The Peebles District Volunteer Fire Company in McCandless will benefit from a $500,000 grant to expand and reconfigure its station.
The Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny authorized $34 million in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program projects for Allegheny County communities, including renovation and additions at the Peebles station, according to an announcement March 27 from Allegheny County.
Paul Wain, president of the Peebles department, said the $500,000 will fund the majority of the first phase of its planned additions, a structural steel garage to be built behind the station, located on Duncan Avenue.
The reconfiguration will make it more useable from an administrative, staffing, operational and community perspective, according to the RACP grant description.
“This would open up a considerable amount of space in the building,” Wain said.
The company would house a boat, ATV and other large items in the garage.
“We would love to see ground broken … potentially this year toward the fall,” said Wain, who has been a firefighter for 48 years at Peebles.
Rescue Capt. Seth Senko, a member of Peebles for nine years, is looking forward to the upgrades.
“I think the new building and renovations will really boost morale for the crew,” he said.
Peebles also is working on a second phase of renovations to reconfigure its interior space.
As many as six members occasionally stay overnight at the station as a way to respond quickly to calls, but all sleep in one room. The second phase would add another sleeping quarter instead of five beds in one room, Wain said.
The firefighters also would like to have a new training room, classroom and a better shower facility.
After battling a blaze, members regularly wash contaminants from their fire gear in two washers at the station. The second phase would feature a space for this specific cleaning in a separate part of the building, further away from the living spaces, Wain said.
Conceptual reconfiguration drawings of phase two are underway, and Wain said they will seek additional grants and other funding sources for the work.
McCandless provides some funding toward the volunteer fire departments in the community: Peebles, Ingomar and Highland.
“The town is very happy to see Peebles VFC receive the $500,000 grant from RACP toward renovations at their station. Any outside grant funding received by our fire companies helps to alleviate the escalating costs of goods and services that we are managing in our budgets,” said John Schwend, town manager. “This grant was applied for and awarded to Peebles independently of the town for a specific project request, and the town’s budget allocation for funding the fire companies will not be impacted by this award.”
The original building was built in 1962, featuring just a garage bay, radio room and sleeping room. Two additions were done, one in the 1970s and the other in the 1980s.
Peebles has about 45 firefighters. Three of these are active junior members or members between the ages of 16 to 18. Two are seniors in high school who already are certified as entry level, or firefighter one, status.
There are 10 additional administrative volunteers.
Peebles responded to its highest number of calls in 2024 at 1,052. The previous year, it responded to about 850, according to Wain.
There have been 250 calls so far this year.
“We are on pace this year to be ahead of last year,” Wain said.
To help with Peebles fundraising, an Easter Flower Sale will be held April 18 and 19 at the station, 1391 Duncan Ave.