Fire at Montour Construction Site

Firefighters have brought a two-alarm blaze under control at the construction site of the new Montour High School on Clever Road in Robinson Township, Allegheny County. Video from television helicopters showed a lot of smoke billowing from the site.
There are no reports of injuries. Officials at the scene believe the fire, which broke out around 12:30 p.m., might be related to welding work that was being done on the building's roof.
The $47 million reconstruction of the high school was scheduled to be completed in time for the 2011-12 school year. At this time, it is too early to tell how the fire will affect that timetable.
During the current school year, classes for the high school students are being held at the David Williams Middle School while the renovations are being made.

Fire Departments' Merger Moves Forward

As expected, Pittsburgh Council acted quickly in giving preliminary approval to an agreement between the city and its neighbor to the east, Wilkinsburg Borough, to merge their respective fire departments. The arrangement was officially announced Monday by Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Wilkinsburg officials but the deal had been in the works for more than a year.

Before giving tentative approval to the agreement, Council questioned Public Safety Director Michael Huss who said that Pittsburgh will hire the 25 Wilkinsburg firefighters if they wish to join the city's department. Huss said the city would keep open 1 of the 2 Wilkinsburg fire stations and that would lessen response time to calls from the Homewood and Swisshelm Park neighborhoods of the city.

The agreement, under which Wilkinsburg will pay Pittsburgh about $7.5 million through December 2015, has already been approved by Wilkinsburg Council and the city's Act 47 state oversight groups.
Huss did confirm to Pittsburgh Council that Wilkinsburg has approached city officials about a possible merger of police departments.

Pittsburgh To Take Over Wilkinsburg Fire Duties

The city of Pittsburgh and the borough of Wilkinsburg have reached a deal to dissolve the Wilkinsburg fire department and for the city to begin providing fire service to borough residents. The 20-year deal comes with a renewal every 5 years.

Wilkinsburg Mayor John Thompson says the deal will save the borough more than $600,000 a year and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl says it will not increase the city’s budget. Wilkinsburg will pay Pittsburgh just more than $7.5 million over the next 5 years to cover the additional costs. The borough will also be making a one-time payment into the city’s pension fund.

Wilkinsburg Firefighters Union President Brian Travato says he was facing two options. “We could continue to fight to maintain an already unsafe level of staffing that we have had here in Wilkinsburg, or we could seize the opportunity to be part of something special,” says Travato. Travato says he was looking out for his members during the negotiations but he always kept the safety of the residents as a top priority. “We are pleased to say you are going to be in very good hands with the fire protection that is going to be provided by the city of Pittsburgh.”

One Wilkinsburg fire station will be closed but Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh officials say response time will be reduced for residents on both sides of the border. They also were quick to point out that under the new system, more fire fighters will respond to each fire in Wilkinsburg.

Union and elected leader says this is the first merger of its kind in the state and they expect it to be held up as a model for others considering consolidation. Pittsburgh Fire Fighter Union President Joe King says he has been asked by the national union to present information about how the deal was done.

All of the Wilkinsburg fire fighters who wanted to become Pittsburgh firefighters were taken on at the pay rate equal to a second year firefighter. For some that will mean a cut in pay but others will see an increase. Wilkinsburg firefighters will be given just more than a year service time in the Pittsburgh system for every year served in Wilkinsburg. Firefighters will have one year to move into the city.

The deal must still be approved by the Pittsburgh City Council.

Legislation to Nullify Sprinkler Mandate

Less than 6 weeks after a state mandated residential sprinkler requirement took effect, some Pennsylvania lawmakers along with builders and realtors are trying to get it repealed.
The mandate that all new housing in Pennsylvania, effective January 1, must have sprinklers was not included in legislation, but is part of the Uniform Construction Code which has an automatic adoption process built into it. Fred Cabell of the Pennsylvania Builders Association says any provision proposed by the International Code Council (ICC) is adopted in Pennsylvania automatically.

The Pennsylvania Fire and Emergency Services Institute (PFESI) sent a letter to Pennsylvania General Assembly urging lawmakers not to repeal the sprinkler requirement because the sprinklers save lives and prevent serious injuries.
However, Cabell says the mandate does not address threat of fires in older, existing housing stock.

The PFESI letter to lawmakers says new homes need the sprinklers because they burn and collapse faster than older homes.
Cabell admits that new lightweight flooring systems do burn at a faster rate than conventional framing lumber..."As a result, the ICC has proposed, and this would not take effect until 2013 in Pennsylvania, that there be additional fire floor protection. We've encouraged representatives and senators to have in their legislation language that would provide that protection effective immediately."

The firefighters and builders also dispute the cost of installing sprinkler systems. The Institute says a recent study shows the cost at $1.61 per square foot and systems are being installed in Pennsylvania at a lower rate. But Cabell says even at that rate, the cost for 2,000 square feet of living space plus the basement would be $6,440. Cabell says a 2006 survey of Pennsylvanians showed that 89% said that smoke alarms do an adequate job of protecting them in their homes.

State Representative Garth Everett of Lycoming County and Senator Jake Corman of Center County have proposed legislation to repeal the sprinkler mandate.