Vandergrift fire departments resume operations after 6-day service gap

James Engel TribLive Thu, Apr 16, 2026 • 09:43 AM

Vandergrift Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 Chief Randy Dunmire and member Alexandra Berger take their positions on the department’s oldest truck, a 1925 Ahrens Fox four-piston positive displacement pump, as part of the department’s 125th anniversary celebration in 2022. (Michael DiVittorio | TribLive)

Vandergrift’s two fire companies are back in business.

The volunteer fire departments returned to normal operations Thursday after a six-day service pause, said Mayor Lenny Collini.

The gap was caused by lapsed workers’ compensation insurance, which the mayor said was reinstated at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Vandergrift officials noticed the lapse in coverage last Friday, grounding both Vandergrift #1 and #2 VFDs.

Though volunteer firefighters are not employed by Vandergrift, Pennsylvania law requires that municipalities provide workers’ compensation coverage for local first responders.

“Thank you to our Borough secretary and council for working hard thru this complicated and unseen circumstances,” the mayor said in a written statement.

Collini said he was “glad and humbled” to see the situation rectified.

Neither fire station could immediately be reached for comment.

During the coverage gap, other local departments stepped in to provide emergency services in Vandergrift, including Parks Township VFD across the Kiski River.

A Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher declined to say whether the agency was dispatching calls to the two departments again, referring questions to the borough.

Collini said Vandergrift is still looking into the cause of the insurance lapse, but he said “more than likely it was just the wrong email address.”

The lapse caused an uproar on social media, especially in Facebook groups like “Vandergrift PA Completely Uncensored,” with many questioning how the lapse could have occurred.