U.S. Steel donates to Jefferson Hills Fire Rescue

Jefferson Hills Fire Rescue officials purchased a variety of new equipment courtesy of a grant by U.S. Steel.

Don German, manager of U.S. Steel’s Mon Valley Works Irvin Plant, presented a $30,000 check to the fire company on Jan. 13.

“First responders and what they do day in and day out is just amazing,” said German, a Jefferson Hills resident. “I’m just happy that U.S. Steel could help make a difference. Safety’s a core value at U.S. Steel. The things that we were able to provide for Jefferson Hills Fire Rescue allows them to do their job and provide service for my community. That’s pretty awesome.”

Funds will be used to get new Paratech high pressure lifting bags, two new Paratech hydra fusion struts and 11 mobile data terminals in all JHFR trucks.

Fire Chief Brian Chalfant said the airbags and Paratech items are coming from a dealer in Buffalo, N.Y., and are expected to come in within the next few months.

The terminals were purchased from a local Best Buy and are expected to be installed before the end of the month.

“It increases our ability to perform various rescue maneuvers,” Chalfant said. “We already have airbags, but they are 15 years old. The newer technology allows us better, safer working capacity. The lifting for the hydra fusions will allow us to lift heavy pieces of machinery or trucks safer along with stabilization.”

The terminals are expected to improve communication and provide better GPS and mapping.

“That puts us in communications with the (Allegheny County) 911 dispatch center,” Chalfant said. “The calls come across that. Any updates will come across that. It’s the same thing that police and (other) fire (departments) use. If information needs to be relayed and (dispatchers) don’t want to put it over the air because of privacy concerns, they can send messages over top of that (data terminal). The GPS capabilities, when a call comes in we can map it. It will show you turn-by-turn directions from the location of the truck to the incident. We can pull up all the hydrant mapping. There’s a lot of very valuable information.”

Chalfant credited volunteer fire Capt. Justin Calisti with securing the grant. Calisti also works at the Irvin Plant as part of its fire and rescue team.

German said he worked with Calisti in applying for the funds through the company’s Community Engagement Committee in December, and the donation was approved by the end of last year.

The committee reviews multiple applications for support in communities wherever U.S. Steel has a presence.

“One of the things we make sure is … it’s going for a good cause in local communities that are near our worksites or our plants,” German said.

JHFR has about 50 active members. More information about the company and its activities is available on its Facebook page.