The Guyasuta Volunteer Fire Department is located in O'Hara Township, PA, six miles from downtown Pittsburgh along
the Allegheny River. The department provides fire suppression, vehicle/technical/trench
rescue, and a Pennsylvania licensed QRS Service. Learn more...
Safe Winter Travel
Winter conditions call for different driving tactics. Ice and Snow, Take it
Slow - slower speed, slower acceleration, slower steering, and slower braking.
Give yourself extra time to reach your destination safely. It's not worth putting
yourself and others in a dangerous situation just to save time.
- Drive with your headlights on.
- Drive for conditions. Don't get overconfident with four-wheel drive. It won't
help you stop any faster.
- Winter road conditions result in longer stopping distances. Drivers should allow
additional room between their vehicles and others.
- Slow down when approaching intersections, off-ramps, bridges or shady spots.
These all have potential to develop black ice that makes driving hazardous.
- Avoid abrupt actions while steering, braking or accelerating to lessen the chances
of losing control of the vehicle.
- Look farther ahead in traffic. Actions by other drivers will alert you to problems
and give you extra time to react.
- Trucks take longer to stop. Don't cut in front of them.
- Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on snow surfaces. Don't let your car make
a bad decision for you.
- Stopping on snow and ice without skidding requires extra time and distance. If
you have anti-lock brakes, press the pedal down firmly and hold it. If you don't
have anti-lock brakes, gently pump the pedal. Either way, give yourself plenty
of room to stop.
“When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What
he does after that is all in the line of work”.
Edward F. Croker
Highway Incident Scene Safety Course
January 2009
Members of the Guyasuta were joined by firefighters from the Blawnox VFC (111),
Emerson Fire Brigade (314), Sharpsburg VFC (265), Rural Ridge (175), Cheswick
(121), Sharps Hill VFD (263) and Springdale Borough VFD (273) in participation
of the PA State Fire Academy Highway Scene Safety & Traffic Control certification
course. The course outlines State and Federal mandates for scene safety, personnel
safety, and traffic diversion procedures for incidents and traffic accidents on
roadways. The course itself is mandated for companies like Guyasuta Fire &
Rescue who are accredited in the Advanced Level of the Voluntary Rescue Service
Recognition Program through the PA Department of Health.
Vehicle Struck By Train at River Road RR Crossing
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Guyasuta Rescue Squad 219 responded to a reported train versus vehicle accident
at the River Road crossing in O'Hara Township Tuesday evening. The vehicle was
found to be unoccupied and reported stolen from an earlier police report in a
neighboring community.
Box Truck over hillside Route 28 in Harmar Township
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Rescue Squad 219 was alerted to assist Harmar Twp VFC (166) with a rental truck
that veered off of RT 28 landing into a wooded area near the Harmar Exit. Upon
the arrival off Harmar crews they found no entrapment and called off mutual aid
rescue services. 1 patient was transported for injuries by EMS.
(Photo By Donnie Trebac)
Body Recovery in Harmar Township
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The body of a homeless man was found deceased on a hillside leading to the Allegheny
River near the Hulton Bridge train underpass. Crews from Guyasuta Rescue Squad
219 assisted Harmar Twp VFC in using specialty equipment to recover the man's
body after the police investigation was complete.
News Video Footage (WTAE Channel 4)
Fox Chapel Yacht Club Fire
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
An apparent electrical fire caused damage to a yacht docked at the Fox Chapel
Yacht Club in O'Hara Township Tuesday evening. Crews from Guyasuta VFD were assisted
by Blawnox VFC and Aspinwall VFD in accessing and extinguishing the blaze.
Video from the fire (Video by Scott Bailey)
November 2009 Physical Rescue
Monday, November 30, 2009
Rescue Squad 219 used a rope evolution to rescue a Fox Chapel Police Officer and then lower him
to Freeport Road.
Below Left: Officer Rob Katich is lowered to safety. Right: Fox Chapel Chief
Dave Laux shakes hands with Guyasuta Fire Fighter Duncan Phillips
The following is from a WPXI News report:
The incident happened just after 11 a.m. along Linden Avenue.
Investigators said the incident started out as a robbery call with reports of
the suspect having a gun.
Fox Chapel Patrolman Rob Katich slid 30-feet down the side of the hillside near
Freeport Road after hitting some mud.
Rescuers had to rappel to save Katich from the first ledge and get him safely
to the second.
Channel 11 News cameras caught images of Katich getting to safety on his own
power, slightly banged up.
“If you’re up there, you’d understand it’s very slippery and unfortunately, he
lost his footing approximately 30-feet onto a ledge,” said Fox Chapel Chief David
Laux
Dry Chemical Smothers Fire at Royston Chase Specialty Coatings
Monday, November 16, 2009
Firefighters yesterday used a dry chemical to battle a blaze at Royston Chase
Specialty Coatings.
No one was injured in the fire, which erupted about 1 p.m. at the plant along
First Street.
Borough Fire Chief George J. McBriar said the blaze resulted from an accident.
The chief said an employee was cleaning a part on a piece of machinery and dropped
it.
The part had a coating on the end, and the employee was heating the coating to
remove it, the chief said. When the piece fell, it ignited a cloth-like material
and the blaze quickly spread, the chief said.
The plant has its own dry chemical fire suppression system, which McBriar said
did a good job of controlling the blaze in the main part of the facility.
However, the fire shot through a tower at the plant. McBriar said firefighters
were forced to control the blaze in the tower.
Crews could have used water, although it might have been dangerous for them because
of a water and chemical mix splashing back at them, the chief said. For that reason,
they used the dry chemical.
The dry chemical crews used is the substance in fire extinguishers.
The chief could not offer a damage estimate.
Five fire companies from Allegheny County responded, the chief said.
Royston manufactures materials that prevent corrosion. Those materials are used
in highway construction and in other industries.
Brush Fire caused by Down Wires (RIDC Park)
Downed power lines from a blown transformer caused about a 1/4 acre damage to a hollow behind Texas Keystone Inc in RIDC Park. Crews from Guyasuta were aided by Blawnox VFC (111) and Parkview VFD (218) in extinguishing the blaze.
(Photos by Scott Bailey)
Lithium Ion Battery Fire (RIDC Park
Monday, November 9, 2009
A box of Lithium Ion Batteries caught fire onboard a FedEx Truck in RIDC Park. Crews used dry chemical extinguishers to extinguish the intial fire then allowed
the heat expansion to burn off each unit independently until it could be contained
by Weavertown Enviornmental Group and a Technician from FedEx.
(Photo by Rick Lee)
Double-wrap Prusik Failure During Rope Training
Using new 1/2" Static Kernmantle rope from PMI, a test was conducted using a
double wrap vs. triple wrap prusik to see at what force level each would fail.
Prusik was 8mm New England cordage. The 1/2" PMI was attached to a fixed anchor
with a 5:1 Mechanical Advantage system attached, a 5,000 lb. Dillon Dynamometer
was placed in between the prusik and haul system to measure the forces. See the
pictures below.
Double wrapped prusik failed at 1500 lbs of force, 8mm prusik actually fused
into sheath of mainline.
Double wrap after the prusik failure and slipping, red discoloration to the left
shows original location of double wrap prior to the load being applied.
Failure point of double wrap
Triple wrapped prusik post tensioning with same 5:1 mechanical advantage system
and load on dynamometer, no slippage or failure.
FEMA Fire Grant to Assess Heat Stress in Firefighters
Station 219 gave a fire prevention week presentation to the students of Fox Hill
Preschool. The students were able to interact and ask questions to the firefighters
regarding fire prevention and safety.
Station 219 was dispatched to assist with the extrication of a patient in a tree
stand who suffered a gun shot wound.
