at work,” says Costain. “Flooding started
at 1 p.m. Most of the roads coming into
Bridgeville were impassable, so we had
members who parked their cars and walked
through the hills to get into town to help out.”
The “Snowmageddon” of 2010 also came to
mind. “We ran 56 calls for assistance in a 32hour period,” says Costain. “We were running
EMS calls in the borough because we had a
pick-up truck with a plow attached to it. We
actually went in front of the ambulance and
got on scene and started medical care because
a lot of us are EMTs and paramedics. At that
time Bridgeville Police did not have a fourwheel drive unit, so we were driving them to
calls as well.”
The BVFD firefighters take pride in their
service. “The reward is helping the people and
seeing how they are afterward,” says Chief Bill
Chilleo, a firefighter for 30 years. “That is our
biggest accomplishment and the best thing.”
There are also challenges. “In this day and
age it seems like it’s getting tougher to make
it to 100 years with the cost of everything
and the department’s manpower,” says
Chilleo. “We get very good support from
our municipality, residents and from our
fundraisers. We are holding our own.”
For more information on becoming a
volunteer firefighter, or to make a donation,
visit bridgevillevfd.com. For more
information on Bridgeville and all of its
history, visit the Bridgeville Historical Society
website at bridgevillehistory.org. n
Contacts:
Photos courtesy of Bridgeville Historical Society:
412.221.4052
Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department
Chief Bill Chilleo: 412.287.4742
Ray Costain: 412.266.1043
Mary Wise of the Bridgeville Historical Society:
412.221.4052
Want to see what firefighting is really like? The Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department is
hosting an Interactive Open House at the station on Commercial Street August 6 and 7.
Visit bridgevillevfd.com for more information.
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