Young firefighter recruits hard to come by

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October 14, 2008

By ALVIN REINER The Press Republican Tue Oct 14, 2008, 12:00 AM EDT

LEWIS -- It's not unusual, when the fire siren and pagers go off, to see people in their 50s, 60s and even older race to the fire house to clamber aboard the trucks.

Some area volunteer fire departments, such as Keene Valley, have plenty of younger recruits, but they seem to be an exception.

Out of the 23 active members at the Lewis Fire Department, 12 are more than 50 years of age, and only four are in their 20s.

Lewis Fire Commissioner Don Huntley knows his fire district is not alone in having many older members.

"Like a lot of small fire companies, recruitment and the retention of members is a difficult thing."

"One of the biggest reasons for not volunteering is that people are more involved with other things," said Huntley, adding that some fire departments have hired firefighters just to cover the day shifts.

"We're fortunate that we have some members that work for the town (of Lewis) that can help during the day."

Much has changed in volunteer fire departments over the years, particularly the equipment and the intensive training. When many of the older firefighters came aboard, it was literally baptism by fire.

"It's hard to recruit firefighters and have them all meet the requirements and do all of the training," Huntley said.

The Elizabethtown Fire Department has a similar situation, as half of their 30 members are at least 50 years old.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Frank Cooper, who fits that category, said he joined the Elizabethtown Department just to help out and keep busy.

Ron Dubay of Lewis remembers his first taste of firefighting, when he lived in Keene Valley almost 40 years ago.

"The house next door burned. It was like the Keystone Cops. I thought there must be a better way. Within a year, they had training.

"Today, it's a lot more work and no pay. It's (about) your pride and helping the community," he said.

Huntley said his department gets about 60 calls a year, most of which are on the Northway.

"It's not like they would be bored," Dubay added with a smile.

"I started at 18," said Carmen Cross, who is now in his 50s. "Ronnie (Dubay) recruited me. Both my father and brother were firemen."

After 47 years with the department in Lewis, Nate Gough is still active in the department.

"Everyone was a fire member back then. Anyone who could walk, run or be active joined back then. And the women were all on the auxiliary."

DRAWING YOUTH

Elizabethtown Fire Chief Ed Martin is attempting to get a youth group going to eventually get more members.

He's trying to get through the paperwork and see that the high-school-age members are covered by insurance, as 14-year-olds can be junior firefighters. They can help clean up and do other chores around the fire house.

"We might be able to recruit them if you can get the young people interested in time," Martin said. "Once they are out of high school they do their own thing."

Martin's impetus to becoming a firefighter was his cousin Pat.

"He kept harping, so to shut him up, I decided to help out and then joined."

Justin Madder and Joe Thomas-Train are two younger Elizabethtown firefighters who are residents in the nearby Mountain Lakes Services home.

"I just wanted to help out the community and was able to get in here and learn," Madder said.

"After 9-11, I wanted to help," Thomas-Train added. "Especially after what they (firefighters) did for us."

FAMILY EFFORT

Elizabethtown's Steve Denton was recently honored for 50 years as a firefighter.

"It used to be that a family did it," he said, as both his father and grandfather were firefighters. His son Steve Jr. has followed as well.

"Things were a lot different than they are today," Denton said, pointing to the fire engines. "When I first came on, the 1939 truck was in use. Also, you got your training from the guys who were here before you.

"It's harder to get members. People can't afford to take the time off. They don't have the interest in it like they used to. There were close to 50 members when I first joined."

Many firefighters have day jobs that take them out of town, Denton remarked.

"It's lonely to stand here (at the fire station) when the whistle blows and have no one show up during the day. The state drove out volunteer fire departments due to their demands."

Ryan Hathaway, one of the younger firefighters at 28, followed in his father's footsteps.

"I like the camaraderie inside the Fire Department. It gave me a lot to do."

His father, Bucky, has been fighting fires for over a quarter century.

RIGOROUS TRAINING

The training today requires about 115 hours and includes the basics, such as hoses and ladders. It also requires knowledge on the use of air packs, safe entry into buildings, structure fires and in some cases, the use of scuba equipment.

Both Lewis and Elizabethtown are looking into junior-firefighter programs. Though they can start at age 14, they must be 18 to drive as well as use some of the equipment.

Dubay estimates that a firefighter uses about $3,000 worth of gear, so the proper use is important.

Essex Fire Chief Dave Lansing's observations mirror those of the other departments.

In Essex, 46 are on the roster, and only 28 have fire gear. Some of the younger firefighters are away at college, and a few are in the military.

Lansing feels one of the problems inherent in Essex is younger people move away to other communities where real estate is cheaper.

"You try to help people fit in, but you don't want to be too regimented. Most of them are really good, and you want them on your team. If these people can find enough time to train, it takes a lot of time out of their life.

"At 71, I can't go up and down the ladders like I used to," Lansing said. "I joined because the community needed people to help out."

E-mail Alvin Reiner at:

rondackrambler@yahoo.com