Technology and Education: 1974 - 1982

Bower Hill held its first Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class in the fall of 1974. Within five years, an EMT would be present on every ambulance call. The first EMT-Paramedics, who were trained to provide more advanced care, finished training in 1976. As Ambulance Service became EMS, the department upgraded its equipment to keep pace with the new technology. A new specification for ambulances came from the United States General Service Administration. Officially known as GSA Specification KKK-A-1822, it defined the minimum standards for what an ambulance should be. The old suburban and hearse types were not in compliance with this specification. In 1978, the department purchased a new ambulance that met the specification. It was a Dodge van with a Wayne Coach “Medicruiser” high-top conversion (known in the KKK-A-1822 spec as a “Type II” ambulance). Early the next year, Bower Hill Volunteer Fire Department and Holiday Park VFD in Plum Borough became the first two volunteer fire department ambulance services in Allegheny County to be awarded the Certificate of Excellence under the Voluntary Ambulance Service Certification (VASC) program. Bower Hill would maintain VASC certification until it was superseded by mandatory statewide ambulance service licensure in 1985.

Technology and education were changing how the department provided ambulance service. The same was also true of firefighting. Changes in building construction and the materials used in building contents meant that fires were now more dangerous to fight than ever. Lightweight truss construction meant that roofs and floors would collapse much earlier and with less warning. Plastics and synthetic fibers had almost totally replaced wood and cloth in furnishings, and emitted toxic smoke and gases when they burned. Firefighting classes stressed the importance of preplanning. Fire officers had to know about the architecture and potential hazards of the buildings in the area, and have plans ready to meet the dangers they presented. Firefighters had to be better protected than ever. Though synthetic materials presented the new threat, they would also provide the new defense. The cotton duck bunker coat was replaced by the Nomex and Kevlar turnout suit, complete with coat and pants, and the fiberglass helmet was replaced by new lightweight polycarbonate models. Heavy steel SCBA cylinders were replaced by fiberglass, aluminum and resin composite tanks at about half the weight. Polycarbonate and lightweight alloy hose nozzles and hose couplings replaced heavy brass. Fire engines became more powerful and reliable. On August 13, 1977, Bower Hill took delivery of its first diesel powered fire apparatus, a new 1977 American LaFrance Century Series pumper of 1500GPM capacity, which replaced the 1957 pumper from the same manufacturer. All this assured that the department kept pace with the hazards it encountered.

Meanwhile, the financial needs of the department were the same as always. Friday Night Bingo was a mainstay of financial support. But it was still being held in the garage bays of the station, and on frigid winter nights, it became difficult to keep the water in the fire engines from freezing while they were parked outside. So, in 1980, the department added a second story to the station building. The upstairs meeting hall was dedicated to the memory of the deceased members of the department. In addition to housing the Bingo, it served as the main meeting hall for department meetings and classes, and was available for rental.

The department's fire prevention programs began to change during this era. All firefighters know that the easiest fire to fight is the one than never starts. Fire prevention has been a part of the Bower Hill Fire Department’s operations since its earliest days. (In fact, one of the most useful documents in preparing the first sections of this history was a Fire Prevention Bulletin issued by the department in 1929). From the 1950s to the early 1980s Bower Hill sponsored a Fire Prevention Week poster contest in the local public and parochial elementary schools. Beginning in the 1970s, the department developed a program for preschoolers as well, and presented it at daycare and preschool classes. By the 1980s, the school population was declining and the department began to focus on home fire prevention. It offered free smoke detector Christmas ornaments to anyone who donated to the annual fund drive one year in the 1980s, and began to offer "Tot-Finder" and immobile occupant identification stickers to residents.