We’re building a permanent exhibit honoring the legacy of our Fire Department. At the heart of this exhibit is Engine #3, a vintage 1932 Pirsch Engine that protected our community for over 30 years.
Now it sits in storage, waiting to be put on display in its new home. Follow along and help The Historical Society of Mount Lebanon and the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department preserve and share this treasure.
Join us in preserving an important part of Mt. Lebanon’s history.
Mt. Lebanon’s 1932 Pirsch was designed and manufactured as a “City Service Truck,” called a “quad” due to its four primary features: a water tank, pump, hoses, and ground ladders. The purchase of Mt. Lebanon’s first modern aerial ladder truck, around 1950, rendered the Pirsch’s ladder-carrying capacity unnecessary, and the Fire Chief and Director of Public Works oversaw its transformation into an “engine,” cutting a 10-foot section out of the vehicle frame and welding it back together.
The 1932 Pirsch served in Mt. Lebanon until 1967, when it was formally retired and sold to a Michigan collector. In the mid-1990s, it was purchased—and returned to Mt. Lebanon—by two long-time MLFD firefighters, Platoon Chiefs Ed Meyer and Kevin Maehling. With Chief Meyer’s death, in 2021, ownership passed to Chief Maehling, who has generously donated it to the Fire Department, ensuring that this unique vehicle will continue to serve our community as the centerpiece of a permanent exhibit at the Mt. Lebanon Historical Society.
