Alpha Fire Company


The Alpha Fire Company provides fire and rescue services for the Borough of State College, College Township, Ferguson Township, Patton Township, and The Pennsylvania State University.
The company was formed in 1899 as the Union Fire Company and changed its name to Alpha Fire Company in 1900.

Mission and community service

The Mission Statement of Alpha Fire is: "To protect the lives and property of the members of the Borough of State College and surrounding communities." Volunteers who serve with the company are each required to undergo 40 to 50 hours of training per week during nine to ten week training sessions, and are also given eighteen months to earn the necessary 204 hours of classroom time to achieve national certification.
In addition to the protection of property and lives, members of the fire department also engage in activities which foster positive working relations between the department and members of the community. In the past such activities have included transporting Santa Clause through the borough during State College's annual Christmas Eve celebration.

Apparatus

Alpha Fire Company operates a fleet of 19 vehicles.
Alpha Fire operates out of three stations:

Main Station

The Main Station at 400 West Beaver Avenue opened in 1975. The Main Station has a Meeting Room, Maintenance Shop, Lounge and Watch Office. The station houses 5 pieces of apparatus, Engine 5-2, Engine 5-3, Truck 5-1, Rescue 5, Tanker 5-1. Traffic units 5-1 and 5-2 and Utility 5-1 are also housed here.

College Township Station

The College Township station is a sub-station housed in the basement of the College Township Building at 1481 East College Avenue. This station has a Watchroom, Office, Lounge, Bunkroom, Live-in rooms, and a Kitchen. Engine 5-1 and Quint 5 are housed here.

Patton Township Station

The Patton Township Sub-Station facility at 2598 Green Tech Drive opened in 2001. It has rooms for four live-in members and a bunkroom for additional firefighters. The station houses Truck 5-2, Engine 5-4, Utility 5-2 and Tanker 5-2.