When it comes to Historic Sites and buildings in Pittsburgh area its Rip tear and destroy another Landmark torn out and destroyed . The Alcoa Powder Plant in Logans Ferry section of Plum Boro

Yes when it comes to preserving the past the Pittsburgh area does a horribly miserable job entire neighborhoods are gone as is most of anything from the steel era If you want to get a feel what Pittsburgh was like before the mills went down you have to drive to Johnstown Pa. or Weirton. WV.
 So it was with great sadness while driving along Coxcomb Hill Road in Plum Boro and I saw them ripping into and removing the abandoned and dilapidated  Alcoa Powder Plant
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places the plant at one time produced the powder for Fire works and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logans_Ferry_Powder_Works_Historic_District

explosives  yet after Alcoa abandoned it no one came forward in any way to try and save it at all  and use it as some type of teaching and social center etc.
and Alcoa  has all but left Pittsburgh area and devastated New Kensington when the pulled out of the plant and research center

They could not as much as put a marker in place for the men killed their from explosions in the plant

http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourallekiskivalley/yourallekiskivalleymore/8090067-74/powder-works-ferry#axzz3qC80sy87

So gone is another piece of history which when historians do give its history they will not get it right as usual just like many other historic exhibits you go to see in the area they often get fact and figures wrong because no one bothered to properly document sites before they where destroyed  , and now you can add the Alcoa Powder Plant to the list.
Developers would rather have a clean pad to develop than work with existing structures they claim cost too much and are impossible to renovate which each and every contractor knows is bull shit if you really want to save a property it can be done Carlow University proved it when they rescued a house everyone said had to go. it all comes down to one word GREED  and thats what it is all about nothing else when it comes time to renovate or destroy a historic structure . 

 It is now being used by Allegheny Valley Railroad as an unloading yard for Fracking Sand for nearby gas wells

Illegal Party Site along a Natural Gas Transmission Line in Plum Boro Pa. A potential for problems ignored by Authorities and Gas Company

I was driving up Cox comb Hill from New Kensington one night around 11PM  when I saw lights from a  open top Jeep loaded with teenagers and a keg of beer  go up a  mud lane path along a High Pressure gas Transmission line in Plum Boro.

Now besides the dangers the driver put him self and passengers in climbing this 2 rut goat path there is the serious issue of hitting the pipelines various valves etc located along its path If they start a fire there is always danger of it spreading and some one getting hurt.

When I saw them going up I called Allegheny County 911 who said they would notify Plum PD and it was like no big deal . I never heard back from Plum or 911  and had something happened up top of that hill how where police and medics going to get up there .

I notified the gas company and heard nothing either. These lines come under Dept of Homeland Security rules they provide essential gas service to  Power plants  Business and homes. Yet no one seems concerned. Just a bunch of kids partying or maybe next time some one intent on causing damage.  all thats needed is a simple barrier of some type and yes they are trespassing and it is a serious manner to be looked at. But its business as usual till something goes wrong. then its duck cover and wait for the lawsuits .

 

UPDATE:  the party site is no more since a well pad has been established on property 

A very Dangerous Situation on Highland Park bridge Motorists using a non lane which is actually a road shoulder and nearly colliding with on ramp traffic from Aspinwall

I see it almost every day motorists coming from Pa 28 onto the Highland Park bridge and instead of forming one lane they think there are 2 due to bad markings and they run down it right into the full speed on ramp I have seen numerous close calls and it is just a matter of  time till some one is seriously hurt or killed .

As you can see in above picture what looks like a lane to the left it is not Penndot needs to put stripes  across it or rumble strips and do not use shoulder signs to stop this dangerous practice.  Because if you do you this unauthorized lane you end up directly in the path of the car you see to the left coming up the ramp full speed from Freeport road from Aspinwall .

There are wrecks daily with the on and off ramps to this bridge and this is just one of the dangerous situations due to people speeding onto and off of this bridge and not properly merging and driving like pigs and it needs to stop. before there is another fatal wreck

Missing / Stolen Model 1910 Mauser 6.25 mm 25 caliber fire arm - Do you collect or own old guns did you get them checked out if not you could face serious consequnces if it is stolen like one below that belonged to me

A man my wife knew Jeff  who who did some  wood  work on our house about 20 years ago  and did gun smithing as a hobby and lived on School Street in Penn Hills Pa and is now deceased . He  either lost ,sold or was otherwise stolen from him a Mauser 1910  25 caliber 6.25 mm  hand gun which I had given him to repair . aprox. 20 years ago . It was Reported Stolen  to Penn Hills Police  and not seen since.

Not a particularly expensive  or historic gun my late uncle picked it up while in Europe during the war and millions where made and many Germans carried them for personnel protection.  When my uncle died my grandfather took possession of it and knowing I was working as a guard gave it to me on my 21st birthday.

Though the gun was well made it had one fatal flaw and that was the flat springs in the gun which would frequently break and which Jeff was going to fix for me. Well he never did and kept putting me off finally admitted to me lost it in his house.   I immediately called Penn Hills  Police who took a report .

You can still buy these guns at any gun show for around $150-$500 depending on condition and certain models could go much higher if you had case etc.  mine was closer to the $150.00 dollar  more of a family heirloom than a practical gun to carry and I would like to get it back so I can pass it down .

This is a problem with these old guns are still applicable to all state and federal firearms laws just like a brand new gun  and if you bought one and did not run a back round check on it and are found in possession of one of the many stolen guns like mine you will be charged with a felony and can face 5-10 years in prison  weather you knew it was stolen or not  If you inherent or buy or other wise find an old gun and decide to keep it run it thru the local police and or gun shop and make sure it is not stolen or prepare to face the consequences. Better to turn in a gun with no consequences than face legal and jail time .

Have you noticed many old buildings no longer have Fire Hoses in their Fire Hose cabinets? There is a good reason why

At one time it seemed almost every commercial building, school , civic  center etc. over 1 story had a Fire Hose Cabinet in it where you found a fire hose and fire extinguisher.
but more and more you will find the cabinet empty.

There is a very good reason why these cabinets no longer have a hose and new buildings are being built with out them..

 It comes down to the fact many hoses where never being properly inspected and replaced as needed
 they where just ragged and tagged as its known  and also came down to the fact Fire Officials  would rather you flee a building instead of trying to fight a fire with an inadequate hose especially if you are not properly trained.

the 1 -1/4 hose is far smaller than the 2- 1/2 inch hose firefighters carry in there High Rise Fire Fighting packs  and the other problem is adequate water supply as many of the pipes supplying these hoses where not maintained and are all barnacled up and corroded causing blockages. improperly tested and not replaced fire hoses also present a very significant danger to a user as well if they attempt to use it. 

http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/print/volume-152/issue-7/features/high-rise-standpipe-hose-packs-a-primer-part-1.html

Fire Officials would much rather you flee a building and allow them to go in and fight the fire than them having to worry about  locating and rescuing you.

Also since firefighters are connecting to 2 1/2  dry pipes in buildings where with there high rise hose packs  where water is pumped in from a fire engine  and pipes must be rigidly inspected on an annual basis there is a much better chance a fire will be knocked down faster than citizens using old 1- 1/4  hoses.  and less danger to firefighters.

The other problem is the actual fire load in buildings has dramatically increased with modern plastics etc and being able to fight the fire with a hose and avoid dangerous fumes is all but impossible  if you can not stop it with a hand extinguisher then its time to flee and get out . 



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Additions added onto buildings can be a Death Trap for Firefighters

Building additions are common  as a business grows but they can pose significant risks to firefighters when not properly thought thru. especially when it comes to covering over old Windows and Doors
from the existing structure  as you can see in the pictures below.

When this building was added onto the window was left in place and not properly covered over a firefighter trapped during a fire  inside the old building could be feeling around in the smoke trying to find a way out feel the window ledge in the above photo think he has found a way out when in fact he has not even if he successfully breaks thru it all he has done is broken into the addition.

This is exactly what happened when 3 Pittsburgh Firefighters where killed in a Home in Brushton when a window was covered over with heavy Plexiglas  and they thought they could make there way out  when they felt the window ledge and could not when the steps collapsed and trapped them in a basement.

Take this building in the picture below  looks like a normal building right?

 You would be wrong on the left side of this building underneath is an old Boron gas station this building on the left is a shell built over the original structure I would be willing to bet if I went down to local fire station not one of the fireman there would know this as it was done over 20 years ago.
 Like Francis Brannigan always said  " THE BUILDING IS THE ENEMY  KNOW THE ENEMY"

So what buildings do you have in your district which have been built over layer after layer that are waiting to get you? this is why it is important to do company tours and know how buildings have been modified or be prepared to suffer the consequences.

More Examples of Church Elders not caring to folow Building Codes and putting Public at Danger

Yes once again a glaring example of putting the public at danger and this time it involves children
The First case involves a church in South Hills of Pittsburgh .

Where an elder lets call him Mr. Smith has taken it upon himself to fix a problem where children are swinging on a outside handicapped railing. 

And he was worried they could fall and get hurt .
his solution instead of putting in a metal strip to stop them from swinging under the railing. the proper way code requires he takes some plastic fence pieces  left over from a project and uses indoor rated plastic tie wraps and attaches the fence pieces to the railing.  which now leaves 8 inch gap[ underneath a child could be impaled on and blocks use of the hand rail by a handicapped person so not only is Mr. Smith putting children at danger he is violating Federal handicapped accessibility rules. when I offered to fix it properly for cost he said whats the problem. Well Mr Smith the problem is a child can and will get hurt the tie wraps will eventually break and some one is going to get hurt and the church sued. It is just a matter of time till a building inspector riding buy sees this monstrosity and the church gets cited. But they never do learn they have been cited in the past and if they last another 5 years it will be a miracle but this is what happens when you allow untrained in building codes and construction knowledge and  unethical individuals into a position of power in a church which drives good members away and ends up killing a church because there are not enough donations to maintain it.

More Stupidity from NFPA why do residental R 13 systems not have valve shut off tampers? Especially when used in Small Apartment Houses and Personnel Care Homes etc.

Yes right along with the Daisy Chain Smoke Alarm debacle NFPA has caused there  is an even bigger issue and it involves the one thing they have been pushing on there agenda and thats residential sprinklers .
In small apartment houses and town homes etc. where sprinklers are tapped off the house water line   there is no requirement for a tamper switch to warn  the sprinklers are shut off . I have even seen this with small office buildings and personel care homes.

Anyone can just walk up and turn off the water valve to the sprinkler system and ou would never know.

 Water Line tapped for sprinklers and no tamper in  Small Office Building 

As you can see in the above pictures there is not even any kind of markings telling you the lien and valve are feeding a sprinkler system and all too often these valves are located where the public can easily come upon them and turn them off. 

There are thousands of small apartment units Personnel care homes and offices set up this exact way and all a potential disaster waiting to happen. As you can see this room is jammed full of boxes and junk and a valve could easily be turned off by a box falling against it. Yet codes do not call for these valves to be at least chained off and better yet electrically tampered. But because often these small places do not require a fire system just daisy chain smokes code makers feel it is a burden on owner to install dedicated panel for this purpose  .

Yes the very systems designed to save lives daisy chain smokes and sprinklers  can be fully interrupted and no one knows and no one cares. Dam shame  how little code makers care about those who live in small apartments and personnel care homes .