The City of New Kensington is located in the northern tip of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, situated on the eastern banks of the Allegheny River 18 miles northeast of the City of Pittsburgh. New Kensington, like Pittsburgh, has a strong industrial heritage and that is what made it what it is still known to this day, “The Aluminum City”. New Kensington was the birthplace of the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). The very first plant of Alcoa was in New Kensington, along with the Wear-Ever cooking utensil division, Alcoa’s ceramic division, and the Alcoa Laboratories. Along with Alcoa were the Sterling White Lead Co., General Electric Conduit Division, the Union Spring and Manufacturing Co., American Shim Steel, and many small industrial-based businesses. The downtown business district contained a 12-square block area that included clothing stores, banks, taverns, restaurants, hardware stores, furniture stores, night clubs, gas stations, and many confectionary stores. People came from as far as Pittsburgh to shop and enjoy themselves in “downtown” New Kensington. New Kensington was a city to shop, work, and enjoy as it grew from its incorporation in 1891. The city was often referred to as “Little Chicago” due to it having been home to organized crime back in the day. In any given day there were as many as 20,000 people working in New Kensington, with over 10,000 working for Alcoa. The population of New Kensington in the 1960’s swelled to over 25,000 people, placing it as the largest city in Westmoreland County.
The New Kensington Bureau of Fire was the very first public organization formed in the city. This was brought about after the “Rhodes Fire” was extinguished by a bucket brigade in the 900 block of Ivy Alley in the downtown section on November 17th, 1891. Three days later, on November 20th, 1891, Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 was founded and led by the first chief, Chie J.P. Mulvihill, who is buried in Union Cemetery in Arnold. This was within the same year that Alcoa and the Borough of New Kensington were incorporated as well. A 1,000 pound bell was ordered and used to sound the alarm. This bell came from the Sharpsburg Fire Department. The first piece of apparatus was a used hose cart from the Kittanning Fire Department.
The Goodwill Hose Company No. 2 was organized on September 1st, 1899. This fire station was located only a few blocks from Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 in the 800 block of 4th Avenue. This company served until 1915 when it was disbanded. The bell from the bell tower at the Goodwill Hose Company fire station was given to the Bon Aire Fire Company No. 3 of Lower Burrell Township. On July 22nd, 1904, Hilltop Hose Company No. 3 was organized in the “Hill District”. Their second fire station was the first building in New Kensington to be wired with electricity as it was under construction. The present No. 2 company was organized in 1899 as the Parnassus Volunteer Fire Company. This became New Kensington Engine Co. No. 2, as the Borough of Parnassus was annexed into New Kensington and the two boroughs became known as “The City of New Kensington” in 1931, a 3rd class city. New Kensington continued to grow through annexation as two more districts became part of New Kensington. These two annexations added two more fire companies to the city as well. The East Kensington annexation brough in the East Kensington Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 (originally organized in 1926 as the East Kensington Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 of Lower Burrell Township), as New Kensington Engine Co. No. 4. The Valley Heights/Valley Camp annexation brought in the Valley Heights Volunteer Fire Company No. 2 of Lower Burrell Township, also organized in 1926, as New Kensington Engine Company No. 5.
The City of New Kensington was now 4.2 square miles and had 5 fire districts. There was a work force of over 20,000 people, a population of over 25,000, and a firefighting force of over 125 volunteers and 6 paid firefighters.
The early 1900’s brough the addition of the Gamewell Fire Telegraph system to the city in 1916 to alert the fire department. It was also around this time that the city employed 6 firefighters that were hired as paid drivers. They belonged to the International Association of Firefighters Local #2453. They were under the direction of the eight fire chief, Edward J. Clawson. Under Chief Clawson, the Fire Bureau grew and developed along with the city. Chief Clawson saw the purchase of a 1927 American Lafrance 1,000 GPM engine and ladder truck. In 1931, the ladder truck was sent back to American Lafrance to have a 100 ft aerial ladder installed on it, making it the only 100ft aerial ladder truck in Westmoreland County at the time. Beginning in 1933, under the direction of Chief Clawson and with strong ties to Alcoa, Alcoa built 3 fire engines for the bureau of fire: a 1933, a 1935, and a 1937. These were the first fire apparatus in the world to be manufactured with aluminum bodies. Their whereabouts are unknown. In 1949, a Mack L-95 model engine was delivered to Engine 3. In 1960, Chief Clawson began the process to replace the 1927 engine and ladder truck at Station 1. Chief Clawson was the 2nd longest serving fire chief in the 134-year history of the department. He served from 1922 until his retirement in 1960. Chief Clawson passed away in 1976 and is buried in Union Cemetery.
The Alcoa plant employed many of the volunteers. The boiler house at the plant had the Gamewell system in the boiler room. When a box was struck in the city, the boilerman would blow out the box number using the steam whistle at the boiler house. The employees that were firefighters were excused from work to answer fire alarms and were kept on the payroll. In 1933, a group of firefighters and workers at the Alcoa plant built the first of 3 of the world’s aluminum bodied fire trucks utilizing three ford chassis, all with flathead V-8 engines. The bodies were made from aluminum that was extruded and fabricated at the Alcoa plant. The first one was built in 1933, the second in 1935, and the third in 1937. The ’33 went to Engine No. 5, the ’37 went to Engine No. 4, and the ’35 went to Company No. 1 as Emergency No. 1. Today, this truck is housed at the Fire Department Warehouse and is used at parades.
The city was set up in five fire districts. District 1 is downtown, the mills, and business district. District 2 is the former Borough of Parnassus, the “south side”. District 3 is the “hill district”. District 4 is the former East Kensington section of old Lower Burrell Township, and District 5 is the Valley Heights/Valley Camp section of old Lower Burrell Township, “north side” and newer business district of the city. Each company had an assistant chief, captain, first and second lieutenants, as well as executive officers.
The apparatus of the New Kensington Bureau of Fire was basically two different makes from the 40’s and 70’s. Mack and American Lafrance made up most of the apparatus throughout the years. The city purchased two American Lafrance pieces of apparatus, a 1,000 GPM pumper and a 100 ft aerial ladder truck in 1927 for Company No. 1. These, along with the 1935 Ford, were the main pieces of equipment for the downtown district. The 1935 Ford had a 350 GPM Barton American pump, with a 100-gallon water tank and a 150 ft 3/4-inch booster reel. It carried a 1000 ft supply of 2-1/2-inch hose. This truck carries Serial # BB-181409096 and VIN # A4120424. This truck fought most of the fires in districts 1 & 3 well into the 1960’s when it was placed into reserve status. The 1927’s were replaced in 1960. The engine was sold to a fraternity at Carnegie Mellon University, and the ladder truck was sold in the State College, PA area. The 1960 engine was a 900-series American Lafrance open cab with a 1,000 GPM pump and 300-gallon tank. It had serial # N-930 and VIN # 13900015. The aerial was a 900 series open cab with a 100 ft midsection ladder, a 250 GPM booster pump, a 150-gallon tank, and carried 212 ft of ground ladders. It had serial # N-984 and VIN # 14051217. Both trucks had a Continental “J” series gasoline engine and a 4-speed manual transmission. The engine served in front line until August of 1990 when it was sold to a neighboring fire company Kinloch, Lower Burrell No. 1. It was painted chrome yellow. It is now collector-owned in Worthington, PA. The ladder truck served until June of 1998. It was sold to a collector in the Washington D.C. area. A 1990 Spartan/4-Guys 1,250/500 engine replaced the Lafrance Engine. It was the first engine in the city that was built with a 4-door cab and had an automatic transmission. Currently, this engine is in service as Engine 4.
Engine Company No. 2 had a horse-drawn pull cart that was replaced by a Peerless engine. In 1927, an Ahrens-Fox NS-4 pumper was purchased and served until 1954. When replaced, this engine was for sale. It was unable to be sold and was later scrapped. The value was not as much as the city paid to put tires on it a year earlier. This engine was replaced by a 1954 Federal/General. “The General”, as it was known, had a 750 GPM pump and a 300-gallon booster tank. It carried serial #159726 and VIN # 10905252, and was purchased through the Civil Defense System. This engine had served until 1979. It was sold to Swank Construction, a bridge construction company located in the City of New Kensington. From Swank Construction, it was further sold to an individual in Clarion, PA, then a farmer in Mercer county, PA. In May of 2023, it was purchased by a New Kensington firefighter as an addition to his collection. The General was replaced by a 1979 Hamerly on an International Cargostar chassis. This engine carried serial # D1045J-CA15157. This engine had a 1,000 GPM Waterous two-stage pump, a 500-gallon booster tank, a 50-gallon foam tank with AFFF foam, and is powered by a 3208 Caterpillar diesel engine with a 5-speed Fuller transmission. The Hamerly was designated Engine 11 and served as the reserve engine of the city when it was replace in 2001 by a 1970 Mack CF-600 that served Lower Burrell No. 3. This Mack was refurbished by 4-Guys in 1988 that included a new stainless steel fire body and 750-gallon booster tank. This engine has Mack serial # CF-685-F(10)-1209. It served until September 11th, 2008 when it was replaced by a 2008 Pierce Impel that was purchased through the AFG grant program through the Department of Homeland Security. The Mack was sold to a collector in the Harrisburg area in April of 2010 by city auction. It was later sold to a collector in Texas. The Hamerly was sold to Wexcon Construction at the same city auction.
Engine Company No. 3, Hilltop Hose, first used the pull cart that No. 1 used. Their first piece of motorized equipment was a 1918 American Lafrance pumper with 1,000 GPM pump and a 100-gallon booster tank. This engine was refurbished in 1931 by American Lafrance. Part of the refurbishment included the addition of new rims and pneumatic tires. This engine served Engine 3 until 1949. The 1918 American Lafrance was sold to Windsor Heights, WV. The city purchased a 1949 Mack L-95 1,000 GPM pump with a 150-gallon booster tank. It carries Mack serial # 95LS1186. This engine served frontline until September of 1970 when it was replaced and put into reserve status. It fought it’s last fire on August 7th, 1996 and served in reserve status until March of 2002. In November 1970, Engine 3 placed in service a Mack CF-600 open cab engine. It carries serial # CF-685 F 10 1166. This engine was the 9th out of 13 open cab CF-600 fire engines that Mack manufactured. It was refurbished in 1991 by New Lexington that included a new poly booster tank and an aluminum fire body. In 1994 it was sent to 4-Guys to have the front bumper extended, a trash line added, and automatic chains installed on it. This engine continued to serve until April of 2011 when it was replaced by a Spartan/4-Guys engine with a 2,000 GPM Waterous 2-stage pump and a 500-gallon tank. This new 2010 engine was also obtained through an AFG grant from the Department of Homeland Security.
Engine-Rescue Company No. 4 used the 1937 Ford/Alcoa engine until 1956 when the city purchased an American Lafrance/Ford F-650 with a 750 GPM 2-stage twinflow pump and a 300-gallon booster tank. It carried serial # F75J6H52765 and VIN # A11885675. This engine served until 1986 when it was sold at city auction. The fire pump and body were removed and a dump body was installed by a local shop. It was replaced by a 1986 FMC/Kenworth with an Omega body that served as Engine 4. This engine was taken out of service in August 2014 and sold to the Bomberos de Silao in Mexico (where it is still in frontline service) and replace by Engine 6, a 1981 American Lafrance Century that was purchased in January 2012 from Biglerville Truck & Hose Company 1 from Adams County, PA. This engine was originally one of 80 American Lafrance Centuries purchased by the City of New York. It carries serial # CE-7106 and was FDNY shop # 8106. This engine was completely refurbished by PA Fire Apparatus for Biglerville. This engine served as Engine 6 from 2012 until, then as Engine 4 from 2014 until 2017. It then served as Engine 7, the spare engine. No hose or tools were on it. Engine 7 was sold in November 2024 to a collector in Florida. Rescue No 4. started as a light rescue truck that was an International Scout in the early 70’s. It carried a K-12 saw, porta-power, rope, tools and lights. This unit served until 1986 when No. 4 purchased a 1976 Ford F-250/ATECO that had served Monroeville No. 6. This rescue truck was replaced in 1992 when No. 4 purchased a brand-new rescue that was an International/MedTech. It now is a service truck for a business in Illinois. That rescue served until 2005 when a 19786 Kenworth/Salsbury was purchased from Warrington Fire Co. in Bucks County, PA in 2003. In 2009, the Salsbury was replaced by a 1989 Spartan/Darley that had served Roberts Park, Il. It was sold to Arnold No. 1 in 2011 when the current rescue was purchased. The 1989 Spartan/Darley was sold by Arnold No. 1 to the Lernerville Speedway.
Engine Company No. 5 had the 1933 Ford that was fabricated at the Alcoa plant. It too was replaced in 1956 by an American Lafrance on a Ford F-650 that had a 750 GPM twinflow pump and a 300-gallon tank, and it was replaced in 1986 with a twin to Engine No. 4. It carrie serial # F75J6H52766 and VIN # A11885676. It too was sold at a city auction upon the arrival of a new engine by the same shop as old Engine 4, and it too was made into a dump truck by the same owner that purchased old Engine 4. Also, a second FMC/Kenworth with an Omega body was purchased by the city in 1986. Both of these engines cost slightly less than $105,000 each. The second one served as Engine 5. This engine served until 2015 when replaced by a 1997 Seagrave TB that was purchased by the city from Stratford, CT. The 1986 FMC was sold to a private individual from Corning, NY. That owner removed the bed, pump & booster tank and installed a fifth wheel on it to maneuver equipment on his farm. In 2024, it was sold to an individual in State College so the engine and transmission could be used in another truck. The chassis was then scrapped.
In 1960, Genaur A. Lemon, a paid firefighter with the fire bureau was appointed Fire Chief. Chief Lemon was a highly trained firefighter and a state instructor who taught throughout western Pennsylvania. Chief Lemon saw the delivery of the 1960’s American Lafrance 900 Series engine and 100 ft aerial ladder truck. Even at this time, New Kensington had the only 100 ft aerial ladder truck in Westmoreland County. Under Chief Lemon’s tenure, the 1970 Mack CF-600 was purchased and placed in service at Engine 3, replacing the 1949 L-Model that was placed into reserve status at Station 1. Chief Lemon retired on June 5th, 1978, and went on to serve as Assistant Chief at Station 1 until 1983. Chief Lemon passed away in 1993. He is buried in Union Cemetery in Arnold.
From June 5th, 1978, until June 19th, 2019, the fire bureau was led by Chief J. Edward Saliba. Chief Saliba was the longest serving fire chief in the fire bureau’s history, serving 41 years as fire chief and was a member for 71 years when he passed away on June 19th, 2019. Under Chief Saliba’s tenure the fire bureau saw many accomplishments. He saw the purchase of new engines for Engine 1 in 1990, Engine 2 in 1979, Engines 4 & 5 in 1986, the refurbishment of Engine 3 in 1991, a new heavy-duty rear-mount aerial for Truck 1, a new station for No. 5 in 1990, and a new station for No. 3 in 1995. He was instrumental to have the Ambulance Corp purchase a Hurst Rescue tool system for No. 4 in 1980. He assisted No.1 with starting the first mobile air cascade unit for the city. He was instrumental in establishing No. 2 as part of the Westmoreland County Hazardous Materials team and assisted the Ambulance Corp to purchase a new river rescue pontoon boat. There was also the purchasing of a few used fire engines to help replace some aging apparatus. In 2001, Lower Burrell No.3 sold Engine 1 (1970 Mack CF-600 refurbished in 1988) to the city and it was placed in service as Engine 2. In 2012, the 1980/1992 American Lafrance Century was purchased as a reserve engine. In 2014, the city purchases a 1997 Seagrave TB (Ex. East Rutherford, NJ, Ex. Stratford, CT) to replace Engine 1. Chief Saliba passed away in 2019 and is also buried in Union Cemetery in Arnold.
Today, the New Kensington Bureau of Fire operates 6 engines, one heavy duty aerial ladder truck, a heavy rescue truck, a rescue/engine, a mobile air compressor/light truck, one service truck, an all terrain vehicle, a river rescue boat, and five squads from five fire stations manned by 83 firefighters under the direction of Fire Chief Edward C. Saliba, the 11th chief of the bureau. Chief Saliba was appointed Fire Chief in 2019 after the passing of his father, and has been serving as a member for over 39 years.
The fire bureau has operated out of 5 stations, strategically located in the city’s 5 fire districts until August 2023, when the operations of Companies 1, 2, and 3 began to operate from Station 1. The official consolidation of these 3 companies is close to completion, becoming a new company to be named Union Hose, Truck, and Rescue Co. No. 1.
