By Genea Webb
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Copyright 2007 Tribune Review Publishing Company
All Rights Reserved

PITTSBURG, Pa. — Two South Hills fire companies will receive new fire trucks in about a year.

Pleasant Hills Volunteer Fire Company is getting a rescue truck to replace a 1989 vehicle.

"Our current rescue truck is outdated, and the new truck is more safety-driven and will be more visible to motorists on the road," explained Randy Porter, fire company captain. "We stress safety on highways because you never know what to expect."

Porter said firefighters began discussing the need for a new fire truck about three years ago, when council and the fire company got together to agee on a truck that would fit the borough's needs. The company's last fire truck was purchased in 1989.

Council voted recently to help the company pay for the truck -- which will cost approximately $700,000 -- by applying for a bond. Money to pay off the bond will come from the borough, the fire company and fire tax revenue, Councilman Robert Bootay said.

"We are always looking for ways to help the fire company because they do so much for the community and the borough of Pleasant Hills," Bootay said.

Porter said the company fights about 100 fires a year.

The new truck, which will round out the company's eight-vehicle fleet, will feature an oil dry hopper for fluid cleanup. Other features include roll-up doors and a rear-mounted water pump.

The Whitehall Fire Company, which answers about 250 fire alarms annually, will get a 90-foot fire engine to replace a 20-year-old truck. The new vehicle, according to fire company Chief Lee Price, will help the company better serve the needs of the Whitehall community.

"We'll have an extra 20-foot reach that will allow us to be able to reach higher places, like high-rises and houses that have a high front on them," Price said.

The vehicle, which will cost $823,197, will feature lighting designed to make it more visible to drivers and pedestrians at night, and a tank hose.

The truck is being purchased through Ohio-based Sutphen Corp, said Phil Lahr, a Whitehall councilman and former Whitehall Fire Company president.

"Members of the fire company's committee will travel to Ohio to inspect the new truck," Lahr said. "The company really needed a new truck because they haven't had one in years."

Price said borough officials have been saving money for a long time to pay for the truck. The borough purchases a fire truck every 20 years or so, he said.