Stockdale VFD celebrates century of service

The method of fighting fires has changed greatly since the department was formed in 1926.

For 100 years, someone has always shown up.

Firefighting in Stockdale used to mean relying on bucket brigades and limited equipment.

A century later, the Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department is marking 100 years of service defined by neighbors stepping forward, volunteers answering the call and a community built on showing up when help is needed most.

The department celebrated its centennial with a banquet this month attended by more than 125 guests, including current and former members, families, mutual aid partners and elected officials.

The evening honored not just the passage of time, but generations of volunteers who built and sustained the department through changing industries, lifestyles and demands.

For longtime fire Chief Tom “TJ” Wilkinson, the milestone reflects both the department’s long history and the people who carried it forward.

“I’ve lived here all my life,” Wilkinson said. “Seeing it progress and everything it’s done — being part of this department has changed me in a lot of ways.”

Born from necessity

The Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department traces its origins to April 30, 1926, when a fire destroyed three double houses owned by the Braznell Coal Mining Company, leaving six families homeless.

At the time, firefighting in Stockdale relied on bucket brigades, an Ajax chemical fire cart and whatever water sources could be found — cisterns, nearby swamps and even water hauled in from railroad engines coming from Brownsville.

Sen. Camera Bartolotta, Stockdale Fire Chief TJ Wilkinson and his son, Stockdale VFD President and Assistant Chief Adam Wilkinson, are shown at the department’s 100th anniversary celebration. Submitted

Assistance came from neighboring communities including Charleroi, North Charleroi, California, Roscoe and Allenport. Some of those mutual aid companies still respond today.

The fire exposed the town’s vul- nerability and sparked a collective resolve among residents to protect their own.

Later that year, 47 men officially organized the Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department to protect life and property.

As a nonprofit, the department adopted bylaws, elected officers and immediately faced the challenge of securing reliable water and alarms.

Firefighters pushed for the installation of hydrants and relied on the school bell — now displayed outside the fire station — to alert members when help was needed.

Woven into daily life

As Stockdale grew alongside the mills that defined the region, the fire department became part of everyday life.

Mill shifts ensured someone was always home, and the sound of the fire whistle became a familiar signal throughout town.

“That whistle used to blow at four o’clock,” Wilkinson recalled. “That’s when the guys came home from daylight shift. Everybody knew what it meant.”

The fire hall also became a social center. Bingo nights once drew crowds so large that buses lined the streets, funding much of the department’s early growth. “That’s how they built this place,” Wilkinson said. “Bingo was more than a fundraiser. It kept us going.”

Teen dances in the 1950s brought young people together, forging memories that lasted decades.

A reunion dance held years later drew more than 1,100 people from across the country, many returning to the same hall where they once gathered as teenagers. Photographs from those nights still line the walls.

Growth, change and perseverance

As firefighting evolved, so did the department.

Veterans returning after World War II recognized the need for better equipment and training. Fundraising efforts led to new apparatus and eventually new buildings.

In 1957, a fire station and social hall built largely through donated labor was dedicated, reinforcing the department’s role as both protector and gathering place.

Expansion continued in the late 1970s, culminating in the construction of the current fire station in 1979.

Over the years, state and federal grants helped modernize facilities and equipment, including a FEMA-funded Toyne fire engine purchased in 2008. One of the most significant changes came in 2013 when Stockdale merged with the Allenport Fire Department after both faced declining membership.

The unified department retained the Stockdale name while honoring both communities.

Wilkinson credited former Allenport Chief Jon McCrory as instrumental during that transition.

“We did it together, went to the courts, got it done and became one,” Wilkinson said. “He’s been a godsend ever since. He doesn’t have a title now because he won’t accept one. He’s whatever we need him to be.”

Officially, McCrory chairs the board of directors and wears more hats than he will ever take credit for.

Behind closed doors

Today the department operates out of a single station.

While much of the area is residential, the response district also includes industrial properties along the Monongahela River.

The department maintains a wide range of apparatus and equipment to meet modern demands, from engines and tankers to water rescue units, drones with thermal imaging and utility vehicles.

Members are dispatched through Washington County 911 and respond to far more than fires.

“The fire department is the town’s first line of defense,” Wilkinson said. “If something comes up, we’re the ones that get called.”

That can mean missing children, ambulance assists, river rescues, forest fires, cats stuck in drains or situations that fall outside traditional expectations.

Some calls stay with firefighters forever.

Wilkinson recalled his first call as assistant chief with Stockdale, a house fire in Long Branch.

“A mother met me at the truck when I pulled up and said her 2-yearold baby was inside,” he said. “We got the baby out, but it was in a body bag. That changed me from that day on.”

The call affected the entire department.

Two firefighters never returned to service afterward.

“You’re never eager for the whistle to blow after that,” Wilkinson said. “But it also reminds you of how important it is when you hear it.”

Other calls offer balance to that pain.

Wilkinson recalled performing CPR and saving a woman’s life years ago.

“Her daughter was 8 at the time,” he said. “Now she’s married with kids of her own. That woman — her mother — got to live her life and see her child grow up. I hold on to that.”

Challenges of today

Like many volunteer fire departments across Pennsylvania, Stockdale faces ongoing challenges.

Membership has declined, training requirements have increased and funding remains limited. The department receives about $3,000 annually from the borough, leaving most operational costs to be covered through fundraisers and grants.

“It’s a lot of work from a small group of people,” Wilkinson said.

To adapt, the department developed on-site storage facilities, generating steady income that helps pay for apparatus and operations.

Still the burden falls largely on volunteers who balance service with work, family and changing lifestyles.

“People are busy,” Wilkinson said. “We ask them to come when they can. That’s all we can expect of them, and every minute is appreciated.”

Carrying on tradition

Despite challenges, Wilkinson said the department’s strength lies in its people, past and present.

Older members remain supportive, offering guidance without standing in the way.

Younger members listen, ask questions and study the photographs and stories lining the walls.

“It’s really like an extended family,” Wilkinson said. “Family isn’t always blood.”

That sense of continuity spans generations.

Wilkinson’s son, Adam, now serves in leadership and his grandson already spends time at the station, watching, learning and absorbing what service looks like.

“Once you help somebody, it’s like an addiction,” Wilkinson said. “You just want to be ready to help again.”

As the Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department marks its 100th year, the tools will become more advanced, trucks more expensive and challenges more complex than they were in 1926, but the purpose remains unchanged. A century ago, neighbors organized out of necessity.

Today, volunteers for the Stockdale VFD answer the call not because they have to, but because the need for their service is something time will never change.

For Stockdale, the past 100 years have shown that a fire department is more than the apparatus and buildings that house it. It is about the people willing to show up for their community in its worst moments and choose to keep showing up.