George McBriar, longtime Blawnox fire chief beloved by many area firefighters, community members, dies

A longtime Blawnox Volunteer Fire Company chief and pioneer of swift-water rescue has answered his last call.

George McBriar, also a former councilman and businessman, died Tuesday evening while surrounded by friends and family. He was 70.

“It was a shock,” said Jeff Stephens, the current fire chief who served for decades under McBriar. “He was just a friend to everybody. You always got a smile or something out of him.”

A black banner was hung Wednesday from the two lights at the middle of the fire station along Freeport Road.

McBriar’s gear was placed outside the main entrance. Black wreaths also were mounted on the front of the firetrucks.

McBriar started his firefighting career in 1975 with Sharpsburg’s volunteer company and joined Blawnox in the late 1980s. He served as Blawnox’s chief for 32 years before retiring in December 2020.

Stephens and other borough firefighters were alerted to McBriar’s passing by his best friend, John Simmons of O’Hara, a fellow fire company life member.

“I’ve been trying to keep busy just to keep my mind working on other things,” Simmons said of breaking the bad news. “It was a very hard thing to do.”

Simmons said he knew McBriar for about 43 years. They first formed a bond as coaches for their daughters in the Blawnox girls youth softball program.

The bond continued to grow during the 1980s as they served Blawnox.

“We were close friends,” Simmons said. “He was serving on council. I was building inspector for the borough at the time. The fire department in Blawnox was going under, so the borough took it over.”

Blawnox had about four firefighters and two engines when McBriar took over in 1988.

There was a push at the time to make other council members and borough workers firefighters to help boost its membership.

Simmons said McBriar’s efforts to get his colleagues to join helped to save the department, and his constant recruitment efforts helped to make the station what it is today.

The department currently has 24 active firefighters and 40 on the roster. It has a rescue engine, another firetruck, an O’Hara ladder truck, three squad vehicles, a rescue boat and jet skis.

“It was building from the bottom up,” Simmons said. “It saved the fire department. George was a fantastic leader. He had his rules that we had to follow, but he was an innovator. He made our fire company fun.

“He got along with all the other departments in the area fantastically. He brought the fire companies together in the Lower Valley.”

Stephens succeeded McBriar in January 2021. He served as lieutenant and assistant chief and has been with the department for more than 40 years.

He said McBriar was big on training. Stephens is proud to continue that tradition.

The Sharpsburg and Aspinwall volunteer fire companies formally merged last year into Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services. Mike Daniher is its chief.

“George was a pillar in the local fire service, dedicating his whole life to service,” Daniher said.

“He started the Swift Water Rescue Team locally and provided countywide leadership. He was a true friend to all who met him. Our local firefighters have been blessed to have been mentored by him and mourn his loss. Our prayers go out to his family.”

Water rescue

McBriar, a University of Pittsburgh graduate, was instrumental in founding the Allegheny County Swiftwater/Flood Response Team, also referred to as Swift Water Rescue, in 2010.

The swift-water team, compiled of technicians from regional departments that include Blawnox and Etna, provides water rescue to surrounding counties and is part of the state’s Homeland Security Task Force.

Members have been deployed by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to natural disasters, including Hurricane Irene that swept up the East Coast in 2011; Tropical Storm Lee, which caused historic flooding in the state the same year; and Hurricane Sandy, which slammed through the Jersey Shore and into New York City in 2012.

In Blawnox, the fire company is recognized by the state Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and the Office of the State Fire Commissioner as a Level 2a Swiftwater Team.

It is the first team in the state to reach this level of recognition.

McBriar was a visionary. Seeing the increase in recreational river usage and commerce over the years, he felt the need to have an elite group of rescuers ready to respond to river problems, according to Mike Yonas, a swift-water technician and president/medical officer for the Blawnox Volunteer Fire Company.

“He was instrumental in bringing together everyone from here to the Mon Valley, working with the city (of Pittsburgh) and county,” Yonas said. “He was really a leader and helped build up our team and technicians. … George was an incredible character and incredible leader. He and John Simmons and the original members of the department helped make this what it is now.

“When you were talking to George, you were the most important person to him. And he always worked with everyone to serve and support the community any way he could.”

Family man

While many in the Fox Chapel area called McBriar chief, Aleta (McBriar) Balcer of Sharpsburg called him Dad.

Balcer, 51, is the oldest of three sisters. All three played Blawnox softball and graduated from Fox Chapel Area High School.

She said her father died after a nearly two-week battle with illness. Calls, texts and other messages from dozens upon dozens of people have helped with the family’s grieving.

“It’s nice to hear stories,” Balcer said. “It’s nice to hear everybody talking about different things that he’s done. … Anybody who knew him was lucky.”

Balcer recalled her father was always in a good mood and did what he could to support his family and community.

“He was always smiling,” she said. “Very happy, very friendly. Everybody knew him. He was a great man.”

Some of Balcer’s fondest memories involve movies and how her dad would quote from classics such as “Dirty Dancing,” “The Godfather,” “Scrooged” and “A Christmas Story.”

McBriar married his wife, Barbara Ann Taylor, in September 1972. Their other daughters are Belinda Evans and Kira Rosamilia.

McBriar served as president of the renowned Clark Candy Co. before running his own warehouse and distribution business, Riverview Product Services, for the past 20 years.

The Blawnox business remains in operation and is led by family members.

He also was the borough’s fire marshal from 2022 until his passing.

Services

Visitation is scheduled for 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home & Crematory, 930 Center Ave. in Blawnox.

Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Family and friends are asked to arrive around 9 a.m.

Simmons said a procession featuring fire departments from across the county is expected to take place Saturday after the service.

They will travel from the funeral home to Route 28 southbound to the Etna exit, back up through Sharpsburg and into Blawnox, before finishing at the Comfort Inn in RIDC Park where the family is expected to host a wake.

More information will be posted on the Blawnox VFC Facebook page.