Monessen FD to hold open house

By Michael Richter

mrichter@yourmvi.com

Monessen Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 will host an open house Saturday to inform the public about the operations of its station and give people a chance to meet the firefighters who serve their community. 

The open house, which runs from noon to 4 p.m., will include a thorough walkthrough on the process firefighters follow when responding to an emergency call, informative talks about fire department funding and a demonstration on the proper use of a fire extinguisher, among other activities.

The fire department will raffle off a bicycle for kids 12 and younger, along with a gas grill and other prizes. Free food and drinks will be available.

“We’re going to have stations set up with guys demonstrating some stuff, but throughout the whole thing we’re going to have firefighters walking around and interacting with the people, explaining things, telling stories of what they have experienced so far,” firefighter Paul Buchko said.

Buchko and fellow firefighter Mikayla Speck talked about hosting an open house at the station for the past two years, and they started preparing for the event last fall. 

“It went from a vision to coming to life,” Speck said.

“I hope it’s something we can do every year,” Buchko said. 

The firefighters would like for the event to create informative and friendly interactions between residents and the fire department. Buchko said he wants the public to view the fire station as a community safe space.

The fire department also welcomes people to visit the station to take a look around when the doors are open and firefighters are present, not just during special events.

“We’re more than glad to take you around. Actually, we’ll probably bore you to death because we won’t let you leave,” Buchko said.

The firefighters genuinely enjoy when families with young children visit the station.

“Sometimes we give them little gifts and stuff like that when gifts are readily available,” Buchko said.

A recruitment table will be set up for the open house. Anyone interested in joining the fire department is welcome to stop by the table.

The No.1 and Hilltop Monessen Fire Departments have about 35 total volunteer firefighters.

“And so that sounds like that may be a lot, in actuality, it isn’t,” Buchko said.

Buchko used a hypothetical situation to explain why that amount is insufficient. 

“Right now, it’s 1 p.m. If a call came in right now for a structure fire, we would be lucky to have eight people show up here,” he said.

Buchko added that there were more firefighters available decades ago when Monessen had a steel mill and the city’s population was higher.

“Now, of course, it’s not like that,” he said. “On a daylight call, we really hurt for firefighters.”

The lack of firefighters, a problem many communities face across the nation, forces fire departments to call for assistance from neighboring towns. 

“On a working structure fire, it takes a lot of people. Each firefighter is only good for so many minutes of operation time,” Buchko said. 

Monessen firefighters frequently hear residents comment about the number of fire trucks they see come into the city. 

“Well, it’s not so much we need their fire truck — we don’t really need the fire truck — we need the people that come on it,” Buchko said.

Firefighters will explain to the folks in attendance Saturday how they are alerted in the event of a fire or emergency. 

Buchko said one common misconception people make about the fire department is that they think firefighters are at the station around the clock. 

“We have to explain to them we’re coming from home, we’re coming from our jobs,” he said. “Sometimes we have to get up and leave our families during holidays, birthday parties and dinners.”

Those who attend the open house also have an opportunity to say hello and pet Lt. Lamont, the fire department’s furry, blue-gray cat friend and mascot. 

“He’s always firefighter of the year because he makes all the calls, all the meetings, all the work parties, all the trainings,” Buchko said.

Donations for the Monessen No.1 Fire Department can be sent by mail or dropped off at the fire station on Tuesdays between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. In addition to monetary donations, the department accepts cases of bottled water.