Engine 42 was organized at 3320 N. Front Street on December 7, 1894. They were joined by Truck 22 on March 17, 1923 when that company was organized.
The company relocation survey of January 1959 recommended that both companies be relocated to a new station in the vicinity of B Street and Allegheny Avenue. This new station would provide better ladder coverage to surrounding single-engine houses, centralize the station in its first-in boundaries, and provide better access to response routes. These plans would never come to fruition.
On July 15, 1960 Engine 42 was disbanded and Ladder 22 moved to 614 W. Erie Avenue with Engine 55. The old firehouse was demolished to build the new police station at Front and Westmoreland Streets.
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I believe the term “Wash Down” started being used in the 1950’s. It was used in dispatching to designate that an engine company was being sent to wash gasoline off the street that usually resulted from a vehicle accident. However, the most unusual wash down dispatch I can remember occurred while visiting the Fire alarm Room in the late 1950’s. The request for washing down the street came either from police radio or from a resident of the 100 Block E. Willard St. walking the short distance to Engine 42’s station asking for assistance. Apparently, thousands of roaches were literally running all over their little street, and thought the best way to get rid of them would be for a fire hose to wash them down the sewer inlet. By the way, back in this decade, this was a stable, working class neighborhood, not one that was deteriorating. Presently, this term is rarely used, being superseded by “spill response”. But it is still only a single engine dispatch.