The Kearsarge Fire Department is an established fire, rescue and emergency medical service organization located in southern Millcreek Township of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Our Northern fire district border is the City of Erie (the fourth largest Third-Class City in Pennsylvania). Kearsarge Fire Department provides mutual aid to all 3 Millcreek Fire Departments, Millcreek Paramedic Service, Kuhl Hose Company (Greene Township), Perry Hi-Way Hose Company (Summit Township), McKean Hose Company, Edinboro Fire Department, and the City of Erie Fire Department.
Beginning in the early 1900’s, with a hand-drawn cart and a few friends, Mr. George Steva founded the Kearsarge Fire Department to provide fire protection to the community. Officially organized on April 20, 1939, the first Chief of the Department was Clive Lyons, and the first President was G.W. Bartholomew. The early years had the department headquarters in a large garage.
By 1948 a new station was built at 5618 Peach Street. The original station housed three pieces of apparatus, had a large assembly room and a kitchen. In the mid-1950’s an 18-foot by 60-foot addition was built to house a ladder truck and a rescue truck. The Department continued to grow with the community and in 1976 the station was given a facelift with another addition and extensive remodeling. The Department remained at the Peach Street location for 41 years until commercial development and an ever-increasing amount of traffic necessitated a move to a new station. Currently the old station is home to Top’s Buffet (a Chinese-American restaurant).
Built in 1989, the new station (4930 West Street) has enough space to house three pumpers, one tower ladder truck and two ambulances. For the thirty five active members, there are lockers, bunkroom facilities, lounges, and offices upstairs as well as a small meeting room, large assembly room, kitchen, storage and radio room downstairs near the apparatus bays. To keep with tradition, a brass pole was donated and installed in a glass atrium area.
The Kearsarge Fire Department currently protects over 6,500 homes, 7 churches, 4 schools, 1 hospital, 3 nursing homes, 3 senior living communities, the areas largest shopping mall, 7 retail plazas, 7 major car dealerships, and a light industrial park. We also respond to three major traffic routes for motor vehicle accidents.
Our equipment includes two 1992 Kovatch Mobile Equipment (KME) 1,500 gallon-per-minute pumpers, a 1995 KME 102-foot tower ladder tuck with a 2,000 gallon-per-minute pump, a 2009 Precision Rescue Pumper with a Spartan Chassis and 1,500 gallon-per-minute pump, and a 2008 Chevy Suburban crew cab utility truck. We also staff a regional rapid intervention team/firefighter assist and search team (RIT/FAST). This trained and dedicated group of firefighters responds to emergency scenes in case firefighters become trapped and need rescued. We are also proud part-owners of the Millcreek Paramedic Service, who provides advanced life support emergency medical services for the fire district.
The 70 year history of the Kearsarge Fire Department has seen the Department grow with its developing community. The Department maintains an aggressive training program and provides annual fire prevention education to the community in its childcare and school environments, its businesses and its healthcare facilities. These things coupled with a strong core of volunteer personnel are why the Kearsarge Fire Department has adopted the motto of “Second to None.”
