Hilltop Hose Company No. 3 (Allegheny County, Pennsylvania)

== Department Profile ==
The Hilltop Hose Company #3 was established in 1914 in the Campton neighborhood of Harrison Township of what is now Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. Like most volunteer departments in the Commonwealth, Hilltop provides fire suppression, rescue, QRS, and special operations services. Working primarily as a "truck company", Hilltop can also operate as an engine company as needed. The Company is dispatched by the Allegheny County Emergency Services (ACES) via Allegheny County station number 168, but was previously dispatched at the Township level as "Station 30".
Hilltop Hose is one of three volunteer fire departments in the Township of Harrison, the other two being Citizens Hose Company No. 2 (Station 167) and Harrison Hills Volunteer Fire Company No. 4 (Station 169). Citizens Hose also provides Emergency Medical Services for the Township, and both Companies 2 and 4 provide rescue services. Up until the 1990s, the Village of Natrona section of the Township had their own department - Natrona Volunteer Fire Company No. 1. This department has since disbanded and Hilltop Hose has absorbed their response area.
To date, the Company has roughly 30 active responding members, 10 active support members, an active Ladies Auxiliary Company, and a successful Junior Fire Company program for teenagers ages 16-18. The Company has the following structure for its Line Officers: Fire Chief, Assistant Chief, Captain, First Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, and Ladder Lieutenant. Additional officers include Chaplain, Engineer and Safety Officer. On the Executive side of the Company, the structure is: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and four Trustees. All officer positions - minus Engineer and Safety Officer - are voted upon annually at regular Company meetings. The Engineer and Safety Officer are appointed by the Fire Chief. Company meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month unless otherwise specified by the Executive Officers.
The Company is a member of the Highlands Emergency Services Alliance (also known as "HESA" [pronounced hee-sa]) a partnership between the Highlands School District and 9 fire departments within the District to provide entry-level fire training to high school students from 10th grade to graduation during the school day as an elective class (outside of a traditional tech-education school) to promote volunteerism in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Students travel to the Allegheny County Fire Academy to attend training, and the program has also expanded to include students from other school districts in the county while retaining the name.
Hilltop Hose Company #3's apparatus have historically been a baby-blue color. At a point in time in the 1940s or 50s, the Harrison Township Public Works Department's vehicles were that color, and a newly-received apparatus by the company was not painted. The members took it upon themselves to paint the unit using paint from the Public Works department, and that color has become tradition ever since. Prior to this, the apparatus were red.The Company has a response district that borders Tarentum (Stations 280, 281 & 282) and Brackenridge (Station 112) on the southern sides and Fawn (Stations 150 & 151) on the northern side and runs from the northern edge of Bull Creek Road near what was referred to as "Jobe's Hole", SR 28 northbound from Exit 14 to Exit 15, the northern side of Freeport Road from Trinity United Methodist Church to Dallas Avenue, and the southside side of Freeport Road from Morgan Street to the Allegheny River. Additionally, Hilltop's response district includes the Village of Natrona from the ATI Specialty Rolled Products/Allegheny Ludlum Brackenridge Works steel mill to Federal Street. See map image at right. In this response district include various conditions including heavily wooded areas, natural waterways including a creek and a river, single and multi-family dwellings, commercial businesses, a regional hospital, three school buildings, multiple churches, a 4-lane divided highway and a steel mill & research facility. A good percentage - but not all - of the response district has a municipal water supply.
== Lest We Forget ==
On the cold winter morning of December 20th, 1991, Hilltop Hose Company #3, at the time Station 30, was activated for a commercial structure fire at what was West Interior Services - a furniture refinishing business - at the corner of Brackenridge Avenue at Morgan Street in the Borough of Brackenridge. Truck 33 responded with a full crew as a mutual aid fill for Highland Hose - at the time Station 10 in the Borough of Tarentum - as their truck was out of service.
Four members of Hilltop Hose perished in the fire as the floor that they were standing on suddenly collapsed into the engulfed basement of the structure, with the above floors collapsing on top of them. The members lost were:
* Michael Cielicki Burns, 27
* David Emmanuelson, 29
* Rick Frantz, 23
* Frank Veri, Jr., 31
Please read the United States Fire Administration's Technical Report for a detailed explanation of the conditions of the tragedy.
==Apparatus Roster==
===Fire Station - 1501 Cambridge Street, Natrona Heights ===
:168 Engine - 2016 Pierce Enforcer (2000/750) (SN#29516)
:168 Truck - 2009 American LaFrance Eagle 6x4 / LTI (1500/300/105' rear-mount platform) (Ladder portion Ex-Buffalo Fire Department (New York))
:168 Special Services - 2001 HME 1871-SFO / Hackney walk-around
:Parade - 1957 Mack B pumper (750/750) (Ex-Engine 31) (Housed separately in a member's private residence)
:
File:HTH168Engine.jpg|168 Engine
File:HTH168Truck.jpg|168 Truck
File:HTH168SS.jpg|168 Special Services
File:HTH168Mack.jpg|Old Engine 31
File:HTHFleet.jpg|168 Fleet
File:HTHStation.jpg|168 Station
==Retired Apparatus==
:1979 Hendrickson 1871-C / Bruco aerial (1500/300/85' LTI rear-mount platform) (Ex-Truck 33)
:1977 American LaFrance Century pumper (Ex-Engine 31) (Ex-Freeport Volunteer Fire Department (Pennsylvania))
:1975 Chevrolet C30 / Atico walk-around utility (Ex-Unit 34) (Ex-Arnold Volunteer Engine Company No. 1 (Pennsylvania), ex-Sarver Volunteer Fire Company)
:1959 GMC / Gerstenslager walk-in rescue (Ex-168 Squad. ex-Squad 32) (Served until 2023, sold to private buyer)
:1940 GMC / Schnabel squad (Served until 1959)
:1937 American LaFrance 412 RB PWT (1250/-) (Order #1250, SN#7788, Trk ID#13954) (Served until 1957)
:1927 American LaFrance 112 RC PWT (750/-) (Order #25907, SN#6505, Trk ID#13135)
File:HTH33Trk.jpg|Truck 33
File:HTH31ALF.jpg|Engine 31
File:HTH168Squad.jpg|Squad 32
Picture of old Unit 34.
Picture of GMC / Schnabel truck
==External Links==
*Hilltop Hose Company No. 3 Facebook Page
*USFA TR-061 - Four Firefighters Killed, Trapped by Floor Collapse Brackenridge, Pennsylvania
Category:Allegheny County
Category:Pennsylvania departments operating American LaFrance apparatus
Category:Pennsylvania departments operating Hackney apparatus
Category:Departments operating Mack antique or parade apparatus
Category:Pennsylvania departments operating Pierce apparatus