* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:15] HI, MY NAME IS SPIKE BARKIN, AND THIS IS PART OF AN ONGOING SERIES SPONSORED BY THE HASTINGS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. TODAY WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. WE'RE GOING TO EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF THE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN HASTINGS. ON HUDSON. WE HAVE WITH US, UH, TWO LONG-TERM MEMBERS, JIM SARTY FROM, UH, RIVERVIEW MANOR, AND FROM PROTECTION. BRIAN SCHNIBBE. WELCOME TO THE QUESTIONS . THANK YOU. THANKS FOR HAVING US, MIKE. BRIAN, UH, I UNDERSTAND THIS IS THE HUNDRED AND 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PROTECTION. YES. WE, UH, AS OF FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, WE, WE STARTED OUR HUNDRED AND COMPLETED OUR HUNDRED AND 50TH YEAR FOR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY. AND WAS THAT THE FIRST FIRE DEPARTMENT IN HASTINGS? YEAH. SO THAT WAS THE FIRST FIRE COMPANY BEFORE PROTECTION STARTED. BEFORE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STARTED, THERE WAS NO FIRE PROTECTION IN THE ENTIRE TOWN. SO WHAT DID THEY DO IF THERE WAS A FIRE? WELL, WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS THERE WAS THE SUGAR REFINERY FIRE DOWN AT THE WATERFRONT IN 1875 OR 18TH, THE WINTER OF 76, MAYBE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. AND, UH, FROM THOSE, THEY HAD NO FIRE PROTECTION. SO I DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY OF THAT ACTUAL FIRE, BUT WHAT I DO KNOW IS AFTER THAT, IN THE AFTERMATH, THEY FORMED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE PROTECTION ENGINE COMPANY, WHICH STARTED AS HASTINGS PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION. AND THEY KIND OF WERE IN CHARGE OF FIRE SERVICE. THERE WAS ALSO NO POLICE DEPARTMENT, SO THEY, THERE WAS A RASH OF ROBBERIES IN THE SAME TIMEFRAME OF THAT FIRE. SO THEY KIND OF DID DOUBLE DUTY, AND THEN THEY TOOK THE BRICKS FROM THESE SUGAR REFINERY AND THEY, AND THEY BOUGHT THE PROPERTY, WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE NOW AT, AT 5 7 3 AVENUE. AND THE ORIGINAL FOUNDATION OF THAT BUILDING IS BUILT FROM THE BRICKS OF THE SUGAR REFINERY FIRE. HUH. AND WHEN THERE WAS A FIRE, DID PEOPLE HAVE TO PAY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO COME OR GUARANTEE THAT THEY WOULD PAY THEM? AS FAR AS I KNOW, I MEAN, SINCE, SINCE I'VE BEEN A MEMBER, WE'VE BEEN FUNDED BY THE VILLAGE, OBVIOUSLY. UM, THE INDEPENDENT COMPANY ITSELF, THEY, EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER PUT UP THEIR OWN MONEY TO START THE ORGANIZATION THEMSELVES. AND I BELIEVE IT WAS FULL VOLUNTEER FROM DAY ONE. THEY DEDICATED THEIR TIME, AND AS ANYTIME THERE WAS A CALL FOR FIRE, THEY WENT OUT. I, I WAS TOLD THAT IN WHITE PLAINS, WHEN THEY STARTED A FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, IF PEOPLE HAD A FIRE, THEY WOULD CALL UP AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WOULD SAY, ARE YOU GOING TO, UH, GIVE US SOME REMUNERATION BEFORE THEY RESPONDED BEFORE? IT IS A GOOD TACTIC, I GUESS. RIGHT. YEAH. IN YOUR TIME OF NEED, YOU, YOU GOTTA GET YOUR CHECKBOOK OUT TOO. YEAH. SO CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF PROTECTION? SO WE'RE VERY MUCH, UH, ENRICHED IN OUR TRADITION THERE. UH, THE EVOLUTION HASN'T CHANGED MUCH OTHER THAN THAT. WE'VE GOTTEN NEW APPARATUS, WE'VE GOTTEN NEW MEMBERS. UH, OUR, OUR MAIN CORE OF DEDICATION HAS BEEN TO SERVE THE VILLAGE AT EVERY CAPACITY WE POSSIBLY CAN ON TOP OF FIRE PROTECTION. SO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SIX OR SEVEN TRUCKS. THEY STARTED WITH A HORSE AND CARRIAGE. THEY WENT TO A MOTORIZED APPARATUS IN THE EARLY 19 HUNDREDS. AND SINCE THEN WE'VE HAD FIVE OTHER TRUCKS. BUT IT HASN'T, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IF YOU LOOK THROUGH, JIM CAN TALK MORE ABOUT HIS COMPANY, BUT IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE OLD MINUTES, WE HAVE ALL THIS HISTORY IN THE, IN THE BASEMENT AND ON OUR WALLS AND PROTECTION. IT'S A LOT OF THE SAME STUFF FROM A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, 150 YEARS AGO, GUYS TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN ARE WE GONNA GO OUT ON OUR NEXT DRILL? WHEN, WHEN ARE WE GONNA WASH THE TRUCK? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE GARBAGE PICKUP? OR, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ANIMALS IN THE, IN THE FIREHOUSE. THE EVOLUTION. OUR, OUR, OUR CORE GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME THERE. THE NAMES CHANGE AND THE FACES CHANGE, BUT THE YEAH, YEAH. THE ISSUES ARE ALL THE SAME YEAH. OVER THE YEARS. AND IT'S GENERALLY ALL POSITIVE, OBVIOUSLY. YEAH. WERE BY ANIMALS IN THE FIREHOUSE. DID YOU HAVE MASCOTS? UH, NO. THERE WAS A HORSE YOU COULD SEE IN SOME OF THE PICTURES I, I PROVIDED. BUT, UH, NO OTHER ANIMALS OTHER THAN THE, THE PASSING DOG THAT WOULD COME BY, OR WE, WE RECENTLY HAD A RASH OF RODENTS THAT WE HAD TO CALL AN EXTERMINATOR FOR. BUT NO, NOTHING OTHER THAN THAT. YEAH, THE SQUIRRELS LIKE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, CAMP OUT IN OUR, UH, CEILING SPACE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. AND HOW, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT? SO I REALLY GREW UP IN THE FIRE SERVICE. MY DAD WAS A CHIEF FROM THE SEVENTIES ON, UM, I JOINED IN 2002 AFTER I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL IN OCTOBER. SO I'M COMING UP ON 24 YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT. YEAH. AND WHAT'S YOUR POSITION NOW? SO I JUST GOT DONE IN APRIL OF 25 AS THE CHIEF OF THE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS LIKE AN EIGHT YEAR CYCLE. WE CYCLE THROUGH, THERE'S A CHIEF FROM EVERY INDIVIDUAL COMPANY, UH, AND NOW I'M BACK IN AS A LINE OFFICER FOR THE COMPANY. SO MY DUTIES GO FROM THE DEPARTMENT AS A WHOLE TO [00:05:01] JUST THE SPECIFIC FIRE COMPANY. SO NOW I'M THE CAPTAIN OF THE, OF THE ENGINE COMPANY, WHICH I HAD PREVIOUSLY DONE IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS. AND HOW MANY COMPANIES AND HASTINGS ARE THERE? THERE'S FOUR TOTAL PLUS THE AMBULANCE CORPS, WHICH IS RUN THROUGH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. YEAH. AND WHERE LIKE, I KNOW JIM DRUM WAS AN, A FIRE INSPECTOR. MM-HMM . DOES THAT, IS THAT A POSITION THAT COMES OUT OF ONE OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS? IT COMES OUT OF THE DEPARTMENT AS A WHOLE. IT'S ACTUALLY OUR ONLY PAID, MY MOTHER HAD JUST RETIRED AS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SECRETARY. SO THERE'S TWO PAID POSITIONS IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. EVERYONE ELSE IS VOLUNTEER, AND THEY ARE EMPLOYED THROUGH THE VILLAGE. THERE'S THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SECRETARY, AND THEN ALSO THE FIRE INSPECTOR, WHICH IS A PART-TIME JOB, BUT HE'S OUT OF THE CURRENT FIRE INSPECTOR. ACTUALLY, THE LAST TWO HAVE BEEN AT RIVERVIEW MANOR. JIM DRUMMOND, NOW ALAN HARMON. AND CAN YOU, WHAT, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FOUR COMPANIES? UH, OTHER THAN OPERATIONALLY? THERE'S THREE ENGINE COMPANIES. ONE OF THEM ALSO HOUSES THE RESCUE, WHICH IS MORE OF THE TECHNICAL SIDE OF CAR ACCIDENTS, UH, YOU KNOW, BUILDING COLLAPSES. THEY, THEY, THEY KIND OF A SPECIALIZED APPARATUS WITHIN ONE FIRE COMPANY. AND THEN THERE'S A LADDER COMPANY ON MAIN STREET, WHICH IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO US. AND THEY DO ALL OF THEIR PRIMARY IS SEARCH AND VENTILATION AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ADDRESSING WHERE THE FIRE IS BEFORE THE ENGINE COMPANIES COME IN AND PUT IT OUT. SO IF THERE IS A FIRE, THERE'S A BIG FIRE. MM-HMM . DO ALL THE COMPANIES RESPOND? YEP. AND HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO WE GET DISPATCHED THROUGH, ORIGINALLY THROUGH, UH, THERE WAS THE OLD HORN SYSTEM. THERE WAS THE OLD, UH, GAME WELL SYSTEM, WHICH WAS LIKE A TICKER TAPE. AND EVERY SPECIFIC LOCATION IN TOWN WOULD HAVE A THREE DIGIT CODE. AND THE HORN USED TO RUN CONTINUOUSLY TO BLOW THAT HORN, BLOW THAT CODE, UH, BEFORE THERE WERE RADIOS, BEFORE THERE WAS ANY SORT OF FIXED DISPATCH. THEN WE GOT DISPATCHED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND NOW WE OPERATE UNDER THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY. AND THEY DISPATCH, I THINK, 48 OUTTA 53 FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE WHOLE COUNTY. AND WE GET OUR CALLS THROUGH OUR PAGING SYSTEM, THROUGH THE RADIOS, THROUGH OUR PAGERS, THROUGH OUR CELL PHONES. AND, UH, THAT'S HOW WE RESPOND TO DIFFERENT CALLS. AND EACH MEMBER HAS ONE, AND EACH FIRE COMPANY HAS A RADIO AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. SO SINCE IT'S A VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU DEPEND ON VOLUNTEERS? A HUNDRED PERCENT. YES. HOW DO YOU RECRUIT PEOPLE? SO IT'S GOTTEN DIFFICULT. WE, WE'VE DONE VERY WELL IN THE LAST RECENT YEARS. I THINK DURING COVID, WE TOOK IN ALMOST 20 NEW MEMBERS. MM-HMM . PEOPLE WERE HOME AND THEY, AND THEY WANTED TO HELP THEIR COMMUNITY. AND, AND WE REALLY, COMPARED TO THE OTHER RIVER TOWNS, WE DID VERY WELL WITH RECRUITMENT AND, AND GETTING NEW MEMBERS TO DO THE TRAINING. THE TRAINING HAS BECOME MORE OF A DIFFICULT TASK, WHETHER IT'S AVAILABILITY WITH THE COUNTY, THERE'S A LOT OF VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENTS, AND THEY ONLY HAVE SO MANY SEATS IN EACH CLASS. AND, UH, AND IT'S A BIG COMMITMENT. IT'S 140 HOURS OF YOUR FREE TIME FOR THIS TRAINING, AND IT'S SPACED OUT OVER THE COURSE OF A COUPLE MONTHS. IT'S TUESDAYS AND THURSDAY NIGHTS AND A COUPLE SATURDAYS, BUT IT'S, UH, IT TAKES A LOT TO GET PEOPLE TO JOIN AND TO, AND TO STICK AROUND. AND THEY HAVE THEIR INDEPENDENT LIVES AND THEIR, THEIR LIVELIHOOD AND THEIR JOBS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO TAKE CARE OF. SO. AND CAN YOU, WHAT IS THE TRAINING? JIM, JIM CAN ELABORATE ON THAT. YEAH. WELL, UH, THE TRAINING PRINCIPALLY IS CONDUCTED UP AT THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY TRAINING CENTER IN VALHALLA. UM, BEFORE MEMBERS, UH, START THEIR TRAINING AT, AT THE COUNTY, EACH OF THE COMPANIES BASICALLY HAVE TO RUN THROUGH A WHOLE SET OF PREREQUISITE, UH, TRAINING AND TASKS THAT THE COMPANY OFFICERS HAVE TO SIGN OFF ON BEFORE THEIR, BEFORE THEY START THEIR TRAINING UP AT, UP AT THE, UH, TRAINING CENTER. AND IT'S BASICALLY, UH, RUNS THE GAMUT OF, UH, FAMILIARIZATION WITH ALL THE EQUIPMENT, UH, HOSE STRETCHES, HOSE LAYOUTS, UH, RAISING LADDERS, HOW TO OPERATE HYDRANTS, UM, FIRE SUPPRESSION, OBVIOUSLY VENTILATION. UM, EACH MEMBER HAS TO GO THROUGH A, UH, MASS CONFIDENCE COURSE, BUT THEIR AIR PIECES AND, AND THEIR, AND THEIR AIR MASKS, UM, THERE'S A HAZMAT COMPONENT INVOLVED ALSO. AND, UH, BASIC, BASIC FIRST AID AND CPR. SO IT'S A VERY, IT'S A VERY, UH, RIGOROUS, UH, CURRICULUM. AND USUALLY I THINK, UH, MEMBERS ARE ONLY ALLOWED ONE OR TWO ABSENCES THAT HAVE TO BE PRE-APPROVED BY THE INSTRUCTORS. IF NOT, IF THEY MISS IT, UM, THEY HAVE TO, UH, UH, MAKE IT UP. BUT WHEN USUALLY, YOU KNOW, THE COMMITMENT IS TO START THE COURSE AND FINISH IT, MAKING SURE THAT ALL THE, ALL THE, UH, UNITS ARE COVERED. AND WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS? UM, THE DEPARTMENT DOES REQUIRE A, UH, WE HAVE A VENDOR THAT PROVIDES PHYSICALS, UM, FOR MEMBERS, BASICALLY, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, HEALTH, HEALTH AND WELLBEING. I MEAN, THERE'S NOT REALLY [00:10:01] NO, UM, YOU KNOW, RUNNING OR, UH, TYPE OF, UH, OBSTACLE COURSES THAT ARE REQUIRED. THAT'S ALL COVERED USUALLY BY THE, UH, AT, AT THE TRAINING CENTER. UM, OBVIOUSLY IT'S A VERY STRENUOUS AND VIGOROUS OPERATIONS ON, ON THINGS, ESPECIALLY DOING THE MASS CONFIDENCE, UH, CLIMBING LADDERS, STRETCHING HOSES, CLIMBING UP, UH, YOU KNOW, FIVE STORIES WITH A HOSE PACK. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE. YEAH, I KNOW WHEN WE MOVED HERE, UM, I WANTED TO JOIN, AND I HAVE A SLIPPED DISC, SO MM-HMM . THEY SAID, YOU, YOU CAN ONLY BE A SOCIAL MEMBER. SO I'VE BEEN A SOCIAL MEMBER FOR MANY YEARS, . THAT'S FINE. UM, SO WHEN DID YOU JOIN? I JOINED ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO. UM, I GREW UP IN LARCHMONT. I WAS A MEMBER IN LARCHMONT. MY FATHER WAS CHIEF IN LARCHMONT. MY GRANDFATHER WAS A, A CHIEF IN THE TOWN OF MARX. SO I'VE BEEN AROUND IT A WHILE. SO WE MOVED HERE IN, UH, 94. THAT'S WHEN I JOINED. AND WHEN, WHEN DID, UH, RIVERVIEW MANOR OPEN UP RIVERVIEW MANOR, UH, WAS ORGANIZED IN 1910, UH, WHEN THAT, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WAS BEING DEVELOPED, A LOT OF THE MEMBERS, OR A LOT OF THE RESIDENTS, UH, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FELT THAT THEY NEEDED TO HAVE A, UH, UH, FIRE PROTECTION UP, UP IN RIVER OF HUMANA, NOT TO TAKE AWAY FROM PROTECTION. RIGHT. WELL, IN THE OLD DAYS, IT'S A LONG, IT'S A LONG RUN FOR A, A HORSE AND A BUG. SORRY. YEAH. RIGHT. UPHILL. UPHILL, YEAH. UPHILL. YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, THE MEMBERS UP THERE, UH, FELT THAT THEY, UH, THEY NEEDED, UH, UH, TO, TO FORM A FIRE PROTECTION COMPANY. I THINK A LOT OF IT WAS SOCIAL AS WELL. 'CAUSE A LOT OF THE MEMBERS UP THERE ORIGINALLY WERE, UH, UM, A LOT OF 'EM WORKED AT ANACONDA AS, AS EXECUTIVES. THERE WERE A LOT OF, UM, UH, MEMBERS THAT MOVED UP FROM THE CITY THAT WERE, THAT, THAT WORKED IN THE CITY. SO THEY, THEIR ORIGINAL, UH, APPARATUS WAS BASICALLY A, A, A HOSE CART THAT THEY WOULD RESPOND TO THE FIREHOUSE. WELL, THEY HAD ACTUALLY, THEY, THEY, THEY STARTED DOBBS FERRY. AND THEN SIMILAR TO WHAT BRIAN SAID, THEY, UH, THEY, THEY PULLED THEIR MONEY TOGETHER AND BOUGHT A LOT ON EUCLID AVENUE. AND THAT'S WHERE THE ORIGINAL SHED WAS. AND, UM, AROUND 19, I BELIEVE IT WAS AROUND 1912, THEY PURCHASED A, UH, A, UH, AN AUTOMOBILE WITH A HITCH SO THEY COULD THEN PULL THE HOSE GUARD ON WHEN THEY RESPONDED. AND IF YOU NOTICE, UH, AROUND TOWN, UM, WELL, PROTECTION HAS A BELL OUT FRONT. UM, BUT, UH, IN FRONT OF THE FIREHOUSE, THERE'S A LARGE, UM, GONG. IT'S A, A CIRCULAR GONG, WHICH ACTUALLY ORIGINALLY WAS A, UH, A RIM FROM A LOCOMOTIVE. AND THAT'S HOW WHEN THEY, WHEN, WHEN THERE WAS A FIRE, THAT SOMEBODY WOULD RUN UP AND, AND BANG THE GONG. AND THAT WAS THE NOTIFICATION THAT THERE WAS AN ALARM. AND YOU SEE THEM AROUND. I MEAN, THAT THERE, THERE QUITE A FEW OF THEM IN WESTCHESTER, UNIONTOWN HAS ONE UNITED STATE. UNIONTOWN HAS ONE. YEAH. AND OUR BELL ORIGINALLY WAS ON TOP OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDING. YEAH. AND THAT WAS THE ALERTING SYSTEM BEFORE THEY BROUGHT ELECTRICITY AND AUDIBLE ALARMS INTO THE, INTO THE FIRE SERVICE. MM-HMM . AND JIM, WHAT'S YOUR POSITION, UH, AT RIVERVIEW MANOR NOW? UH, I'M DEPUTY CHIEF, UH, IN THE DEPARTMENT. AND I HANDLE, YOU KNOW, UH, THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT, DIFFERENT PROJECTS. I'M ALSO PRESIDENT OF THE EXEMPT BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS A SEPARATE ORGANIZATION COMPRISED OF DEPARTMENT MEMBERS WHERE WE PROVIDE BENEVOLENCE FOR MEMBERS IN NEED. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S, UH, AN ANNUAL SMOKER AT, UH, RIVERVIEW MANOR, CORRECT? YEAH. THAT WAS, WHEN, WHEN DID THAT START? THAT STARTED IN 19 10, 19 11. WE HAVE ACTUALLY THE ORIGINAL, UH, INVITATION AND ONE OF THE ORIGINAL CIGARETTES FROM THE SMOKERS. AND, UH, YEAH. THAT, THAT EVOLVED, THAT, THAT BASICALLY IS A, A TRIBUTE TO THE OUTGOING CAPTAIN EVERY YEAR. SO THE CAPTAINS SERVE, UH, BACK THEN THEY SERVED A ONE YEAR TERM, NOW THEY SERVE A TWO YEAR TERM. AND SO YOU, THE ANNUAL SMOKER IS A TRIBUTE TO THE EX CAPTAIN. IT'S A KIND OF ROUGH TRIBUTE. IT'S, UH, IT'S, IT'S, YES. IT CAN BE MORE OF A ROAST. IT'S BECOME A ROAST, YEAH. BECOME A ROAST LATER YEARS. YEAH. IT'S QUITE ENTERTAINING. DO THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAVE SMOKERS? THE OTHER COMPANIES? NO. SO THAT'S KIND OF A REARVIEW MATTER SPECIFIC THING. YOU KNOW, EACH COMPANY DOES SOME SORT OF CELEBRATION FOR THEIR INCOMING OFFICERS OR OUTGOING OFFICERS, BUT NOTHING ON THAT LEVEL. INSTALLATION DINNERS. YEAH, INSTALLATION DINNERS, THAT'S WHAT WE CALL THEM. BUT NOTHING ON THAT LEVEL OF, UH, ROASTING. SO WHAT, DO YOU EVER GET FALSE ALARMS MORE FREQUENTLY THAN NOT? YEAH, YEAH. AND LIKE, WHAT'S AN EXAMPLE? UH, LET'S SEE. YESTERDAY WE HAD, UH, [00:15:01] WELL, NOT A FALSE ALARM, BUT WE HAD AN ODOR OF GAS IN THE, UH, RESTAURANT RIGHT NEXT TO OUR FIREHOUSE, WHICH WAS CONVENIENT. 'CAUSE I WAS THERE. I JUST WENT RIGHT NEXT DOOR. YEAH. UM, BUT WE GO ON A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CHANGING THE BATTERIES AND THEIR SMOKE DETECTORS AND THEY DON'T KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT ALERTS THE ALERTING SYSTEM, OR SOMETIMES THESE DETECTORS JUST GO BAD. THEY HAVE A 10 YEAR LIFESPAN, AND SOMETIMES THEY JUST GET WONKY. UM, OR PEOPLE MIGHT SMELL AN ODOR AND THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE MIGHT NEED TO RESPOND TO. AND WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE, WE GO TO, UH, VARIOUS AMOUNTS OF CALLS. YEAH. I MEAN, THANKFULLY THE MAJORITY IS FALSE ALARMS, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, YEAH. WE WOULD PREFER THAT OVER FIRES FOR SURE. YEAH. I MEAN, WE USED TO, YEARS AGO WHEN THE GRAHAM SCHOOL WAS, WAS IN OPERATION, WE USED TO GET A LOT OF MALICIOUS PULLS ON THE, ON THE, ON THE FIRE ALARMS. UM, BUT WE, WE RARELY GET THOSE ANYMORE. WE RARELY GET THOSE WHERE THEY'RE CLOSED. BUT VERY RARELY DO WE GET, YOU KNOW, A A MALICIOUS FALSE ALARM WHERE THERE'S NOTHING. BUT AS BRIAN SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S, AND, AND RIGHTLY YOU CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WHEN THERE'S AN ODOR OF GAS OR, OR, OR A STEAM LEAK. 'CAUSE ANYTHING HAS THE POTENTIAL TO GET BAD RIGHT QUICKLY IF WE DON'T GET THERE AND MITIGATE THE SITUATION. SO FOR EACH OF YOU, WHAT WAS THE MOST, UH, HORRIFIC CALL DURING YOUR TENURE? PROBABLY, I GUESS WOULD BE THE WAR BURTON AVENUE FIRE, WHERE WE HAD THE, THAT WAS THE, THE YEAR BEFORE I JOINED. SO THAT WOULD BE FATALITIES. THAT WOULD BE JIM'S, YEAH. YEAH. WE HAD TWO FATALITIES. UM, IT WAS ON THE CORNER OF WASHINGTON AND, AND, UH, WAR BURTON AVENUE WAR BURTON. YEAH. AND, AND UNFORTUNATELY, TWO PEOPLE PERISHED IN THAT FIRE, THAT, THAT WAS A PRETTY BAD ONE. AND WHAT ABOUT YOU? UM, PROBABLY THREE OR FOUR YEARS AFTER I JOINED, THERE WAS A BAD CAR ACCIDENT ON THE, ON THE SUMMER OF A PARKWAY SOUTHBOUND A TREE CAME DOWN AND, UH, CLIPPED THE BACK OF A VEHICLE, WHICH THEN ROLLED OVER MULTIPLE TIMES. AND, AND THERE WAS A TWO ADULTS AND A BABY IN THE CAR. AND THE, THE BABY SURVIVED IN HER CAR SEAT. AND THE BOTH THE PARENTS DIDN'T MAKE IT. AND IT WAS, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME THERE GETTING THEM OUT OF THE CAR AND, AND DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY. BUT IT'S, IT TAKES A TOLL ON YOU. IT'S, YOU'RE GONNA SEE, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THIS LINE OF WORK OR VOLUNTEERISM, YOU'RE GONNA SEE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, SEE PEOPLE IN THEIR WORST MOMENTS THAT TOUGHEST PARTS OF THEIR LIVES. AND IT'S, IT'S REWARDING TO BE THERE FOR THAT. BUT IT'S ALSO, IT TAKES ITS TOLL ON ME DOING IT, AND THEN HAVING TO JUST GET BACK IN THE FLOW OF THINGS AND MAYBE GO TO ANOTHER CALL WHERE I MIGHT BE HELPING SOMEONE ELSE OUT. SO HOW DOES THAT WORK IF IT'S A, A STATE ROAD? SO, UM, WE COVER A, A FIRE AREA, BASICALLY. SO WE COVER PART OF THE GREENBURG AREA ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SOME RIVER ROAD. AND MOST OF THE NEIGHBORING DEPARTMENTS HAVE THESE STATE ROADS. LIKE THERE'S NO STATE FIRE DEPARTMENT PER SE. SO THE STATE OR THE LOCAL LARGER TOWNS CONTRACT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO COVER THEIR AREAS. SO WE HAVE THE SAWMILL FROM YONKERS TO DOPPS FERRY, AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE ROUTE NINE FROM YONKERS TO THE, THE LAWRENCE STREET EXIT, BASICALLY. SO BASICALLY WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE VILLAGE BOUNDARIES. YEP. AND AS, AS, AS, AS BRIAN SAID, YOU KNOW, WE, WE COVER EASTBOUND FROM THE, UH, PARKWAY OVER TOWARD, I GUESS TO THE SPRING. YEAH. ALMOST. YEAH. BASICALLY TO OLD SPRING ROAD OR YEAH. JACKSON, YOU KNOW, THE START OF JACKSON AVENUE OVER THERE. SO FROM THE SOUTH BOUNDARY OF HASTINGS AND YONKERS UP TO THE NORTH BOUNDARY OF HASTINGS AND HARDLEY, DOES IT EVER TURN OUT THAT DOBBS AND YOU GUYS COME TO THE SAME FIRE, OR, OH, SURE. SO I THINK EVERYTHING IS BASED ON YOUR DISPATCH AND WHAT THE DISPATCHER GETS FROM THE PERSON THAT'S CALLING. SO THE SAW MILL IS SOMETIMES THAT GRAY AREA WHERE IT MIGHT BE IN HASTINGS, IT MIGHT BE IN DOBBS. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR, OUR MUTUAL AID PLAN THAT'S RUN THROUGH THE COUNTY, WHICH IN AN INSTANCE WHERE YOU MIGHT NEED MORE UNITS, THESE OTHER DEPARTMENTS COME RIGHT AWAY. AND SOMETIMES THAT, THAT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY, WHICH IS NEVER A BAD THING. SO IS THERE A COMRADERY BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENTS? YES, I THINK THERE'S SOME, YOU KNOW, UH, COMPETITIVENESS, WHICH I THINK CREATES THE EXCELLENCE IN THE FIRE SERVICE. BUT WE ALL GET ALONG, WE ALL KNOW ONE ANOTHER. WE'RE, YOU KNOW, NOW IN THIS, IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WE'RE ALL, WE'RE ALL ON TEXT CHAINS TOGETHER ABOUT FIRE CALLS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO IT'S A PRETTY SMALL WORLD. AND WE, AND WE TR AND WE DO DO SOME INTERDEPARTMENT QUAD VILLAGE TRAINING WITH, WITHIN OUR BATTALION IS WHAT THEY CALL IT, WHICH IS ARDSLEY IRVINGTON. DOPPS FERRY. ELMSFORD TARRYTOWN. YEAH. ONE THING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, IT, GOING BACK TO YOUR QUESTION, UM, THE DEPARTMENT IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY HAS WHAT'S CALLED A COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM. SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF, UH, IF A CALL COMES IN FOR A PARTICULAR LOCATION, THE COUNTY WILL, UH, SUPPLEMENT THE DISPATCH TO, UM, ADD TO, TO, TO THE HASTINGS [00:20:01] RESPONSE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF A CALL COMES IN FOR SMOKE, UH, IN, IN THE BUILDING, SAY AT 5 55 OR 5 65, UH, BROADWAY, THEY WILL AUTOMATICALLY DISPATCH A, UH, LADDER FROM DOPPS FERRY, MAYBE FROM ARLEY AND AN ADDITIONAL ENGINE. SO IT, IT'S ALL A COMPUTERIZED, UH, SYSTEM WHERE THE, UH, WHERE THE COUNTY DISPATCH AND THE CHIEFS MEET OFTEN TO GO OVER, UH, A LOT OF THE, UH, LOCATIONS AND TO SUPPLEMENT, UM, UNIT, UNIT RESPONSES, DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPE OF CALL IT IS. RIGHT. IT'S BASED ON LIKE THE POTENTIAL OF WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED, ESSENTIALLY. RIGHT. IT'S BETTER TO HAVE MORE THAN NOT HAVE ENOUGH. JIM, WERE THERE ANY FUNNY EXPERIENCES ON ANY OF THE CALLS? UH, , I SUPPOSE THERE WERE A FEW. I MEAN, THERE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS A LIGHT SIDE TO EVERYTHING. UM, CAN'T REALLY THINK OF, I MEAN, I'M SURE THERE WAS, THERE'S QUITE A FEW, BUT RIGHT OFFHAND, JIM, UH, JIM'S COMPANY WAS TASKED WITH, UH, A CAT IN A TREE RESCUE RECENTLY, AND IT HAPPENED TO BE ONE OF THEIR MEMBERS CATS, RIGHT. ON HIS PROPERTY. SO IT WAS, IT WAS GREAT TO WATCH. AND HE WAS A NEW GUY, SO IT WAS GREAT TO WATCH HIM CLIMB A LADDER FOR MAYBE THE THIRD OR FOURTH TIME AND HAVE TO GET HIS CAT OUT OF THE TREE. IT WAS, UH, WELL, I, I GUESS I DO HAVE A STORY. I'LL, I'LL HAVE TO, UH, SINCE YOU CALLED ME ON IT. UM, WHEN I WAS IN, IN MY LAST TERM AS CHIEF, UM, I, UH, CAME BACK FROM VACATION AND, UH, UNLOADED THE CAR AND UNPACKED, AND THE FAMILY WAS IN THE BACKYARD. AND THEN I TOOK THE CHIEF'S CAR DOWN TO, UH, TO THE CHIEF'S OFFICE JUST TO KIND OF GO OVER SOME PAPERWORK THAT I, THAT I HAD TO CATCH UP ON. CAME BACK ABOUT AN HOUR LATER AND WAS IN THE BACKYARD HAVING A BARBECUE. AND MY NEIGHBOR, UH, MIKE MELVIN, WHO'S ALSO A MEMBER OF THE DEPARTMENT, YELLED OVER TO ME, JIM, YOUR CAR'S ON FIRE, , THE, THE CHIEF'S CAR WAS CAUGHT FIRE. SO I RAN OUT AND SURE ENOUGH, THE CAR WAS ON FIRE, IN MY DRIVEWAY, AND, UM, IT WAS AWFULLY CLOSE TO THE HOUSE, AND I GOT IN AND, AND MOVED IT DOWN THE DRIVEWAY ENOUGH TO GET IT AWAY FROM THE HOUSE. AND, UM, AND MY WIFE, UH, AND I CALLED 9 1 1, AND, AND THE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED, AND I GUESS A PASSERBY DRIVING ALSO SAW THE FIRE, AND YONKERS RESPONDED. SO WE HAD A, WE HAD A DUAL, UH, DUAL RESPONSE WITH YONKERS. YEP. WHICH PROBABLY HADN'T HAPPENED IN QUITE SOME TIME, QUITE SOME TIME, BECAUSE HASTINGS USED TO RESPOND TO YONKERS, UH, QUITE A BIT. SO THAT KIND OF BROKE THE ICE IN WITH YONKERS, AND IT WAS, THAT WAS INTERESTING. ANY FUNNY EXPERIENCES, BRIAN? UM, NO. YEAH, I MEAN, WE'VE HAD OUR SHARE OF, YOU KNOW, LIKE COMICAL CALLS WHERE IT TURNS OUT TO BE NOTHING. AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, A MEMBER TAKES A SPILL AND IT'S FUNNY, BUT WE'VE, I, I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED THE CAR FIRE OF MY OWN CHIEF'S CAR, THANKFULLY. . UM, WE'VE, UH, YEAH, I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, REALLY. OKAY. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU GUYS VERY, VERY MUCH FOR KEEPING HASTINGS SAFE AND, UH, SURE. FOR YOUR SERVICE. IT'S REALLY ADMIRABLE. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. THANKS, MIKE. THANKS A LOT. IT'S, IT'S, IT'S OUR HONOR TO DO IT, I THINK. ABSOLUTELY. WE COME FROM A LINEAGE OF PUBLIC SERVICE, OUR, OUR PARENTS, OUR GRANDPARENTS, AND IT'S, IT'S NICE TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND, AND GIVE BACK. AND, YOU KNOW, TO THE TOWN THAT RAISED ME AND FOR JIM, HE'S BEEN HERE, YOU KNOW, JUST AS MANY YEARS. HE WASN'T BORN HERE, BUT HE'S, HE'S A HASTINGS GUY TOO. YEAH. SO THAT'S GREAT. YEP. REPRESENTING HOOK AND LADDER IS BOB RUSICK. BOB, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT? 51 YEARS, . AND WHY DID YOU JOIN SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY? UH, MY FATHER WAS A FIREFIGHTER INSTRUCTOR IN WORLD WAR II. HE WAS SECOND IN COMMAND AT THE FIREFIGHTING SCHOOL OF PEARL HARBOR, UH, DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. AND THAT WAS KIND OF AN INSPIRATION TO FOLLOW SUIT. AND HOW, HOW LONG HAS HOOK AND LADDER BEEN OPERATING? HOOK AND LADDERS WAS INCORPORATED IN 1934. UH, WE'VE BEEN THERE EVER SINCE. THE FIRST UNIT WE HAD WAS A SECONDHAND ARIAN FOX, UH, LADDER. IT WAS A TILLER. IT WAS A VERY, UH, UH, MAN INTENSIVE, BECAUSE NOTHING WAS MECHANICAL BACK THEN. EVERYTHING WAS MANUAL. SO ON ONE SIDE OF THE LADDER, YOU HAD THIS BIG WHEEL THAT WOULD ELEVATE THE LADDER UP AND DOWN, AND THEN YOU HAD TWO OTHER WHEELS, WHICH WOULD ROTATE OR MOVE THE LADDER UP OR DOWN SIDEWAYS. NOW, THE WAY IT WAS FORMED, WHEN [00:25:01] THEY DECIDED THEY NEEDED A LADDER, UH, THE CURRENT COMPANIES, UH, UNION TOWN PROTECTION, RIVERVIEW MATTER, THEY TOOK FIVE OR SIX MEMBERS FROM THERE, TRANSFERRED THEM TO OPEN UP TO BECOME THE HOOK AND LADDER. AND WHERE IS THE HOOK AND LADDER LOCATED? UH, RIGHT HERE ON MAIN STREET, RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE COMMUNITY CENTER. UH, VERY HISTORICAL BUILDING. UH, THE BUILDING WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1868 FROM LOCAL STONE. UH, MOST OF THE STONE, FROM WHAT I RECALL, FROM WHAT THEY TOLD ME, CAME FROM THE HILLSIDE, WOODS AREA, THAT DARK GRANITE. AND, UH, LATER ON, PROBABLY IN THE EARLY 19 HUNDREDS, THEY PUT AN EXTENSION ON THE BACK, A BRICK EXTENSION. THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE BUILDING WAS THE VILLAGE HALL AND HOUSED THE VILLAGE OFFICE, THE POLICE, UH, THE COURT, THE LIBRARY. AND I THINK THERE WAS A SCHOOL ROOM SOMEWHERE IN THE BACK OF THE BUILDING. SO WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS THE ACTUAL, UM, OPERATION FOR THE HOOK AND LADDER? WHAT, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE FOR THAT AS COMPARED TO THE OTHER FIREHOUSES? ALRIGHT, THE OTHER FIREHOUSES ARE WHAT THEY CALL ENGINE COMPANIES. THEY DEAL WITH THE WATER, THE HOSES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. HOOK A LADDER OR A LADDER COMPANY IN ANY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS INVOLVED WITH SEARCH, RESCUE VENTILATION AND ANY OTHER TYPE OF WORK THAT DOESN'T INVOLVE WATER. SO WHO CALLS YOU OUT? UH, WHEN, WHEN THERE'S A FIRE, WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN THEY NEED THE HOOK AND LADDER, IT'S THE, UH, THE PROTOCOL OF THE DEPARTMENT IS, IF THERE'S ANY TYPE OF A STRUCTURE FIRE OR ANY TYPE OF A BUILDING ACTIVITY, THE HOOK AND LADDER WOULD BE CALLED. IF IT'S SOMETHING LIKE A BRUSH FIRE, CAR FIRE, IT'S NOT NECESSARY FOR US TO GO BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE WATER. THE ONLY TIME WE GET CALLED ON THAT IS THEY NEED TYPE OF RESCUE TOOLS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. UP UNTIL THE RESCUE COMPANY WAS INCORPORATED, WE DID ALL THE RESCUE WORK. AND WHEN IS THERE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF TRAINING FOR THE HOOK AND LADDER? DEPARTMENT? TRAINING IS BASICALLY THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY, BUT OUR PEOPLE ARE MORE SPECIALIZED IN, LIKE I SAID, RESCUE TACTICS, LADDERS, SEARCH VENTILATION, AND THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES. AND IF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO VOLUNTEER, IS CAN THEY VOLUNTEER SPECIFIC FOR A SPECIFIC FIREHOUSE, OR IS IT JUST FOR THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT GET ASSIGNED? THEY CAN, THEY CAN VOLUNTEER TO ANY HOUSE IN THE DEPARTMENT, DEPENDING ON WHAT THEIR INTEREST IS, AND THEY WOULD BE TRAINED ACCORDINGLY. AGAIN, YOU GET THE GENERAL TRAINING AND THEN MORE SPECIFIC TO WHATEVER COMPANY YOU'RE WITH. SO WERE, WERE THERE ANY, WHAT, LIKE WHAT'S, WHAT WAS THE WORST FIRE THAT YOU HAD TO GO TO ANACONDA? 1980. IN FACT, I HAVE A PICTURE FOR YOU FOR LATER. UH, THAT BUILDING, IT'S SIMILAR TO LIKE A STEEL MILL. IT'S ONE HUGE BUILDING. THE BUILDING RAN FROM THE RAILROAD TRACKS TO THE RIVER, WHICH IS ABOUT A HUNDRED YARDS. AND IT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT 400 YARDS LONG. ONE SINGLE BUILDING. IT WAS BUILT BACK IN THE 18 HUNDREDS WITH WHAT THEY CALL TRUE DIMENSIONAL LUMBER, 10 BY TENS, 12 BY TWELVES AND WHATEVER. I MEAN, TODAY'S LUMBER, YOU ORDER A TWO BY FOUR. IT'S ACTUALLY ONE AND THREE QUARTERS BY THREE AND A HALF. THIS WAS TRUE DIMENSIONAL LUMBER. AND WITH THE TYPE OF WORK THAT WAS DONE WITH ANACONDA, WITH THE OILS AND THE PCBS, AND IT WAS OIL SOAKED, IT WAS DRIED OUT. AND ONCE THAT IGNITED, IT JUST TOOK OFF. AND, UH, IT WAS MASSIVE. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. DO YOU KNOW, DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IGNITED IT? UH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST FIRE INVESTIGATIONS THAT I WAS INVOLVED WITH. AND FROM WHAT I RECALL FROM THE REPORT, THERE WAS A HIGH PRESSURE GAS LINE THAT FED THEIR FURNACES. APPARENTLY THE LINE WAS CUT AND THE GAS WAS, UH, TURNED ON AND FILLED THE BUILDING. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOME SORT OF A, A FLAME OR SOMETHING AT THE FAR END, AND IT CAUSED A VIOLENT EXPLOSION. THE ENTIRE BUILDING WHEN WE GOT THERE HAD 30 AND 40 FOOT FLAMES BLOWN OUTTA EVERY WINDOW AND WAS ALREADY THROUGH THE ROOF BEFORE WE EVEN GOT THERE. AND WHO HAD, WHO OWNED THAT AT THAT TIME? I DON'T RECALL. THE OWNER ANACONDA HAD ABANDONED IT. A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL HAD PURCHASED IT. UH, WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE DETAILS OF THE INVESTIGATION, UH, THERE WAS SOME QUESTIONS GOING ON. UH, I, I DON'T WANNA GET INTO THE REPORT. IT'S TOO COMPLICATED. SO IT, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN AN INSURANCE SITUATION. IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE. INSURANCE, TAX FRAUD, SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. AND WERE THERE ANY FUNNY [00:30:01] EXPERIENCES THAT YOU HAD ? YEAH, THERE, THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW, UM, MOST RECENT ONES. DURING HURRICANE SANDY, WE GOT A CALL THAT THERE WAS AN ELDERLY WOMAN, 99 YEARS OLD, LIVED ON LINCOLN AVENUE AND WE'RE GONNA TRANSPORT HER TO THE ADDRESS HOME FOR SECURITY. SO WE GET UP TO THE HOUSE AND THE WIND AND THE RAIN, AND AS WE'RE HELPING HER OUT OF THE HOUSE, I HAD A, I WAS THE CHIEF AT THE TIME AND I HAD AN AIDE WITH ME AND SHE'S SHUFFLING ALONG. AND JUST ABOUT HALFWAY THERE, GUST OF WIND CAME, KNOCKED DOWN A BIG OAK TREE, ABOUT 20 YARDS TO THE LEFT. SHE BEAT US TO THE CAR, . AND THE SECOND INCIDENT THAT DAY, WE GET ANOTHER CALL OF THE HOUSE TREE THAT WENT INTO A HOUSE. AND, UH, SO WE GO UP TO GET HER, THERE'S ONLY ONE ROAD IN, ALL THE REST ARE DEBUNKED BY DOWN WIRES. SO WE GO IN, WE FIND THE WOMAN, AND THIS HUGE TREE IS LIKE RIGHT THROUGH HER BED. AND SHE WAS EXPLAINING TO US THAT SHE WAS GONNA GO TO BED 'CAUSE HER POWER WAS OUT AND DECIDED TO HAVE A CUP OF TEA. SO WHILE SHE WAS IN THE KITCHEN, THE TREE FELL. HAD SHE BEEN IN THE BED, IT WOULD'VE BEEN LIGHTS OUT. SO WE GET OUTTA THE CAR, WE COME BACK TO THE ONLY WAY OUT. NOW IT'S BLOCKED BY A 15,000 VOLT LINE. SO THE ONLY WAY OUT WAS, IT WAS A LITTLE EMBANKMENT TO THE SIDE, TOLD TO FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT AND HOLD ON. SO IT LOOKED LIKE A COUNTRY BUMPKIN UP THE HILL, SPINNING MUD JUMPED OFF THE CURB. I TURNED TO HER, I SAID, YOU ALL RIGHT? AND SHE SAID TO ME, SONNY, I WAS AT PEARL HARBOR WHEN I GOT BOMBED. THIS AIN'T NOTHING. CAN WE DO THAT AGAIN? THAT WAS FUN. . SO WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY, UM, CELEBRATIONS YOU, DOES THE HOOK AND LADDER PARTICIPATE IN? UM, THE PRIMARY ONE IS MEMORIAL DAY. UH, SOMETIMES THE FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE HAS SOMETHING, OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE FIRE PREVENTION PROGRAM WILL HAVE AN ACTIVITY AT THE RAILROAD STATION OR, OR GENERALLY, UH, UH, JULIE MCKINNON'S IN CHARGE OF THAT. SHE'S, SHE DOES A PHENOMENAL JOB. AND IS THERE DIFFERENT REACH OUT PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG KIDS? YES. UH, WE, WE STARTED BACK IN THE EARLY EIGHTIES. UH, DURING THAT TIME WE HAD A LOT OF STRUCTURE FIRES IN THIS TOWN. THE EARLY EIGHTIES WERE A TOUGH TIME FOR US THERE, SO WE STARTED TO PUSH FOR FIRE PREVENTION THROUGH THE SCHOOLS. SO EVERY YEAR WE WOULD GO UP AND WE WOULD RUN A PROGRAM. WE WOULD RUN A PROGRAM FOR THE SENIORS AND ANY OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION THAT WANTED US. AND, UH, OVER THE YEARS, IT'S LESSENED. OUR STRUCTURE FIRES TO A POINT THAT WE BARELY GET ANY. SO YES, EVERY YEAR THERE'S NUMEROUS PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS, UH, PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS, UH, FOR FIRE PREVENTION. AND ON CHRISTMAS, I KNOW THAT, UH, SOME OF THE COMPANIES HAVE SANTA CLAUS AND THEY GO THROUGH THE VILLAGE. DOES THE HOOK AND LADDER DO THAT AS WELL? YES, THEY DO. UH, WHAT THE COMPANY, INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES DO, THEY'LL VISIT THE HOUSES THAT HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN OR THE FIREFIGHTERS. AND THEN DURING THE COURSE OF THE, THE TOUR, IF THERE'S KIDS OUT THERE, THEY'LL HAVE CANDY CANES OR STOP, TAKE A PICTURE WITH SANTA AND, AND HAVE A NICE TIME WITH IT. AND DO, DOES THE HOOK AND LADDER HAVE A, UH, LIKE AN OUTDOOR BARBECUE? I KNOW SOME OF THE FIREHOUSES HAVE, LIKE, THEY HAVE HOT DOGS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. ONCE WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A GRILL IN THE BACKYARD, WHICH WE'LL USE FOR OURSELVES. IF THERE'S AN EVENT LIKE THE FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE WHERE WE HAVE A FIRE PREVENTION PROGRAM, UH, WE'LL OPEN UP THE GRILL UP FRONT THERE AND HOT DOGS AND CHILI AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THEN DO YOU LET KIDS GO ON THE TRUCK? UH, IT DEPENDS. YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S THE INSURANCE LIABILITY. SO WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THAT. USUALLY DURING THE FIRE PREVENTION PROGRAMS, WE'LL LET THE KIDS WALK THROUGH THE CAB, ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER, BUT THAT'S VERY HIGHLY SUPERVISED. AND WHAT KIND OF, UH, RECRUITMENT PROCESS DO YOU DO TO GET YOUNG NEWCOMERS TO HASTINGS TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM? UH, WE TRY TO DO THAT THROUGH OUR ACTIVITIES OF FIRE PREVENTION PROGRAMS. WELL, WE HAVE THE FRIDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES HERE. WE'LL TRY TO GET THAT. UH, RECRUITING IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT, UH, FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT THE REQUIREMENTS NOW FOR TRAINING ARE SO STRENUOUS. A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST CAN'T DO IT. IT USED TO BE THAT WHEN YOU JOINED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, YOU WENT THROUGH A 20 OR 30 HOUR BASIC TRAINING, AND THEN WE'RE TRAINED BY STAFF UNDER CURRENT CONDITIONS. NOW YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH 10 OR 20 HOURS LOCALLY, THEN GO UP TO THE FIRE ACADEMY WHERE STATE INSTRUCTORS COME IN AND UP TO 160 [00:35:01] HOURS OF TRAINING. WOW. SO IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT. UH, THEY'VE BENT OVER BACKWARDS, TRY TO HAVE WEEKENDS, EVENINGS, TWO WEEKS AT A TIME. BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST CAN'T MAKE THAT COMMITMENT. OUR NUMBERS ARE DWINDLING. IT'S, I MEAN, WHEN I FIRST JOINED THE HOOK AND LADDER, 1975, WE ARE 48 MEMBERS RIGHT NOW. WE'RE DOWN ABOUT 14. SO IT'S, UH, AND IT'S ALL COMPANIES LIKE THAT. AND ALL, ALL DEPARTMENTS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. SO THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, MUTUAL AID RESPONSES. FOR EXAMPLE, DOPS, SORRY, GET A CERTAIN CALL IN THE SECTOR, WE'LL SEND A UNIT. VICE VERSA. IF IT'S THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN, WE'LL GO TO ARDSLEY. ARDSLEY WILL COME TO US JUST FOR MANPOWER. DO YOU SEE A SOLUTION TO THIS? NO, NOT REALLY. I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S GOTTA BE A WAY TO BREAK UP THIS TRAINING. IT'S, IT IS JUST SO EXTENSIVE AND SO LONG. IT, IT MAKES IT VERY, VERY DIFFICULT FOR FAMILY PEOPLE TO COMMIT. AND SO YOU WERE CHIEF OF THE HOOK AND LADDER AT 1.0, CHIEF OF THE DEPARTMENT, NOT, NOT NECESSARILY THE HOOK AND LADDER. AND CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW, HOW THAT WORKS? HOW, HOW DID YOU GET TO BE CHIEF OF THE DEPARTMENT? UH, IT'S USUALLY AN INTERNAL THING. THE MEN AND WOMEN, EACH SIDE OF EACH COMPANY WILL DECIDE WHO THEY WANT OR WHO THEY THINK WAS BEST QUALIFIED. AND THEY'LL PRESENT THEM TO THE, THE DEPARTMENT WHO WILL VOTE ON IT. YES. NO, MAYBE. AND THAT'S HOW IT GOES. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, THE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ONE OF THE REAL GEMS OF HASTINGS ON HUDSON. AND THANKS FOR KEEPING US SAFE. THANK YOU. FROM THE UNION TOWN FIREHOUSE, MARTY GUNTHER. HI MARTY. HI SPIKE. SO WHAT IS YOUR POSITION AT UNIONTOWN? MY CURRENT POSITION IS DEPUTY CHIEF. AND WHEN, WHEN DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH THE FIREHOUSE? UH, 1980. AND WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO JOIN UNIONTOWN? OBVIOUSLY IT'S GENERATION AFTER GENERATION. UH, YOU KNOW, MY FATHER, MY UNCLES, IT'S GENERATION TO GENERATION. YOU JUST CON UH, CONTINUE THE TRADITION OF, UH, FIREFIGHTERS. SOMETHING I WANTED TO DO. AND WHAT, WHEN WAS UNION TOWN STARTED, DO YOU KNOW? UH, 1899 WAS THEIR CHARTER AFTER A HOUSE FIRE ON ROAD STREET WAS OBVIOUSLY PROTECTION WAS THE FIRST ENGINE COMPANY. THEN THEY DECIDED THEY WERE GONNA, UH, ESTABLISH ANOTHER ENGINE COMPANY BECAUSE OF THAT FIRE ON ROSE STREET. SO 1899, THAT'S WHEN THEY, UH, WERE, BECAME A CHARTER. AND WHEN, WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY DID THAT FIREHOUSE DO? WAS THAT, DID THAT REPLICATE THE OTHER FIREHOUSE OR WAS IT DIFFERENT IN SOME WAYS THAT FIREHOUSE IS DIFFERENT? UH, BECAUSE, UH, IT HAD THEIR OWN, UH, THEY BUILT THEIR OWN FIREHOUSE, THE FIRST ONE. OKAY. AND, UH, AFTER THEY KNOCKED THAT ONE DOWN, THEY BUILT ONE RIGHT NEXT DOOR WITH A TWO BAY. SO THEY COULD HOLD TWO PIECE OF APPARATUS, THE FIRST LINE ENGINE AND A SPARE ENGINE, WHICH TODAY IT'S AN ENGINE AND A RESCUE. SO UNION TOWN IS PRETTY UNIQUE BECAUSE OF WHAT IT HOLDS IN ITS, UH, WITHIN THE COMPANY QUARTERS. AND HOW, HOW DOES IT WORK? HOW DO YOU GET CALLED OUT IF THERE'S A FIRE SOMEPLACE THAT'S NOT IN UNION TOWN? YOU MEAN IN IN HASTINGS OR, YEAH, YEAH. IN HASTINGS. WELL, OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY HAS PAGERS AND, UH, UM, THE PHONE APP AND STUFF LIKE THAT TO ALERT THE, UH, THE MEMBERSHIP THAT THERE'S A CALL AND YOU KNOW, IT'S SPECIFIC ZONES AND STUFF. SO TWO ENGINES MAY GO TO THIS ZONE, AND THEN TWO ENGINES MAY GO TO A DIFFERENT ZONE. SO NOT EVERYBODY GOES TO EVERY CALL. AND YOU GET CALLED OUTSIDE OF HASTINGS? UH, YES. UH, IN FACT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE GO MUTUAL AID TO WHEREVER ANOTHER MUNICIPALITY NEEDS US. AND HOW, HOW IS THAT DETERMINED? WHICH, WHICH FIREHOUSE RESPONDS? IT'S USUALLY UP TO THE CHIEF, WHICH COMPANY, YOU KNOW, WHO HAS THE MANPOWER TO GO HELP OUR NEIGHBORS. THAT'S BASICALLY HOW IT IS. AND WHEN, WHEN YOU JOINED, WHAT WAS THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A MEMBER OF THAT FIREHOUSE? YOU HAD TO BE 18 AND OUTTA SCHOOL. AND THAT WAS IT. YOU DIDN'T HAVE [00:40:01] TO TAKE A TEST OR ANYTHING? NO, BUT THERE WAS REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU HAD TO, UH, GO THROUGH, UH, SOME BASIC FIREFIGHTING, YOU KNOW, SKILLS AND STUFF. AT THAT TIME IT WAS, WHEN I JOINED, IT WAS 32 HOURS. NOW IT'S OVER 150 SOMETHING HOURS. JUST A BIG DIFFERENCE. HAS THAT AFFECTED THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT VOLUNTEER NOW? NEW, NEW VOLUNTEERS? UH, IT HAS, YES. UH, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. I MEAN, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE YOUNGER KIDS, IF YOU CAN GET 'EM IN YOUNG, THEN THEY'LL, UH, UH, HAVE TIME TO DO THE, THE TRAINING. 'CAUSE IT, IT'S A, YOU KNOW, A BIG COMMITMENT TO DO THAT TRAINING. I'VE, THEY, THEY'VE DIVIDED IT IN, UH, UH, WHAT THEY CALL A BO, WHICH IS THE INITIAL FIRE BASIC. AND THEN THERE'S EXTERIOR OPERATIONS AND STUFF. SO SOME PEOPLE COULD JUST TAKE THE EXTERIOR PART AND THEN DO THE FULL, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S A PRETTY, UH, INTENSE HANDS-ON FIREFIGHTING. AND ARE, ARE YOU CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR MORE VOLUNTEERS, ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW, NEW MEMBERS? AND DO THEY HAVE TO LIVE IN THEY HAVE TO LIVE IN THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS, BUT, BUT NOT IN NO. THE UNION TOWN? NOT SPECIFIC TO, NO. AND THEN DO, DOES YOUR FIREHOUSE HAVE ANY ANNUAL SOCIAL GATHERING? THERE WERE OUR, YOU KNOW, LIKE RIVERVIEW MANOR HAS THE SMOKER, THE SMOKER EVERY YEAR. YEAH. UNION TOWN IN YEARS PAST, WE DID A LOT MORE SOCIAL EVENTS. THEY HAD DANCES AND, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE HAVE A BIG, UH, RECREATION ROOM THERE. SO WHAT, WHAT KIND OF DANCES? WELL, THEY HAD, UH, FALL DANCES AND, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE EIGHTIES, SOME IN THE SIXTIES, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WE HAVE A UNIQUE GIANT ROOM THERE. THEY CALL IT THE BIG ROOM. SO THERE'S GATHERINGS THAT HAPPEN AND, UH, DEPARTMENT INSPECTIONS TAKE, YOU KNOW, PLACED THERE AT, AT CERTAIN TIMES. UM, YOU KNOW, THEY RENT IT OUT TO THE, UH, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, FOR THEIR ANNUAL POCKET BINGO OR SOMETHING. SO ANYBODY HAS A SOCIAL EVENT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE VILLAGE THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, ASK TO USE UNIONTOWN. AND IF THE COMPANY AUTHORIZES IT, THEN THAT'S HOW IT GOES. SO I REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST MOVED HERE IN THE LATE SEVENTIES, THERE WAS A SUMMER FAIR MM-HMM . IN, IN THE, IN, UH, REYNOLDS FIELD. I BELIEVE THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZED, IS THAT A, A CARNIVAL? YEAH, A CARNIVAL, RIGHT. YEAH. THAT COULD HAVE, YEAH. COULD HAVE BEEN IN COMMEMORATION OF ONE OF THE ANNIVERSARIES, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE WE'RE 126 YEARS OLD RIGHT NOW. PROTECTION IS HAVING THEIR ANNIVERSARY. SO, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AN ANNIVERSARY OR A CONVENTION, YOU KNOW, IN YEARS PAST, UH, A COMPANY THAT CELEBRATED AN ANNIVERSARY WOULD HOST THE PARADE, AND THEN THEY WOULD HOST THE, UH, WESTCHESTER COUNTY VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, UH, MEETING AND STUFF. AND DO YOU, DO YOU GUY, IS THERE COMPETITION BETWEEN THE FOUR DIFFERENT FIREHOUSES AND HASTINGS? NAH, I WOULDN'T SAY THERE'S COMPETITION. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE THERE'S COMPETITION, BUT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WE, EVERYBODY GOES THROUGH A UP AND DOWN MEMBERSHIP, YOU KNOW, KIDS MOVE AWAY. IT'S, YOU KNOW, EXPENSIVE TO LIVE HERE, SO THEY CAN'T, UH, YOU KNOW, COMMIT TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO. AND DID, UH, THE FIREFIGHTERS FROM UNIONTOWN ALSO VOLUNTEER DURING NINE 11 TO GO INTO THE CITY? UH, YES. WE, WE STAYED BY, WITHIN HASTINGS. IN FACT, WE HAD A, A CALL DOWN ON WASHINGTON AVENUE DURING THAT. EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON, I BELIEVE ONE OF THE ENGINE COMPANIES WENT DOWN AND STAGED DOWN IN, UM, UH, YONKERS. YONKERS. MM-HMM . YEAH. YOU HAD, YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT AT UNION TOWN, THE GUYS HAD TORN DOWN ONE BUILDING AND BUILT ANOTHER ONE. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? YEAH. THE FIREHOUSE, UH, WAS RIGHT WHERE THE BIG ROOM IS NOW. THAT WAS THE OLD FIREHOUSE. THAT FIREHOUSE WAS BUILT BY THE MEMBERS, THAT OLD ONE. AND THEN THEY TURNED IT DOWN, TORE IT DOWN, AND BUILT ANOTHER ONE RIGHT NEXT TO IT. BUILT THE ENGINE BASE FIRST, AND THEN THEY BUILT THE BIG ROOM BALLROOM, HOWEVER YOU WANT IT. BUT IT WAS TOTALLY BY THE MEMBERS OF THE COMPANY. AND WHO FUNDED THAT? UH, THE COMPANY FUNDED THAT. WOW. YEAH, THAT WAS [00:45:01] BACK IN 1959 WAS WHEN IT WAS FINISHED. SO I BELIEVE 57, 58, 59. IT WAS A FEW YEARS. BUT, AND, BUT THE VILLAGE DIDN'T CONTRIBUTE THAT, I COULDN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY FROM WHAT I HEARD IS THE MEMBERS, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE MEMBERS, UH, I BELIEVE, UH, ARREST EIO WHO OWNED, UH, HASTINGS ELECTRIC. RIGHT. HE MAY HAVE HAD A HAND IN FUNDING. THEY BORROWED SOME EQUIPMENT FROM VILLARD CONTRACTING WITH MEMBERS TO WORK FOR, TO, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD TO DIG SOME ROCK OUT. SO IT WAS PRETTY UNIQUE. MY FATHER WAS INVOLVED AND AMONGST OTHERS. AMAZING. YEAH. SO THERE, THERE, I HEARD THERE WAS A, A A, A HOSE CART RACE OR SOMETHING EARLY ON? YEAH. BACK. THERE WAS A TROPHY THAT HOLDS TRUE TO THIS DAY. UH, THE ZIN TROPHY THAT UNIONTOWN HOSE WON IN 1910. THEY HAD TO DRAG, UH, A HUNDRED FEET OF HOSE 200 FEET AND SHOW WATER THAT RECORD HOLDS TODAY HASN'T BEEN BROKEN SINCE 1910. CAN CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT, WHAT EXACTLY THAT ENTAILED? I BELIEVE IT WAS ON A HOSE CART. OKAY. SO IT WAS A REEL. AND, YOU KNOW, BACK IN 1910, THEY DIDN'T HAVE FORCES AND STUFF. SO THE MEMBERS WERE THE TEAM TO PULL THE HOSE CART, LAY OUT THE HOSE 200 FEET, AND SHOW WATER. AND WHO, WHO COMPETED WITH THAT? I, THERE WAS OTHER DEPARTMENTS BACK THEN IN 9 19, 10. YOU KNOW, THE INFORMATION I HAVE, THE TROPHY STILL SITS IN UNIONTOWN . SO OBVIOUSLY I CAN'T ASK THE TEAM EXACTLY. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD, YOU KNOW, TO THIS DAY, THAT RECORD STILL IS UNBROKEN. AND ARE THERE OTHER COMPETITIONS? THERE IS TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL. THEY USE, UH, SOUPED UP TRUCKS AND DOWN IN LONG ISLAND, IT'S A BIG THING. THEY, THEY LAY THE HOSE OUT CONNECTED AND THEY SHOOT AT A TARGET AND, YOU KNOW, WITHIN SECONDS. AND THEY COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER'S TEAM, YOU KNOW, HOSE HAULING TEAMS. IT'S PRETTY UNIQUE. YOU KNOW, THEY SOUP THE ENGINES AND THEY RACE DOWN THE, THE DRAG STRIP AND SHOW WATER AND CONNECT THE HOSE AND CLIMB THE LADDER. THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT RELAYS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. IT'S HOW DO THEY SOUP UP THE ENGINE ENGINES ON A FIRE TRUCK? YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY. WELL, NO, IT'S A, IT'S NOT A FIRETRUCK. IT LOOKS LIKE A PICKUP TRUCK SOUPED UP, YOU KNOW, AND THERE'S HOSE IN THE BACK. THEY'LL LAY IT OUT AND THE DRIVER, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, IT'S PRETTY, PRETTY UNIQUE HOW THEY, THEY DO THAT. DO ANY OF THE FIREHOUSES NOT HERE. NO. NO, NO. NEVER GOT INVOLVED IN THAT. SO CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE, THE BADGES? THE PATCHES? YEAH. FOR THE DIFFERENT FIREHOUSES. YEAH. DO YOU GUYS COLLECT THOSE FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES? OTHER COUNTRIES? YEAH. THERE ARE CERTAIN PATCH COLLECTIONS AND CHALLENGE COINS. COLLECTIONS PROTECTION HAS ONE. UNIONTOWN DOES NOT. BUT OTHER FIREHOUSES I'VE BEEN IN, AND I'VE BEEN THROUGH, A LOT OF THEM HAVE DIFFERENT PATCHES FROM DIFFERENT COMPANIES. UH, WE HAVE A DEPARTMENT PATCH. WE DON'T HAVE COMPANY PATCHES. WELL, THE LATTER HAS A COMPANY PATCH, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, UH, UH, SEE THAT ALL OVER, YOU KNOW, AND WE GUYS TRADE 'EM AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO, AND I, WE WERE JUST IN VENICE AND WE CAME BACK, OR WHEN WE WERE THERE, WE PASSED A FIREHOUSE. RIGHT. AND WE WALKED IN JUST TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. AND THERE WAS A HUGE DISPLAY OF FIRE PATCHES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. RIGHT, RIGHT. AND I SORT OF REGRETTED THAT. I DIDN'T GRAB ONE FROM, UH, HASTINGS HASTINGS AND, AND, AND TRADE IT AND BRING IT BACK. DID YOU LOOK UP THERE? SEE IF HASTINGS WAS THERE? HASTINGS WAS NOT THERE. THERE WERE SOME FROM NEW YORK, BUT HASTINGS WAS THERE. SO THE NEXT TIME YOU GO, NEXT TIME I GO, DEFINITELY . I MEAN, THAT'S HOW IT ENDS UP. I MEAN, THERE'S PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, THERE'S COMPANY COLLECTIONS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, THE SKY'S THE LIMIT WITH PATCHES, YOU KNOW, IT KEEPS CHANGING. YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD THING TO GET INTO AND CHALLENGE COINS IS, YOU KNOW, COMPANIES THAT, UH, DISPLAY THEIR CHALLENGE. COINS. WHAT, WHAT ARE CHALLENGE COINS? CHALLENGE IS COINS A COIN THAT HAS A SPECIFIC LOGO ON THE FRONT AND BACK. UH, YOU KNOW, IT, IT HAS THE HASTINGS PATCH ON IT AND WHEN IT WAS INCORPORATED AND STUFF. AND THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A CHIEF'S BADGE ON IT, SPECIFICALLY TO THE FIRE CHIEFS FROM HASTINGS. [00:50:01] AND PROTECTION HAS THEIR OWN DESIGN, YOU KNOW, SO THERE ARE COINS LIKE SIMILAR TO THE MILITARY, HANDS OUT AND STUFF LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, SO INTERESTING. YEAH. IT'S, IT'S ANOTHER WAY OF, UH, SHARING HISTORY, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. AND HOPEFULLY IT CONTINUES. YOU KNOW, LET'S GO SEE PICTURES AND FOLDERS AND, AND KIND OF GET A GRASP OF HISTORY, YOU KNOW? 'CAUSE ONCE IT'S MEMBERSHIP HAVE PASSED ON, HISTORY HAS DIED UNLESS IT'S DOCUMENTED, YOU KNOW? YEAH. CERTAINLY THE FIREHOUSES I'VE BEEN IN HAVE, UH, WALLS COVERED WITH STORIES. RIGHT. MEMORABILIA. MEMORABILIA AND YEAH, IT'S JUST, UH, EITHER THE ROASTS OR, OR WHATEVER. RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT. SOMETHING MORE, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOTTA BE DONE. I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING I'M, I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN, YOU KNOW, UH, SAVING HISTORY AND KEEPING IT, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE GUYS I'VE TALKED TO AND, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I'VE BEEN IN SINCE THE EIGHTIES, SO I'VE SEEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS CHANGE IN THE FIRE SERVICE. AND THOSE OLD GUYS HAD GOOD STORIES AND IT, AND IT'S GONE NOW UNLESS IT'S BEEN SAVED SOMEPLACE. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT YOU'VE SEEN? WELL, OBVIOUSLY IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, THE APPARATUS HAVE CHANGED, THE TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED. FIREFIGHTING PROCEDURES HAVE CHANGED. UH, MEMBERSHIP USED TO HAVE A LOT THAT GOES DOWN AND THAT COMES BACK UP. SO IT'S TRYING TO GET THE YOUNGER GENERATION INVOLVED AND, YOU KNOW, WANTING TO VOLUNTEER HERE. HOW, HOW HAVE THE APPARATUSES CHANGED? UH, TECHNOLOGY, UH, AS FAR AS, UH, EMISSIONS, UH, PUMP SIZES AND WHAT THEY CALL BELLS AND WHISTLES, YOU KNOW, EXTRA LIGHTS AND EXTRICATION TOOLS AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF. YOU KNOW, IT'S SKY'S THE LIMIT AND THE PRICE. SERIOUS CHANGES IN MANUFACTURING. WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER ARE THE SORT OF THE MOST DANGEROUS ASPECTS OF BEING A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER? THE, THE DANGER IS THE UNKNOWN. YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU ENTER A STRUCTURE AND YOU DON'T KNOW IF THE FLOOR IS BURNED THROUGH OR IF THERE'S FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS OR SOMETHING IN THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, IS THE UNKNOWN. I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU GO INTO STRUCTURES AND THEY'RE ON FIRE NOW YOU START VENTING AND THEY BECOME A RAGING INFERNO. NOW WITH LITHIUM ION THAT'S CAUSING A LOT OF FIRES. YOU KNOW, THERMAL RUNAWAY IS CAUSING A LOT OF FIRES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. IS, IS THERE SOME WAY TO SORT OF ANTICIPATE PROBLEMS BEFORE YOU ENTER INTO A BUILDING? UH, YOU KNOW, TRAINING COMES IN INVOLVED, YOU KNOW, BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. IN OTHER WORDS, YOU KNOW, DON'T GO TOO FAR TOO DEEP UNTIL YOU KNOW, OR YOU TRY TO, NO, BUT THEN IT'S THAT UNKNOWN WHAT'S BEHIND DOOR NUMBER TWO. HAVE, HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO RESCUE ANOTHER FIREFIGHTER? HAVE I, NO, NO. THERE HAS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY INSTANCES AND PEOPLE GET TOO DEEP AND, AND THEY HAVE TO BE BACKED OUT. YEAH. THIS, IT'S, IT'S HAPPENED. WE'VE BEEN PRETTY FORTUNATE HERE, SO, SO THERE HAVE BEEN FILMS ABOUT FIREFIGHTERS HAVE, HAVE YOU SEEN LIKE LADDER 49 OR FILMS LIKE THAT? YEAH. YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN ANY OF THEM STRIKE YOU AS BEING REAL OR NOT? EH, YOU KNOW, HOLLYWOOD TWEAKS IT A LITTLE BIT. YOU KNOW, SOME OF, SOME ASPECTS ARE ON, YOU KNOW, WAY IT HAPPENS. BUT SOME OF HER, A LITTLE A LITTLE OVER THE TOP, IT'S JUST REALITY. AND I, I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT ONE OF THE DANGEROUS POSITIONS FOR A FIREFIGHTER WAS DIRECTING TRAFFIC . YEAH. I COULD BE. YES. ESPECIALLY ON THE PARKWAYS, YOU KNOW, THAT IT BECOMES A WEAPON WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN THEIR CAR NOT PAYING ATTENTION AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, YOU KNOW. AND HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO PUT OUT A FIRE ON THE PARKWAY? OH, THERE'S BEEN MANY CAR FIRES AND MANY [00:55:01] ACCIDENTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. YEAH. AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, BEEN RESCUES FOR HIGH WATER AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO WE'VE HAD OUR SHERIFF, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT INSTANCES THAT WE'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, COME OUT GOOD. SO WHAT, WHAT WAS THE MOST HORRIFIC FIRE THAT YOU GUYS WERE INVOLVED IN? THERE'S BEEN A FEW. I MEAN, BACK WHEN MY FATHER WAS CHIEF, WE HAD ANACONDA A GIANT, UH, THE WIRING CABLE CAUGHT FIRE AT THAT TIME BACK IN EARLY EIGHTIES, YOU KNOW, JUST WHEN I HADN'T JUST JOINED . AND WHAT, WHAT WAS THAT? WHAT CAUSED THAT FIRE? UH, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT CAUSE, BUT SOMETHING I THINK SOME WORKERS WERE INSIDE OR SOMETHING AND, YOU KNOW, CAUSED A SPARK OR SOMETHING. AND I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY, UH, THE, THE DETERMINATION TO WHAT HAD CAUSED THAT. AND WHAT WERE SOME OF THE OTHER REALLY BAD ONES THAT WHILE YOU WERE, WELL, IT WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT WHEN I WAS, UH, UH, IN THE DEPARTMENT, UH, THERE WAS A GAS EXPLOSION ON RIDGE STREET. I'M SURE MOST OF THE RESIDENTS REMEMBER THAT THAT WAS BACK, UH, SIXTIES OR SEVENTIES, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO, AND THEN WE HAD, UH, WE HAD A FIRE UP IN ST. ANDREW'S GOLF COURSE AND THE, THE COMPANY, UH, HAD RESCUED A WOMAN THAT WAS TRAPPED IN AN ELEVATOR IN THAT PARTICULAR CALL. SO IT'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, FIRES ARE GETTING LESS AND LESS BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, SMOKE DETECTORS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. CENTRAL STATION ALARMS. SO IT'S NOT THE FIRES THAT WE USED TO HAVE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S STARTING TO TAKE A LITTLE CHANGE NOW BECAUSE OF LITHIUM ION BATTERIES AND THAT STUFF. SO. AND WERE THERE ANY FUNNY INCIDENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED WHILE YOU WERE ON FUNNY INCIDENTS? ? YEAH. UH, YOU KNOW, OTHER THAN CHRISTMAS RUNS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WOULD GO VISIT THE KIDS AT THEIR HOUSE, YOU KNOW, THE MEMBER'S KIDS, UH, WE BRING SANTA CLAUS AND WE BRING ELVES AND IT WAS A, IT WAS A GOOD TIME, YOU KNOW. AND IS THAT STILL ONGOING? YES. YES. THAT'S STILL THE STILL TRADITION THAT HASN'T CHANGED. AND HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK? WELL, IN DECEMBER, UH, EACH COMPANY GOES OUT AND, UH, VISITS THE KIDS IN THEIR COMPANY OR, YOU KNOW, BRINGS SANTA CLAUS WITH PRESENTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO IT'S A GREAT TRADITION THAT'S, UH, BEEN CARRIED ON FOR YEARS. AND DO YOU, DO YOU EVER, UM, HOST LIKE AN OPEN HOUSE FOR THE COMMUNITY SO THAT KIDS CAN COME DOWN AND LOOK AT THE FIRE TRUCKS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT GOES ON THERE? YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENT EVENTS FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE AND STUFF LIKE THAT, THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY COMES OUT AND TAKES A, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THE APPARATUS AND EXTRICATION TOOLS AND DEMOS AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. YEAH. THAT'S, YOU KNOW, IT GOES ON. AND WHEN YOU'RE, AFTER YOU'VE DONE GONE THROUGH THE TRAINING AND THAT, DO YOU HAVE TO DO REFRESHER COURSES? UH, YOU CAN ALWAYS, UH, HONE YOUR SKILLS AND DO OTHER COURSES. THE COUNTY COMES OUT WITH ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT, UH, YOU KNOW, COURSES, EXTRICATION, FAST TEAM TRAINING, AND THERE'S MOUNTAINS OF TRAINING. SO, YOU KNOW, WE TELL THE KIDS WHEN THEY COME IN OR THE YOUNG MEN, WOMEN, WHOEVER, TO KEEP THEIR TRAINING UP AND KEEP INTERESTED IN. SO THAT'S TRY WHAT WE PROMOTE. AND ARE, ARE THERE ANY WOMEN IN YOUR FIREHOUSE? UH, NOT CURRENTLY. NO. AND, BUT WOMEN CAN, CAN JOIN? YES. YES. THEY CAN JOIN THE COMPANY TO BE EITHER EMS OR THEY CAN BE FIREFIGHTERS. WE'VE HAD, UH, YOU KNOW, WOMEN IN THE PAST. AND DID THE OTHER GUYS ACCEPT THAT? WAS THAT YEAH. YEAH. THAT'S, IT'S NOT A PROBLEM. YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE SOMETIMES THEY JOIN TO BE AN EMS, SOME OF 'EM HAVE, UH, GONE ON TO TAKE FIREFIGHTER ONE AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO WE ENCOURAGE ANYBODY TO JOIN. IT'S A, IT'S A VERY REWARDING TO VOLUNTEER WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. WELL, CERTAINLY HASTINGS APPRECIATES THEIR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS. THAT IS FOR SURE. YEAH. UM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UH, AND, AND THAT'S A, A BIT OF A HISTORY OF THE FOUR FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN HASTINGS ALL VOLUNTEER. [01:00:01] AND, UM, AS YOU JUST HEARD, THEY CAN USE MANY, MANY MORE VOLUNTEERS TO KEEP THIS COMMUNITY SAFE. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SAFE. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH THERE, MIKE. THANKS. GOOD TALKING. THANKS FOR WATCHING. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.