The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon, located on the southern border of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is served by a combination fire department consisting of 17 career and 43 volunteer fire fighters serving a population of approximately 34,000. The municipality spans 6.2 square miles consisting of mostly residential and commercial properties. The fire department operates out of a single fire station with four engines, ladder truck, rescue truck, mobile command unit, a collapse rescue trailer, and four squads. The department responds to approximately 1,900 calls for help and participates in over 1,000 hours of community-related activities each year.

Organization

In accordance with the department’s mission and fundamental values, each of the career staff is assigned a great deal of responsibility. In fact, the two rank designations within the career department - platoon chief and lieutenant - do not accurately represent the jobs being performed. In reality Mt. Lebanon platoon chiefs are assigned responsibilities commensurate with those of a deputy or division chief in larger departments while lieutenants roles are equal to or greater than those of captains.

The core duties of all fire department staff are three-fold: fitness, training and equipment readiness. Each individual must be physically fit, be well versed in a wide variety of emergency response skills and have functional equipment in order to safely and effectively mitigate emergencies of all types. A portion of every work shift is dedicated to these three essential functions.

In addition to these fundamental responsibilities, every career member is assigned to one of six platoons within the Prevention or Operations Divisions, each of which is responsible for a specific staff function. These staff functions include: Fire Prevention & Inspections, Emergency Management, Training, Resource Management, Community Services & Outreach and Fire & Life Safety Education.