Being prepared and helping others runs is in the blood of Byron Harriger III.
The son of Cochran Hose Company life member and former second assistant chief Byron Harriger II, the Sewickley native followed in his father’s footsteps. Harriger III has served the volunteer fire department for nearly 50 years, reaching the rank of safety chief and secretary/treasurer.
“It was just a way of life,” said Harriger, 67, sitting in a makeshift office inside the borough building on July 7. “That’s how I grew up. In the fire service, not quite as much now, but you see it in a lot of the older ones like my age and some of the retired. You used to see a lot of families.
“It was very common for families to be involved, and you sort of just grew up living that mantra where you were there to help others when they need it.”
That mantra served him well not only in volunteerism but throughout his professional life.
Harriger worked for the Allegheny County Airport Authority for many years. He retired as its emergency planning manager in December 2023.
He worked with many emergency responders, addressing major incidents and organizing training efforts at Pittsburgh International Airport and the Allegheny County Airport.
Harriger, a 1977 Quaker Valley grad, started with the authority as an operations manager in 1992 and went up the ranks.
“Our primary responsibility was out on the airfield,” he said. “Making sure the airfield was safe, responding to emergencies, coordinating snow removal (and) maintenance that needed to go on.”
He also represented the authority at an Allegheny County emergency operations center and helped coordinate the Pittsburgh International Airport air show with the Air Force Reserve during his tenure.
Harriger earned a bachelor’s in business information systems from Robert Morris University and a pilot’s license from the Community College of Beaver County.
He is now using his particular set of skills acquired over a very long career in a new volunteer role as emergency management coordinator for Sewickley, his hometown of about 3,900 residents living in less than 1 square mile.
An emergency management coordinator is tasked with leading responses to natural disasters, major flooding/landslides, train derailments and other crises.
“In a job like this, you hope to never really have to do anything,” Harriger said. “You have to be prepared, and you have to have an idea how to handle it.”
Harriger likened his calls to action to incidents “beyond the normal” for local police, fire and EMS and that may require outside assistance.
He said major emergencies are not common in the Quaker Valley area, but he recalled one from Leetsdale about a decade ago, when a five-alarm fire in the Leetsdale Industrial Park in November 2015 caused multiple evacuations.
A building owned by Lubrizol Corp., an oilfield chemicals business, was heavily damaged by an explosion and fire that quickly spread to another building.
Eight people, including firefighters, were treated for minor injuries.
“You don’t always have a lot, but it can happen,” Harriger said. “Leetsdale’s a good example where it’s basically a quiet community, but you never know when something can happen. That was a huge event.”
It has been a few weeks since Harriger’s appointment.
He took over for retired Army lieutenant colonel Michael Mullins, husband of council President Cynthia Mullins, who served in the volunteer leadership position for the past four years.
Mullins was instrumental in having the borough adopt the Allegheny County hazardous mitigation plan and updating other emergency-related paperwork that could prove useful in obtaining grants and reimbursements.
“Mike enjoyed greatly being a part of the borough team,” Cynthia Mullins said. She said he’s gotten very busy with other commitments and felt it was time to hand off the responsibility. “We are so thankful Byron has stepped forward to take on the responsibility of emergency management coordinator for Sewickley. His experience and background make him particularly well-suited for the role. We look forward to working with him and following his guidance.”
Borough Manager Donna Kaib agreed with Mullins’ assessment.
“His wealth of experience and knowledge brings tremendous value, and I am confident he will continue to advance our emergency management,” Kaib said via email. “I would also like to recognize and thank our previous coordinator, Mike Mullins, for his dedication, professionalism and genuine care for our borough.”
Harriger credited his predecessor and borough administration for putting him in a position to succeed.
“It’s still a great place and I’ve always been involved,” he said. “Why not do something else if I can?”