Police & Fire Departments

When Frederick Martsolf incorporated the community of West View, he wanted to provide its citizens with services other communities had, like a police and fire department.

The police department was established in 1905 after West View’s incorporation. The Borough hired 6 different police officers in its first 10 years.

One of the officers hired was William H. Quigley, who eventually became Chief of Police. Chief Quigley was the first and only West View police officer to die in the line of duty. On May 23, 1927, Quigley was pursuing a stolen truck on his motorcycle. The truck stopped suddenly, and Quigley struck the vehicle. He died from his injuries four days later.

Since 1905, the police department has expanded greatly. 45 officers have been hired in total, and there have been 8 different police chiefs.

The fire department was established in 1906, with 3 companies being created. The first fire chief was Chief McGraw. The No. 1 Company was built in 1906 on Ridgewood Avenue, with Isaac Hartung elected Captain and Ed Hamburg elected Lieutenant. No. 2 Company was built in 1907 on Amherst Avenue, with Horten Penrose elected Captain and R.F. Enzian elected Lieutenant. The No. 3 Company was built in 1916 on Perry Highway. Today, all 3 fire companies have been merged into a single West View Volunteer Fire Department.

an early picture of the Ridgewood (No. 1) fire station with its large water tank	Fire Company No. 2	Fire Company No. 3 with a Borough truck in front	three West View firetrucks, late 1930s