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Crafton VFD has always been a proud Fire Department,
housed for many years in the former Hershberger Funeral Home, on Station Street, and the Crafton Borough Building. Hershberger's
was purchased at a reasonable amount, in the 40's.
True, the long-term dream was to have
a new building that would be the home of this active fire department. But, with the upkeep of engines and equipment it seemed
the funeral home would always be the firemen's home.
Then, with the coming of a busway to Crafton, the Port Authority
needed the Fire Department's property for a "Park and Ride." Now, the problem of where they would go and how this would be
financed was at hand.
In 1998, there was a major fire at the corner of Bradford and
Noble Avenues. Known as the O'Connell Building, it was totally consumed and became a possible site. Even with
money from PAT, purchase of property and construction of a state of the art building seemed impossible. Nevertheless, in December
of 2001 the New Crafton VFD was opened. Now, the huge problem of paying for it began.
Through the years, many men and
women have given countless hours of time in training and caring for equipment, so that they are ready to respond to protect
their neighbors and neighbor's property. Because of this, homeowners have had lives preserved, fires extinguished, and personal
property saved. This has resulted in excellent insurance ratings and many commendations from insurance companies, resulting
in savings for homeowners on fire insurance rates.
Several of our Firemen have National Certification in fire fighting
and all have hundreds of hours of other training. This is all done out of a genuine care for the community. Many of the Firemen
are lifelong Crafton residents; some have family members who were part of the early years of the department. These are the people that make up the Crafton VFD.
The project now at
hand is to be able to pay for this building. Fund raising takes numerous hours and along with the training that is needed
to keep each Fireman at the standard that the residents of Crafton deserve. The fire department now needs the support of the
community they hold so dearly to be able to do this. Remember, this is your fire department and building.
Thank You,
Crafton Volunteer Fire Department
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If you'd like to help, please make your check out
to:
"Crafton VFD"
Put
the year you graduated on it, and mail to:
Marilyn
Stewart
22 Harrison Street
Pittsburgh, PA
15205
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