In September of 1938, 12
residents of the Morton Plan gathered in the home of Richard
Lindap to hold what was to be the first organization meeting of
the Mifflin Township's newest fire company. Monthly
meetings were held in the homes of the men until the membership
grew to 30 members. In 1940, the first By-Laws were drawn
up and the Charter was obtained. The company purchased a
lot on Fifth Street in the Morton Plan in 1942 to erect the
first firehouse. In the fall of 1944, the fire company
purchased their first fire truck from Versailles Borough.
The company purchased the lot on Lebanon Church Road in August
of 1947. The new building was started in June of
1949. A new fire truck was also on order. On June
16, 1950, the fire company and new truck were opened for
inspection by the public. The fire company building was
built by firemen who donated their time and their labor free of
charge. The cost of the building was $16,000.00. The
truck presented by the borough had a cost of $21,000.00
A very different type of fire was
anxiously attended by the members on Friday, May, 8, 1953 when
the three year mortgage on the building was burned. In
1965 the membership continued to grow and the needs of the
borough changed. Under the leadership of Howard Kegler and
Jack Dorris, a heavy duty Ford emergency truck was purchased at a
cost of $12,000 to replace the CMC. The next two fire
chiefs, Vince Carr and Charles Hoit, put extra effort into
updating equipment which was now becoming obsolete. A new
addition to the building was also in the works due to the
expansion of the equipment. In 1967, the membership
approved the expansion project.
In 1975, under President Bill Drury and
Chief Don Brooks, it was decided to build a new building
addition. That addition currently houses a 400 seat
banquet hall.
Over the past 70 years, many changes and
improvements have been made to the original plans and
building. As the dates on our calendars have moved ahead,
so too has the Lebanon Fire Company, now fondly known as West
Mifflin Volunteer Fire Company #3. Here's to 70 more
productive and successful years!
For a "Nostalgic Look-back" through photos CLICK HERE |