1Honoring the history and cooperative nature of the City of
2Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire in its daily service to the City of
3Pittsburgh, Allegheny County.

4WHEREAS, The City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire was founded on
5September 12, 1793, and opened a fire station on the corner of
6First Avenue and Market Street in downtown Pittsburgh; and

7WHEREAS, Originally a volunteer fire department, the bureau
8became a fully paid department on May 23, 1870; and

9WHEREAS, On May 5, 1903, firefighters in the bureau created
10the first firefighter union in the world, and on September 11,
111903, they organized the first local of what would become the
12International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF); and

13WHEREAS, Pittsburgh firefighters became Local 1 of the IAFF
14after winning a coin toss with the Chicago Fire Department; and

15WHEREAS, Currently, the bureau has four battalions, including

129 stations housing 34 engine companies, three quint companies,
211 truck companies and a mobile air compressor unit comprising
3318 professional firefighters working together on a daily basis
4for the safety and security of the businesses and the
5approximately 345,000 residents of the City of Pittsburgh; and

6WHEREAS, The City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, City of
7Pittsburgh Police Department and the Pittsburgh Emergency
8Services Department have worked together to ensure events such
9as the G-20 Summit, the multitude of athletic events, the
10numerous movie film productions, the various parades, the
11Pittsburgh Marathon, the National Night Out and many other
12events do not encounter any misfortune; and

13WHEREAS, The City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, the City of
14Pittsburgh Police Department and the Pittsburgh Emergency
15Services Department work closely with other municipalities of
16the Region 13 for strategic planning and disaster preparedness
17and have formed the Swiftwater Rescue Team to assist with
18accidents and emergencies in and around the Pittsburgh area;
19therefore be it

20RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the history
21and cooperative nature of the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire
22in its daily service to the City of Pittsburgh.