frank Mann decided to retire of 30 years of service. A special election was held at the time of his retirement and our current chief Jeff Giger was elected.

    The members of Evergreen are very proud of what they have accomplished in the past and are looking forward to the future!