Harrisburg Bureau of Fire (HBF) is a firefighting agency that is located in and serves Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and its surrounding metropolitan area. 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.
History
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. 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
Specialty units
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
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)
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.
Fallen firefighters +RankNameLast AlarmBadgeAgeDescriptionCaptainSamuel J. MillerMay 13, 1859Unknown21Fell and was run over by hand pumperPennsylvania National Fire MuseumFiremanGeorge HotcornDecember 19, 1874UnknownUnknownSuccumbed to injuries sustained due to fall and being run over by hand pumperFiremanMaximillian GrieshaberJuly 31, 1880Unknown27After developing a cold during 36-hour exposure to fire in December 1878, succumbed to PneumoniaFiremanWilliam C. FisherMarch 28, 1899Unknown40Electrocuted investigating an electrical fireFiremanCharles F. DeikerApril 19, 1901UnknownUnknownRuptured intestine while cranking hose reel following structure fireFiremanEli K. HoffmanMay 13, 1908Unknown31Electrocuted at fire on S 18th StreetFiremanWilliam H. BennerAugust 15, 1909UnknownUnknownSuccumbed to injuries sustained due to fall from scaffolding inside Fire House while scraping paintFiremanH. Howard MaySeptember 10, 1912UnknownUnknownSuccumbed to Pneumonia after being drenched working a hose on a fire Christmas Eve 1911DriverSamuel WanbaughNovember 21, 1912Unknown45Killed in an accident at 15th & Market Street responding to sceneFiremanWilliam H. HarrisApril 8, 1914Unknown56Collapsed from a heart attack while fighting an industrial fireFiremanThomas A. WenrickSeptember 3, 1919Unknown45Succumbed to Tuberculosis after a prolonged heavy cold from manning a hose for hours during a fireFiremanCharles A. FilmoreJune 11, 1921UnknownUnknownKilled in collision with streetcar while riding on running board of pumperFiremanDaniel P. HuberNovember 26, 1922UnknownUnknownInhaled superheated gases while trapped at a general alarm fire at 14th & Howard StreetFire ChiefMarion VerbekeOctober 29, 1926Unknown64Succumbed to Bright's disease after inhaling chemical laden smoke while directing a fire (Son of William K. Verbeke)FiremanBernard E. GoodyearMay 7, 1927Unknown29Smoke inhalation from a large industrial fireFire ChiefEdward HalbertMarch 11, 1935Unknown58Succumbed to injuries from three-story fall while surveying a fireDriverWilliam MetzgerJune 1, 1941Unknown28Struck by a fast moving car while on sceneFiremanDonald HeneryAugust 22, 1953Unknown26Killed under collapsed wall of large industrial fireFiremanWilliam F. BarbushMay 10, 19689041Collapsed on duty as a radio dispatcherFiremanWilliam CorishJune 13, 19781551Succumbed to injuries after being suddenly pinned to a wall by a stalled car he was trying to freeLieutenantDennis H. DeVoeMarch 11, 201740145Killed in accident when responding to scene
See also
List of fire departments List of Pennsylvania fire departments Firefighting
References
Further reading