Plum fire trucks among vehicles at food truck rally, touch-a-truck event benefiting Rustic Ridge

Three of the Plum fire trucks that responded to the Rustic Ridge house explosion Aug. 12 were out in the community for a different, but related, reason on Saturday.

Ladder trucks from the Holiday Park and Unity fire departments and an engine from the Renton company were among the vehicles on display for a food truck rally and touch-a-truck event raising money to help residents of the Plum neighborhood affected by the tragedy three weeks ago.

The event was held in a parking lot at Plum High School.

Renton’s engine was the first on the scene of the Aug. 12 house explosion in which six people were killed. Assistant Chief Tom Banta, who lives in Rustic Ridge, was driving it.

Banta said they were out at a wires down call at Renton and Sardis roads when they heard the explosion on Rustic Ridge Drive, about a 3-mile drive away. They didn’t know where it was at first, but were soon dispatched to the scene.

“It was a little different,” said Banta, a firefighter for 20 years. “It was in the plan that I live in, and I know a lot of the people.”

When they would finally return to the station, Banta said former members were showing up to help, and residents were bringing them food and water.

“To see the support was almost overwhelming,” he said. “That never happens. Usually we come back to an empty station.”

That support was continuing to be seen at Saturday’s event, organized by Joe Rischer and Andy Wincko. Both Plum residents, Rischer owns the face painting business Game Faces and retired as a community relations officer with Allegheny County Police in July; Wincko owns the Pittsburgh Smokehouse food truck, also known as “The Mighty Meat Wagon.”

Rischer said Wincko had an idea to hold a food truck rally. By adding a touch-a-truck, Rischer said they wanted to put something big together.

“We had a great outpouring from the community to help us get this together,” Wincko said. “We just want to help everybody.”

Proceeds from the event will go to Angels in Da Skys, which is helping Rustic Ridge residents affected by the explosion.

A fire truck ladder high in the air first caught the attention of 5-year-old Logan Mechler, who then made his way to an Allegheny County Police bomb squad truck.

His mother, Kate Mechler, said they came out to help support Rustic Ridge.

“He loves trucks,” she said. “He gets very interested in all this stuff.”

Tracey Heffron, who teaches fourth grade at Pivik Elementary and lives in Plum, watched while her daughter, Charlotte, 5, had her arm painted by Game Faces.

“We came to support all of our neighbors at Rustic Ridge,” she said.

People didn’t have to be from Plum to want to help. Marita Pugliano came from Export, while Jodi Blair lives in North Versailles. They were checking out a truck from the North Hills Special Response Team.

“We wanted to give some support to the community,” Pugliano said. “We feel like part of the community.”

Dominating the sky was a 30-by-60-foot American flag hoisted by the 223-foot boom on a 275-ton crane brought by Allegheny Crane and Rigging of Robinson Township.

Among the vehicles on display were two former military trucks, a 1991 5-ton cargo truck and a 1985 HEMTT, or Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck, which had been used to carry Patriot missiles. Joe Kelly, of Plum, bought them at government auctions.

Of the HEMTT he said, “This was one of 300 released to the public, and I was lucky enough to buy one.”

Sean Gildea, of Rustic Ridge, was helping to sell shirts. One read “Plum Strong” and “Prayers for Rustic Ridge” with a purple-and-gold heart background, while another had the messages of “Forever Strong” and “Hope and Love.”

“Anything we can do to bring people together is fantastic,” he said of the event. “The support the community has for each other is amazing.”