The Mount Pleasant Fire Department was officially chartered in 1899, after it reorganized and joined with the Western Pennsylvania Fireman's Association. Prior to 1899 it had been known by several names.

In the early nineteenth century most small towns relied on"bucket brigades" to handle fire fighting. This consisted of citizens forming lines and passing buckets hand to hand from a water source. After a particularly disastrous fire consumed the entire 800 block of Main Street, consisting of 12 buildings, the first fire company in Mount Pleasant was formed on July 18, 1876. It was named "The Centennial Fire Company," and had a membership of 29 men. The centerpiece - as a matter of fact the only piece - of fire fighting equipment the company owned was a two piston hand pump that the borough purchased in June, 1876.

Another name that appears in fire department records is "Volunteer Hose and Hook and Ladder Company of Mount Pleasant." This name was used until 1894.

The first time the name "Mount Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department" appears is 1899. This is the reason 1999 has been chosen to celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the department.

Other major historical events relating to the fire department include, 1914: the constructions of third ward hose house. In 1915 the first piece of motorized equipment was purchased. In 1938 a Gamewall fire alarm system was purchased and installed. This system consisted of red boxes on utility poles that would sound the alarm in the event of fire. This replaced the system of ringing the church bells to summon firemen. In 1935 the Mount Pleasant Firemen's Band was organized, which makes our band the oldest firemen's band in the state of Pennsylvania. In 1938 the Ladies Auxiallry to the Fire Department was formed. In 1947 the First Aid Corps were formed, which was the beginning of the current rescue unit and Medic 10 E.M.S. system in the borough. In 1949 a truck was purchased to carry first aid equipment and transport injured firefighters and citizens. In 1948 Third Ward Fire Station was completed. In 1949 the Life Members Association was formed. In 1969 Central Fire Station on Church Street was completed.

The Life, Death, and Rebirth of the Hand Pumper

Fire raged through the borough of Mt. Pleasant in 1876 devastating property and raising fear and anxiety in the people who dwelled in this tiny village in Southwest Pennsylvania. Bucket brigades battled against great odds. Finally, through the introduction of barrels of salt this disastrous fire was brought under control.

From these ashes, not only did new buildings arise but there arose something of even greater importance for the future of Mt. Pleasant. The community realized the need for a more efficient method of firefighting. Thus, was born the purchase of a two-cylinder, piston type hand pumper. The year was 1876 and Mt. Pleasant entered the age of technology.

With the purchase of this new equipment, the volunteer fire department began its activities spanning one hundred years. Never threatened with a loss of helpers, this totally volunteer organization has served its community night and day, 365 days a year on a completely voluntary basis. It all began on February 4, 1887, when a group of community-oriented men formed the Volunteer Hose and Hook and Ladder Company with an alarm system comprised of various church bells accessible by ropes hanging from their towers.

Early into the 20th century, Mt.Pleasant was still served by a hand drawn hose cart and ladder wagon. In 1915, however, the first piece of motorized equipment, an American LaFrance combination hose and chemical truck was obtained. The Volunteer Fire Department never relaxed its search for the most efficient and current fire fighting equipment and made its goal to be the best firefighting organization available to any community. Its area has since expanded to include cooperation with other area departments and actual aid to the neighboring townships.

As part of its move into the second century of service, the firemen's organization has undertaken the restoration of the original pumper purchased in 1876. For many years it lay unattended in a series of outbuildings in Standard Shaft and in the borough. Under the direction, and through the research and actual work of Mark Kraisinger, a 10-year veteran of the department, restoration was begun. With assistance of Joe Siska, a 6-year member, work began. The solid oak surfaces, badly defaced by years of inattention, were back to the original sheen. The pumping mechanism was renewed and all mechanical parts which had atrophied or been disabled were repaired. The only change was a cosmetic one, using the colors of the local fire department, red, black, and gold in the final application of paint. Three years of actual physical work were involved. Many hours of research were needed to track down the history of this type of equipment so that authenticity could be maintained. This self-instruction turned a group of amateurs into self-realized professional restorers.

Originally the machine was maneuvered by ten men on each side using the pumping motion to provide the energy to move it. If the fire lay in the path of a nearby stream or horse trough, the wagon could use that as its source for water. If not, water had to be placed in the cavity of the pumper itself through the hand-bucket system. Since that space was limited, many a fire reared unabatedly.

The first time this pumper was shown to the public was in Baltimore, on September 21st, at the National Firehouse Expo. Six men from the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department accompanied it to Baltimore and acted as its "movers" taking the place of the twenty men who originally manned it. Many members of the department hope that this will become the nucleus of a display area, museum-like, which will show the development of firefighting and the history of the volunteer firemen's organization in this one small town in Southwestern Pennsylvania.