Pam Stephens can count on three fingers the members of the Blawnox-Glenover Volunteer Fire Co. back in the late 1980s.

A simple, yet sobering task, considering that she, fire company Engineer Scott Krause and her brother, Chief Jeff Stephens were the members.

The others, “just retired, moved away (and) quit,” said Pam Stephens, 57, of Blawnox.

The three of them covered about a dozen service calls a year and made countless phone calls trying to get people to volunteer.

“We were, like, the three youngest at that time,” Jeff Stephens said. “That’s when the borough took over, and we started rebuilding it back up. With three of us, it was hard to do anything.”

Council members joined the department and assisted with day-to-day operations until the late 1990s when membership grew to nearly 20 people, Stephens said.

The company now has 26 active members and 34 total volunteers. At least eight people answer a call at a given time.

It’s that kind of tenacity that drove the company’s success for just over a century. Chartered in March 1922, the Blawnox Volunteer Fire Company, is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Commonly called Blawnox VFC, it’s still listed as Blawnox-Glenover Volunteer Fire Company on its charter and grant applications, Glenover being a nod to the old Pennsylvania Railroad Co.’s Glenover line at the borough’s eastern limits. Fire company members include three paramedics and six EMTs. Blawnox does not have its own ambulance company. Parkview EMS serves Blawnox, O’Hara and Sharpsburg.

The fire company began with one truck about about eight members stationed along Blaw Avenue.

Volunteers had to push the truck to get it moving, and most of the equipment worn back then was made out of rubber.

“We’ve come a long way since then,” company president Mike Yonas said. “We have jet skis. We do river rescue.”

He said several volunteers are also involved with Allegheny County’s Swift Water/Flood Response teams.

The company has two fire engines, two squad pickup trucks and an SUV.

Jeff Stephens has been involved with the company for 43 years, including the past two years as chief. He took over for George McBriar, who retired as chief in December 2020 after 32 years of service.

“(There have been) a lot of changes in personnel and personalities,” said Stephens, 61, of Blawnox. “From young to old, we get them all.”

Yonas, who also serves as a volunteer medical officer, has been with the company about nine years.

“It’s an honor to serve and support the department and support the community,” said Yonas, 52, of O’Hara. “I’m learning a lot.

“It’s a good group. It’s a serious group. I think everyone’s willing to learn, but it’s not fixed. Something we always have to work on is retention. Everyone is here because they believe in serving the community.”

Fire company Engineer Scott Krause, a former fire chief, has been in the company for about 45 years.

He recalled several trucks that teams used through the years. They included a 1952 open cab truck, a 1970 American LaFrance Pumper, 1982 Mack pumper, a 1998 Luverne engine and a 2005 Pierce engine.

Krause said it was a constant effort to maintain vehicles, equipment and upgrade when necessary and mandatory.

“We used to have the old rubber duck coats with the hip boots,”said Krause, 64, of Blawnox. “We’ve changed that several times over (to) new modernized gear.”

The company moved from Blaw Avenue to what is now the borough building along Freeport Road.

Some major incidents volunteers responded to over the years include a fire that destroyed a vinegar factory in the late 1970s, an industrial accident at the Royston Laboratories facility in the early 1980s, as well as fatal fires at a high-rise along Center Avenue in the 1980s and 2009.

Its current station is next door to council chambers. The building at 276 Freeport Road was dedicated in 2011.

Two of the company’s biggest annual fundraisers are its Cash Bash and Good Friday fish fry.

Jeff Stephens said Blawnox contributes about $40,000 a year for truck maintenance, utilities, insurance and other expenses.

Yonas said the company also receives financial support from O’Hara Township, and it constantly applies for grants.

Third Lt. Victor Eperthener, 32, of Blawnox is one of the younger company officials.

He has 12 years experience and hopes to have longevity like the Stephens family.

“I love this department,” Eperthener said. “It’s a good group of guys. We work well together. I love learning from the older guys. They’ve taught me a lot so far, a lot of stories.”

The company plans a banquet in the summer to celebrate the century mark.

Borough officials and state Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-West View, recently offered commendations for the milestone.

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