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 The Guyasuta Volunteer Fire Department is located in O'Hara Township approximately six miles from downtown Pittsburgh.
O'Hara Township encompasses seven square miles and includes 9000 residents and
over 100 businesses. Our coverage area encompasses residences, apartment complex's,
retirement homes, schools, part of Route 28, and many industries and businesses
including RIDC Park and the Fox Chapel Plaza area. GVFD provides fire suppression,
vehicle/technical/trench rescue, and a State-of-Pennsylvania-licensed medical
Quick Response Service. Guyasuta operates pierce manufactured fire apparatus including
an engine, a heavy rescue squad and a 100' aerial ladder truck. In addition, a Ford Explorer serves a QRS Squad. For mutual aid, we enlist the services of several local departments, including
Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox Chapel, Pleasant Valley, Parkview, Oakmont, Cherry City
and Undercliff. We currently have 30 active members including four live-ins and
five members from the Westinghouse/Emerson Industrial Brigade. We are teachers,
doctors, nurses, engineers, students, and paramedics.
We are the Guyasuta Volunteer Fire Department.
Interested in becoming a member? "Contact Us" for information.
Past Incident Pictures
Above: Guyasuta assists in extinguishing a fire in Blawnox.
Above and Below: Guyasuta Rescue Squad 219 extricates a patient from an overturned
tractor trailer along Freeport Road in O'Hara Township.
Above and Below: Guyasuta crews extinguish a boat fire on River Road in O'Hara.
Below: Guyasuta crews responded to a two vehicle crash with entrapment. Guyasuta
crews extricated one patient that was transported by Parkview EMS, the other driver had
been ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Below: Guyasuta crews assisted neighboring Blawnox Fire Company with a commercial
structure fire along Freeport Road.
Above and Below: Guyasuta's Truck Company assisted across the river in Oakmont
Borough with a commerical structure fire.
Above: Guyasuta Rescue Squad 219 responds to an accident on Route 28 on the overpass
bridge above Fox Chapel Road near exit 8 in O'Hara Township.
Above and Below: Guyasuta's Truck Company assisted neighboring companines in
Sharpsburg Borough with a commercial structure fire.
Below: Guyasuta's Rescue Squad assisted Blawnox Fire Company and Foxwall EMS
with a roll-over motor vehicle crash in Blawnox Borough.
Below: Crews responded to a vehicle that had crashed into the RIDC Holiday Inn
Hotel in O'Hara Township.
Below: Rescue Squad 219. Pin Job, Freeport Road near Powers Run in O'Hara Twp.
Below: Rescue Company 219 was dispatched to assist with the extrication of a
patient in a tree stand who suffered a gun shot wound.
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.
Training
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