The two volunteer fire departments serving the western Pennsylvania borough of Vandergrift have resumed responding to 911 calls.
Mayor Lenny Collini said the firefighters returned to their stations on Thursday after a six day interruption due to a lapse in the required workers’ compensation insurance policy.
Fire Departments Halt Service Due to Lapse in Workers’ Compensation
Collini said the insurance policy was restored yesterday and fire services resumed.
The borough became aware that the workers’ compensation policy had lapsed on Friday April 10, which the mayor told citizens in a letter meant the policy could not be reinstated until this week.
Last week the mayor did not explain how or why the lapse in insurance happened. He has since pointed to the lapse as possibly caused by an email error during a recent staff transition, according to TribLive.
While the stations were shuttered, neighboring fire departments covered for them. Collini thanked the other communities for stepping in to offer emergency services during that period.
Workers’ compensation insurance covers the cost of medical care and rehabilitation for injured workers, lost wages, and death benefits for the dependents of those killed in work-related accidents. In 2025, five Pennsylvania firefighters lost their lives on the job, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. Between 1990 and 2024, there were 278 on-duty firefighter fatalities in Pennsylvania.
Almost 90% of the fire departments in the state are volunteer.
Vandergrift, with a population of about 5,000, is about 30 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.
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