The Department maintains a minimum force of technician and operations-level firefighters in each technical rescue discipline with associated equipment to be able to immediately effect a rescue with available resources or to stabilize an incident until mutual aid arrives.

The Mt. Lebanon Fire Department’s technical rescue first unit benchmark is to respond to all technical rescue events in 7 minutes and 20 seconds or less, total response time, 90% of the time.  The first-due unit(s) shall be staffed with a minimum of three (3) firefighters and be capable of determining the scope of and stabilizing the incident until additional resources arrive.  The Department’s 90^th percentile technical rescue effective response force (ERF) and extrication time benchmarks and baselines are as follows:

The Mt. Lebanon Fire Department has been recognized by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Health as an Advanced Level Rescue Service.  The purpose of this program is to recognize those emergency services that can safely and efficiently perform rescue operations.  There Department is one of only six  rescue services in Allegheny County to meet the Advanced Level standard.  The inspection for certification included a review of maintenance records, training records, standard operating guidelines, mutual aid agreements, and equipment inventory.

The Department is a member of the South Hills Area Council of Governments (SHACOG) Technical Rescue Team.  The Team is a combined force of  35 emergency personnel representing 23 fire departments and 3 EMS agencies that respond to emergencies which require specialized training and/or equipment.  Team members meet NFPA 1006 certification requirements in core rescue competencies, vehicle and machinery rescue technician Level 1 and 2 , and confined space rescue technician levels 1 and 2 , trench rescue technician levels 1 and 2 and are working towards operations (level 1) certification in structural collapse and swift/flood Water Rescue.