On the night of July 24, 2002 at 23:12 hrs. we were activated for run number 48-2002.
Little did we know that this alarm would be the longest call in the history of the
Fire Company. We had many assignments to fill while at the scene. Our company worked
together with many local agencies and businesses to provide many resources to the
state and federal agencies involved with the rescue. Additionally, friends and family
members of the trapped miners gathered together at our fire station located at 968
Schoolhouse Road in Sipesville, PA. Luckily we only had one other emergency call
while on scene; an automatic fire alarm. Everyone knows what happened in the 77
hours and 58 minutes that we were committed to this assignment. We were back in service
on July 28, 2002 at 05:10 hrs. The events of the rescue were eventually recreated
by Disney in "The Pennsylvania Miners' Story." This movie featured many of the actual
rescuers and fire apparatus from our station that took part in the dramatic rescue.
The company would like to extend its appreciation to the community and all of the
persons who assisted with the rescue operation and supported our fire company in
the following months.