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The Aliquippa City Fire Department celebrated their four-legged crew member, who just turned one year old and has already been making a positive impact on firefighters’ mental health.
KDKA stopped by the station to meet Hank the firehouse dog, who’s melting the hearts of first responders and neighbors.
Hank has four paws and loves treats, but he also plays a big role in the Aliquippa Fire Department.
“He lives in the fire station. He’s here to help decompress, just here to be part of the team,” said Aliquippa Fire Chief Timothy Firich.
He said Hank was donated by a friend of the department, and he became the official firehouse pup on June 1, 2024.
Tuesday was a big day for the good boy because he turned one! He got spoiled with treats, birthday hats, decorations, and lots of visitors, which are his favorite!
Service dog friends, people from local businesses, and community members stopped by the fire station to wish handsome Hank a happy birthday!
Chief Firich said Hank acts like a typical one-year-old yellow lab, but he has a good daily routine and interacts with their firefighters on a daily basis.
He’s not a service dog, but he comforts them on the good and bad days.
“Unofficially, he’s that furry friend for us here…come back from a bad call, it’s easy to take your mind off it, sit down, and take care of Hank for a minute, or sit down and pet Hank. The decompression from the everyday stress of being here from working in emergency service has paid dividends for our staff here,” Chief Firich said.
A little over 90 pounds of love brings out the best in the first responders and cheers up everyone he meets at the station and out in the community.
“Hank is pretty well known in the community, in the city of Aliquippa and surrounding area, amongst other fire departments. Hank’s actually pretty famous, Hank has met former VP Kamala Harris. He has been around other dignitaries,” Firich said,
“I’m pretty sure he’ll never go hungry with the amount of treats that are brought down. We have a lot of visitors, school-age visitors who come in, different community groups and organizations as well as adult organizations who stop in and visit him. He’s great friends with our friends down at B.F. Jones Memorial Library, he visits the schools, the elementary schools, after-school programs, and other community events in the city of Aliquippa,” he added.
Chief Firich said they’ve gained several thousand new followers on the department Facebook page, all because of Hank.
You can keep up with Hank’s adventures, and how he’s making a difference in the community — just follow ‘Aliquippa Firefighters’ on Facebook.
Jessica Guay joined KDKA as a reporter in February 2021. Before joining KDKA, Jessica was a morning anchor and reporter at WJAC in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She was also an anchor and reporter at WCHS in Charleston, West Virginia, and at WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio.
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