Councilman voted new chief of Springdale Volunteer Fire Department

After the resignation of longtime Chief Kevin Wilhelm this month, the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department selected borough Councilman Dan Copeland as its new man in charge.

Copeland, who also serves as Springdale’s water committee chair, has been an officer at the department for 17 years, including 13 years as captain.

As he steps into the new role, Copeland said he’s looking to make numerous changes within the department as well as mend strained relationships with neighboring companies.

“It’s very good to see this change going forward, getting back to what we’re known for,” Copeland said.

Wilhelm resigned July 7 because of “personal reasons,” Copeland said.

Reached Tuesday evening, Wilhelm declined a request for comment.

Each fire department maintains a “run card,” which tells Allegheny County dispatchers which departments to send to scenes depending on severity. On Memorial Day, Springdale VFD was not dispatched to a fire in Springdale Township despite being close enough to see the smoke rise.

For calls in Allegheny Valley VFC’s area — Spring­dale Township, Cheswick and Harmar — Springdale VFD is listed to be dispatched only for second-alarm fires, which the blaze never reached.

Their listing as a secondary deployment option was because of a conflict between leadership at the two departments, which Copeland said he hopes to resolve.

He said the May fire was a “tipping point” for many at the Springdale department, and he has since placed Alle­gheny Valley back to first-alarm status on the department’s run cards.

It’s part of a strategy to build “more robust” run cards overall, Copeland said.

Previously, the only other first-alarm departments on Springdale’s cards were East Deer VFD and a rapid intervention truck from Arnold.

In addition to East Deer and the restored Allegheny Valley, Copeland said New Kensington VFD, Frazer VFD, Summit Hose Company in Tarentum and Kinloch VFD in Lower Burrell are now listed as first-alarm responders in Springdale.

Allegheny Valley Chief Jay Zangrille said it will take some time to mend the relationship between the two departments, but the change in leadership is a “step forward.”

He said he believes Springdale eventually will be returned to first-alarm status on Allegheny Valley’s run cards.

Within the department, Copeland said, he’s hoping to consolidate equipment and replace some of Springdale’s aging trucks.

He said he wants to acquire a ladder truck with a pump, something the department lacks, while shedding one of its standard engines and a pickup truck to keep maintenance costs down.

The new chief said he’s also working to put together a set of standard operating guidelines for the department, essentially a rule book for basic conduct and procedures.

With those standard operating guidelines, Copeland would like to see the borough have greater oversight of the department, which had previously operated mostly independent of council.

Wilhelm’s son, Lt. Zach Wilhelm, also resigned from the department this month. Copeland said he’ll seek to fill the lieutenant position and the captaincy left vacant by his promotion soon.

The former chief’s brother, Don Wilhelm, remains assistant chief, Copeland said.

So far, Copeland said, “morale is up” at the department, and he is “grateful for the opportunity” to serve the community.

“The future’s bright for Springdale,” he said.