A century of service
A century of service
Chatting with a fellow firefighter shortly after the Waynesburg-Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Company’s 50th anniversary, former chief Clovis Wright was asked if he thought the department would still be there for the 100th.
His answer: “Somebody will carry on.”
Wright’s words, recorded as part of an oral history project done by the Bowlby Library, proved prophetic. The department, still active, turned 100 on March 4.
The department formed in the wake of the Downey House fire in downtown Waynesburg in December 2025. Had the fire occurred with a more professionalized department, it probably wouldn’t have grown into the conflagration it did, Wright said in the recording.
“At that time, nobody was schooled in firefighting, and everybody tried to help,” said Wright, who was injured while responding to the fire.
He would later join the organized department in 1931, becoming fire chief from 1947 to 1960.
Members gave an overview of the history and some of the changes at a 100th anniversary gala March 7.
A number of families keep recurring in the list of members. Three families — Chapman, Collins-Rush and Fox — are in their fourth generation. Several more have logged more than 100 man-years of service, said Tim Fox, the longest-tenured captain in the department’s history at 35 years.
The Marshall family, including current Chief Jeff Marshall, has logged 184 years between six family members.
“It might be a self-serving comment, but I’m proud to say the Fox family has 353 years of service,” Tim Fox said.
Those families and others have been needed often over the past century.
On Rain Day fire 1944, an oil company’s tanker truck caught on fire, destroying two houses and five vehicles, and damaging another two homes.
“The doctors at the hospital here in town sent everybody home that could be sent home because they thought they were going to need a lot of beds,” Mark Fox said.
The fire that claimed the most lives took place on May 2, 2007, when seven people died in a fire in zero-degree weather on Valley Farm Drive. Alone among the fires mentioned, it had no accompanying image, Mark Fox said, because “it’s not really something we want to picture and remember.”
Unlike many departments, Waynesburg-Franklin is supported by local governmental funding, reducing the need for fundraisers, Tim Fox said.
As more people moved from the borough to outlying areas, the Waynesburg fire company added Franklin Township as a jurisdiction.
Tim Fox credited strong leadership with the department for keeping the department moving forward with new advances in firefighting tactics.
The gear evolved too, including larger diameter hand lines to make sure the firefighters heading inside still had a steady supply of water. They also got a tower truck, which helped firefighters tackle fires from heights more safely than climbing up a ladder.
Even the nature of the fires is different, said Ron Fox, the department’s president.
The materials — more plastics, more synthetics — are more toxic when burned, he said. And modern homes are built to fail under a fire load.
The department also broadened its response. In the 1960s, it started running ambulances, beginning its transformation into an emergency services department. Fires now make up 20% of the department’s calls, which now include rescues, assisting emergency medical services and other public service calls, Marshall said.
The department’s 37 members respond to more than 330 calls per year, up from around 100 when it was strictly a firefighting operation.
Since Marshall joined 37 years ago, the department has built up a strong network of mutual aid responses with other departments to make sure there are enough resources on scene.
“Without our partners, we could not exist,” he said. “We are all in this together.”
Marshall said the department plans to get a new fire engine, which could run around $750,000. At the banquet, Marshall also announced the planned expansion of the Franklin station, which will include two 20-foot-wide vehicle bays.
Unlike many departments, Waynesburg-Franklin Township has been able to keep its membership numbers stable.
“Our fathers, grandfathers, or for some great-grandfathers, made this place,” Marshall said. “It’s up to us to make sure it carries on. This is the best non-paying job you could ever have. What else do you do that impacts people’s lives on a daily basis?”
Ron Fox has been with the department for 56 years. He went on his first date with his wife at the 50th anniversary celebration.
“I’ve missed a lot of dinners, missed a lot of events,” he said. “Very understanding family, so that made it all a lot easier.”
His fellow firefights are family, too.
“When you’re involved with stuff like you just saw, you have to depend on them, and they’ve got to depend on you,” he said. “It’s not like playing cards.”
Reflecting on the 100th anniversary has made Fox think it’s about time to hang it up, but like Wright 50 years ago, he’s optimistic about the future.
“It’s a young man’s game, that’s the truth,” he said. “But I have confidence these guys can do it.”