A strong tradition of service in the face of mortal danger, spanning more than 75 years in a growing Western Pennsylvania community, is the center of the history of the Brighton Township Volunteer Fire Department. The township’s firefighters are far better equipped, protected and trained than ever before to protect our local citizens.

The department’s roots can be traced to 1938, when local farmers banded together after a horrific lightning storm set barns and houses afire, and when local manpower, cisterns and wells proved incapable of effectively battling the blaze. An official department was chartered in July 1940. Its first vehicle was a used 1938 Buick soda acid truck, purchased from Patterson Township’s helpful fire department. Then, as now, the department was supported by local donations and volunteers.

The five original directors were John Hineman, Caradoc Jones, Morgan Jones, Richard Bevington and Benjamin Grove. Fortunately, no township firefighter has ever lost his or her life at the scene of a fire.

Fogg’s barn, along Dutch Ridge Road, was the first home, with the Buick stored amid cattle and hay. The first dedicated station was erected at the end of World War II, near the corner of Dutch Ridge Road and Chapel Road, with three bays for vehicles, giving officials more control and room to operate. A second station built in 1966 accommodated expanding neighborhoods along Tuscarawas Road. In 1980, a third was added, behind the grange building, to add capacity closer to the Dawson Ridge community. Renovations to and relocation of these structures in 1994, 2009 and 2012 added even more features, space and functionality.

Over the years, the department regularly has upgraded its vehicle fleet. Technology has been expanded to include aerial rescue, vehicle accident rescue and chemical fire tools. As well, every firefighter is highly trained, receiving hundreds of hours of mandatory “essentials” education as part of the on-boarding process. Today’s firefighter wears protective gear designed to withstand temperatures up to 1,200°F, easy breathing devices, personal alarm systems, with coats and pants of fiber combinations featuring inner thermal and moisture barriers to avoid steam burns.

Unfortunately, fires continue to be a threat, especially when involving complex fuels and chemicals. In the mid-1960s, a devastating blaze destroyed the Meat Locker business across from where the Medical Center is today. Circa 1971, a historic mansion on West View Drive was severely burned. And in 1998, a fire at Foodland store in Tuscarawas Plaza caused millions of dollars in losses.

 

 

Timeline of Continuous Improvement:

1940 – Department chartered, under Chief Ben Grove, with assistance from Patterson Township Fire Department. First truck, a 1938 Buick soda acid vehicle, was bought from Patterson.

1942 – Al Buckley named chief.

1945 – Station No. 1 built near Dutch Ridge and Chapel Road.

1947 – Central States GMC truck, with a 250-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump, purchased from St. Louis, MO.

1952 – Central States GMC truck, with 500 gpm pump, purchased from St. Louis, allowing the department to better fight larger fires and carry two people in the cab.

1950s – GMC panel truck donated by a Beaver resident, providing First Aid tools such as oxygen tanks and rope.

1950s – Primitive breathing apparatus widely used.

1960 – Leon Stahl named chief.

1960s – Meat Locker business burns along Dutch Ridge Road.

1966 – Bill Gordon named chief, remaining 26 years and expanding the service to include three stations and eight vehicles; expanding into vehicle accident rescues and mandatory firefighter training. Station No. 2 built on Tuscarawas Road.

1967 – C-95 Mack Truck added to the fleet, the first diesel fire truck in the county, providing more power and reliability along with a 1,000 gpm pump and jump seats to carry up to five people in the cab.

1960s – 1952 Dodge power wagon, affectionately known as “Old #5,” purchased from an Army surplus dealer in Akron, Ohio.

1970s – Firefighter protection included rubber pull-up boots, jackets and plastic helmets.

1971 – Historic mansion burns on West View Drive.

1973 – R Model Mack truck added, with a 1,250 gpm pump and 750-gallon water tank, the county’s first “jaws of life” technology added for vehicle accident rescues.

1974 – 1974 Ford Truck added,

1980 – Station No. 3 built behind grange building.

1981 – 1953 Dodge truck purchased from the Army surplus source in Akron.

1982 – Grumman pumper-tanker truck added, with a 1,250 gpm pump, 2,500 gallon tank and an 80-gallon Class B foam tank for fighting gasoline, alcohol and diesel fires.

1980s – Rescue technology continually upgraded to include self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), high pressure air bags and hydraulic “ram” cutters and spreaders.

1980s – Kathy Glenz, the first woman firefighter in the department, joined the team.

1990 – Process began to replace five of eight aging vehicles over the next decade.

1993 – John Curtaccio named chief, remaining 18 years and revamping an aging fleet, rebuilding aging structures, advancing into the medical field with quick response systems (QRS) and teaching prevention in local schools.

1991 – Heavy rescue truck added, three times the size of previous vehicles to carry more personnel, cascade breathing systems and enlarged capacity for rescues of all types.

1994 – Station No. 2 enlarged after police department moved out. 1994 Pierce Dash added with a 1,250 gpm pump, 750-gallon water tank, and 30-gallon foam tank for chemical fires, as well as a cab large enough to hold six men in an entirely enclosed space.

1996 – Ford F-350 truck added to fight brush fires, replacing the 1952 Dodge power wagon.

1997 – Pierce Quantum added with a 2,000 gpm pump and 750-gallon tank, holding eight men in the cab, the “truck of choice” for maneuverability.

1998 – Foodland fire in the Tusca Plaza, causing $4.5 million in damages. 1994 Ford F-150 pickup truck added, outfitted as the department’s first vehicle especially for the chief to use for inspecting fire sites and responding to carbon monoxide detector calls.

1999 – 1982 Pierce truck purchased from Fort Myers, FL, with an 85-foot aerial platform allowing firefighters to make rescues from upper floors and to protect adjacent buildings from spreading blazes. Added Cairns thermal imaging.

2000 – Commercial Elliptical truck added with a 1,250 gpm pump and 3,000 gallon tank, a shorter vehicle allowing sharper turns in close quarters, and still winning show trophies today.

2004 – Ford Expedition added as the first QRS vehicle, a designated squad car used strictly for providing basic life support medical supplies at the scene of vehicle accidents so victims may be stabilized immediately. Bought two new Scott Eagle 160 thermal imaging cameras.

2005 – International commercial pumper added, with 4-wheel drive, a 1,250 gpm pump, 600-gallon tank, a 30-gallon Class A foam tank (for combustible grass and house fires) and 30-gallon Class B foam tank (for petroleum fires).

2008 – Ford Expedition added as a new chief’s vehicle for deployment throughout the township, allowing for faster responses as well as QRS and training. The Ford F-350 was the second squad car added.

2009 – Station No. 1 relocated to 1120 Dutch Ridge Road to be nearer to the Medical Center and Friendship Ridge.

2010 – 1996 Pierce platform truck purchased from Canonsburg, PA, measuring 100 feet in length, with a 2,000 gpm pump and 300-gallon tank, the first vehicle to add water and pump services to a platform format.

2011 – Kevin Crawford named chief.

2012 – Station No. 2 renovated to heighten doors to accommodate newer trucks. Bought new ISG and hand-held Scott thermal imaging for faster deployment and more thorough searches of burning buildings.

2015 – Joshua Curtaccio named chief.

2015 – New Piece Quantum pumper ordered to replace the 1994 Pierce Dash and 1997 Pierce Quantum.  Apparatus was delivered in February of 2016

2017 – Mitchell Curtaccio named chief.

2018 – First part time paid firefighters are hired in June of 2018, The Brighton Township VFD officially transitions to a combination fire department with paid staffing for 16 hours Monday-Friday.