Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department

09/14/2026

Wilkes-Barre City Bureau of Fire 1930's engine featured in a Ward LaFrance advertisement in a 1948 issue of Fire Engineering magazine.

09/11/2026

25 YEARS LATER

WE REMEMBER

Twenty-five years ago today, our nation was attacked.
For those of us in the fire service, September 11, 2001, is a day that will forever be etched into our hearts.
At the World Trade Center, 343 FDNY firefighters made the ultimate sacrifice. They entered the burning buildings, climbed stairwells, comforted and rescued countless victims while thousands were desperately trying to escape.

They were firefighters.
They were brothers and sisters.
They were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, friends, and coworkers.

They answered the call that morning just as they had countless times before never knowing they would not be coming home.

343
That number represents 343 lives.
343 families forever changed.
343 empty chairs at dinner tables.
343 names that will never be forgotten.

They were not simply responding to a fire. They were running toward unimaginable danger because that is what firefighters do.

We also remember the 23 NYPD officers, 37 Port Authority Police officers, 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93, the 184 victims at the Pentagon, and the thousands of civilians who lost their lives that day.

But September 11 did not end on September 11.
In the years that followed, hundreds of first responders have died from illnesses connected to their work at Ground Zero and the other 9/11 sites. Thousands more continue to carry the physical and emotional scars of that day.

For the fire service, the impact of September 11 will never truly go away.
Twenty-five years later, their brothers and sisters of the Wilkes-Barre City Bureau of Fire and every other fire department across the country continue to carry their memory.

Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Their courage will never be forgotten.
Their names will never be forgotten.

We Remember. We Honor. We Will Never Forget.
May they rest in peace. May their families always know that their sacrifice mattered.

343 FOREVER

09/09/2026

TRAINING AT THE VAMC
Wilkes-Barre City Fire crews had the opportunity to conduct training evolutions at the VA Medical Center. Firefighters practiced skills to include but not limited to hose deployment, forcible entry, and overhaul. Thank you to the VAMC administration for the use of one of their buildings that is slated for demolition.

09/08/2026

Deputy Chief Alan Klapat and Captain John Kirn ran the 4th Annual Wyoming Valley Run this past Sunday. This 10-mile road race started in downtown Pittston and finished at Wilkes-Barre's Public Square. Over 1000 runners, walkers, and hand cyclists competed in this year's event. Thank you to the organizers, the volunteers, and the hundreds of supporters that lined the race route.

08/20/2026

Please share.

https://www.570creative.shop/Nikoli/
We are saddened to hear about another unfortunate fire that claimed the life of another local boy with so much more ahead of him. Nikoli was a big fan of animals, especially sea life, so we wanted to encompass that into this design.
We launched a campaign with the family's approval to help ease any financial burdens that come of this.
Sale ends on 9/11 at midnight.

08/12/2026

07/14/2026

07/13/2026

Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department receives new
Automated External Defibrillators

The Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department has received five new LIFEPAK 1000 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to replace the units carried on Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, Truck 6, and Special Operations 1.

In addition to the department's front-line fire apparatus, AEDs are also carried on Fire Department vehicles F-6, F-11, Truck 5, and Engine 5.

Early defibrillation is widely recognized as the single most important factor in improving survival rates for victims of sudden cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation. The sooner a shock is delivered, the greater the chance of restoring a normal heart rhythm.

Defibrillation administered within three minutes of cardiac arrest offers the highest likelihood of success. For every minute that passes without defibrillation, the chance of a successful resuscitation decreases by approximately 10 percent.

The Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department has equipped all front-line fire apparatus with AEDs since 2001, demonstrating its long-standing commitment to providing rapid, lifesaving emergency care.

The department received a grant of $13,965 from the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner to cover the cost of the new AEDs.