Crabtree Volunteer Fire Department

The Crabtree Volunteer Fire Department was first chartered in August 1938. But its predecessor, created by the Jamison Coal Company, started years earlier. An official and independent department was established after several house fires that consumed two to four households each and a disastrous fire in the business district. The department was able to upgrade from the hose cart used by the coal company to their first fire truck in April 1939. They followed this up by purchasing their first brand new fire truck in 1941.

Their first station was a building donated by the coal company in January of 1938. They moved into their current space, located on Latrobe-Crabtree Road, in 1970. The department has had deep involvement in the community from its founding, having hosted the Mt. Caramel Festival and Fireworks from 1939 to 1973 before handing the responsibility back to the church.

The department still plays a vital role in the festival today, being responsible for emergency management and public safety. The department was a founding member and is the headquarters of the Westmoreland County Trench and Collapse Rescue Team, which deploys across the county and saves patients who become entrapped in confined spaces such as abandoned mines, collapsed buildings and sinkholes.

The department currently has 21 active members. Chief Bill Watkins says that the department’s future plans include maintaining their equipment and apparatuses while continuing recurrent rescue training in rope, trench, collapse and confined space specialized rescue training.