Two more great ladies

Two former Pittsburgh Firefighters were recently honored for their service, this being Women's history month I wanted to mention. Marguerite Vath (Peggy) and Lucia Lennon, her maiden name. This in no way means that there are not plenty of Pittsburgh Firefighters who have left a legacy of service. This blog could go on and on about that. I just wanted to convey that the service is made up of diverse group who have paid a price and service to the citizens of Pittsburgh who many have never heard about.

First, Lucia Lennon, a firefighter, a mom of two very young girls, worked at 22 Engine, in the Arlington Section of the city, she was caught in a flashover on Reifert Street in 1996. Lucia, along with two other firefighters were told that there were people on the 3rd floor.
They went up to the third floor to search, the entire room flashed over to temperatures that not even a firefighter in full gear could tolerate, all three bailed out the windows, one firefighter suffered severe injuries to his legs when he fell, another suffered injuries and burns, Lucia attempted to hang on to a window sill after bailing, would later fall, and suffered severe respiratory burns. She was in intensive care for quite some time. She was read her last rights several times. She survived. She returned to work, as a fire public educator, even though her voice was never the same. She retired when all long term light duty assignments were eliminated for firefighters in 2003.

Marguerite ( Peggy ) Vath. Peggy Vath, a mother of two daughters, working out of 11 Engine, located on S. Millvale street, (no longer a fire station), was with her company responding to a call in Oakland, in November of 2003, the Engine proceeded through an intersection, having the green light, with red lights an sirens. An elderly woman hit the pumper. Peg got out of the pumper to check on the driver, and when she opened the car door to check on the driver, the car was thrown into reverse throwing Peggy into the air and landing behind the car still barreling in reverse. Peg grabbed onto the bumper seeing tires coming at her, she was dragged 40 feet, and she was knocked off from underneath the car, still holding onto the bumper, when the car drove up over a curb, the car, still in reverse, was stopped by a pole. Peg suffered fractures to her pelvis, she spent months in the hospital, rehab etc. Peg was retired after the incident, she would have been promoted to Lieutenant, based on her proper civil service tested score, had she not been hurt. She would have been only the second woman to ever have received a promotion in the Pittsburgh Bureau of fire. She was never promoted, she earned it. She isn't the only one of course who was hurt on the job and thus never received their promotion, not the point, she did earn it and lost it when she lost her career in service to this city.