12-03-2025
Humane and Phoenix stations merge into Pottsville Fire Co. No. 1
POTTSVILLE — Andrew Jackson was president and David G. Yuengling founded Eagle Brewery when Phoenix Hook and Ladder and Humane Fire Co. No. 1 were formed in 1829.
Founded when the Borough of Pottsville was only one year old, their tenure paralleled the growth of the community, which became the City of Pottsville in 1911.
Phoenix, originally Schuylkill Hydraulian, would use horse-drawn equipment for 90 years before getting its first motorized fire truck, a 75-foot long American LaFrance aerial ladder truck in 1919.
Humane got its first truck, a Knox hose and chemical truck, from Buffalo Fire Appliance Corp. in 1911.
Four years short of their 200th anniversary, Phoenix and Humane are merging as Pottsville Fire Co. No. 1 to be housed in Humane's station at 3rd and Laurel streets.
Their consolidation reduces the number of volunteer fire companies to six in the city.
Fire Chief James Misstishin, who endorsed the merger, said it comes as volunteer fire companies face new challenges in the 21st Century.
'In this day and age, when it's increasingly tough to find volunteers and the price of equipment is escalating, mergers need to take place more often,' Misstishin said Tuesday when members of both companies gathered at Humane.
Members of both companies came together to kick off a capital campaign to raise $500,000 to underwrite the merger.
Phoenix's 100-foot long tractor-pulled aerial truck, or tiller, is too long to fit into the bay at Humane. The building must be reconfigured to accommodate the truck, the city's tallest ladder truck.
In a cost-cutting move, Humane is selling its 2017 Pierce Enforcer pumper for $550,000. President A. J. Alves said the company has had an offer on the truck.
The merger, Alves said, is a good financial move for both companies. It comes as the Phoenix building is in need of major upgrades.
'The building is 130 years old and it can no longer accommodate the size and weight of modern fire apparatus,' said Mike Glore, a Phoenix trustee.
'To stabilize the building would be cost prohibitive,' Glore said.
The merger received the support of city officials, including Mayor Mark Atkinson, councilman William Messaros and administrator Ian Mahal.
'We survived for nearly 200 years,' said Atkinson, a former instructor at the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy. 'The only way we're going to survive the next 200 years is by doing this.'
With the two stations only minutes apart, officials felt confident that the merger would not increase response time to the city's East Side, where Phoenix is located.
County Commissioner Gary J. Hess characterized the move as an older generation passing the baton of leadership to younger leaders.
'This is two great firefighting companies coming together to make one,' he said. 'What it does is make you stronger.'
