BY BARRY WARNER A growing number of women are climbing tall aerial ladders and rescuing Rockland County residents from smoky rooms as members of volunteer fire companies. People who call 911 are not concerned about the gender of the firefighter who responds and rescues those plagued by a fire emergency. “Megan Zarcone joined in 2010 […]
BY BARRY WARNER Firefighters who fight structure fires have to deal with an additional challenge this week: the excessive heat wave. Firefighters wear heavy turnout gear that makes it difficult to stay cool. They have to be fully encapsulated with no area of skin exposed to blistering temperatures. Through mutual-aid or agreement with other departments, […]
BY BARRY WARNER As the Orangeburg Fire District Chairman of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Kenneth Gordon has the obligation of ensuring that the Fire District has the ability to extinguish and prevent fires. He makes decisions with the other commissioners on the board concerning fire safety, including the expenditure of funds to ensure protection […]
BARRY WARNER Emergency response calls can come in at anytime of the day or night and must dealt with immediately. Firefighters must be expert in getting themselves dressed in the appropriate gear and mounting the emergency vehicles quickly. These emergency calls can involve a host of challenges including structure fires, auto accidents, brush fires and […]
BY BARRY WARNER Our Unsung Hero this week is Mike Barish, who is serving as a Volunteer Probationary Firefighter or ‘Proby,’ which is the lowest rank in a fire department rank structure. The primary responsibility of the ‘Proby’ is to train to be a firefighter while being mentored and instructed by senior firefighters and officers. […]
BY BARRY WARNER Our Unsung Hero this week is volunteer Michael Stark, who has attained the rank of ex-chief with over 20 years of service and heads the driver training program. “The driver training program, under the direction of Michael Stark, is critical to our department as it teaches our new firefighters to maintain, drive […]