Pittsburgh Bureau Of Fire Challenge Coin and 50 similar items

This is a great looking Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire challenge coin. Coin is about 1 9/16" in diameter and raised lettering on both sides with a reeded edge. Reverse side is a gold plated St. Florian Patron Saint of Firefighters. Coin is contained in an acrylic air tight holder. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire (PBF) provides fire protection, emergency medical services and hazardous material mitigation to the city of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In all the department is responsible for 55.5 square miles with a population of 305,841 as of the 2013 Census estimation. The Bureau holds the distinction of being the first fire department in the United States to unionize and thus has a International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) number of 1. The department started out as a volunteer fire department and officially transitioned to a fully paid department on May 23, 1870. Over 30 years later in 1903 a group of Pittsburgh Firefighters sought to improve working and living conditions of those serving in the department. They formed an association known as the City Fireman?s Protective Association. By September 1903, the very first International Association of Firefighters union was organized, IAFF Local No. 1.