12/12/09



I also serve as a Deputy EMS Coordinator for the County. In this volunteer position my role is to respond to incidents involving two or more EMS agencies in my half of the County. The coordinator’s job is to represent the Emergency Management Office and ensure that all EMS agencies on scene are working together, all patients are being cared for, and just try to be of general help while not getting in the way. Most incidents are vehicle crashes, although I have also… Continue

On 7 December 2009 I was elected Fire Chief by my Department. This is for a one year term for the calendar year 2010, overseeing the operation of a rural volunteer fire department serving about 2800 people over an area of 40 square miles.



As this will be my first time as chief, I’ve experienced a wide range of thoughts and emotions since the election. I had the idea that if I captured some of these thoughts and emotions and published them as a blog, they would prove humorous to… Continue

I have not been active on FFN for a while, and for good reason. A discipline problem has made 2009 pretty stressful at times. Due to ongoing legal issues there’s not much more I can say about it now, however the story will be told in a future blog. I will say that as 1st Assistant Chief I have tried to shoulder some of the load borne by the Chief, and help resolve the problem.



But I digress.



My wife and I have taken up gardening, and we are on our second year of tending a… Continue

On Memorial Day we should - and most do - remember and honor those who have given their lives for this great country. We should also remember and thank those who have served our country in wartime or in peace. There are several men that I remember quite often, and not just once a year. I certainly don’t need a reminder from anyone to recall them to my memory. Let me tell you about them.



My great-great grandfather, Ira S. Thurber, was a Lieutenant in the 64th Regiment, New York State… Continue

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On a late summer day in 1949, the members of the Cattaraugus Fire Department are putting their new pumper through its paces. A drafting operation has been established at an unknown location in Cattaraugus County, New York.



The truck has just arrived from Young Fire Equipment in Buffalo, and is equipped with a 500 GPM… Continue