Author: kbadmin

By Steven Luftig, Dobbs Ferry Fire Department

In August of 2016, my wife, sons and I moved to Dobbs Ferry. Having been born and raised in the Bronx and then having moved to Yonkers when we got married, I was finally living in a place that actually had a volunteer rather than career department.

In October, we attended what’s called the Ferry Festa which is basically a giant street fair in Dobbs Ferry. I passed by the fire department table, but I didn’t actually stop though my wife encouraged me to do so. I told her I wanted to get acclimated to living in a new place first.

A year later, we again attended the Ferry Festa. I told my wife that I’d see what the fire department was all about and I’d check out the table from the volunteer ambulance corps. As it turns out, I never made it to the VAC table. I found out about the fire department requirements, training, expectations, etc. The following Tuesday, I showed up to the scheduled drill night, met the ladder company Captain and just observed what went on for about two hours. That night I filled out the application and started the process.

Finally, on December 11, 2017, I was voted into the department. Thrilled would be an understatement. The training was intense and a little scary. Having first joined the department at an age when a lot of career firefighters could think of retirement, I did have some setbacks due to health issues, but I persevered and managed to graduate with a later Firefighter 1 class.

I volunteered for several reasons. First, it achieved a dream that I’d had since I was a kid. Second, it seemed like a great way to give back to the community. Third, someone has to do it. A volunteer department with no volunteers doesn’t help anyone.

In my short time with the department, I’ve met some terrific people who have become good friends, I’ve learned an amazing amount about firefighting and safety, and I’ve developed a lot of confidence to try new things. Once you’ve crawled through a pitch-black room where the ambient temperature is about 500 degrees and gotten out of it, not much else in life is very intimidating.

Having just turned 50 recently, I feel that I can give plenty more years of service to the Dobbs Ferry Fire Department. I’ve gotten so much from being a member that it’ll take a long time to pay it all back.

The Story of Jean Cosenza

From a young age, Jean was involved and interested in the volunteer service. After her father passed away, her family was taken in by the VFW. Seeing the support and love from VFW inspired her to do community service.

At 19, she attended multiple events put on by the local fire company and enjoyed seeing the camaraderie. Jean always wanted to be part of it and was interested in trying something different. So, she started her journey in the volunteer fire service.

“I was able to fit trainings around my schedule” Jean says, recalling the times she molded her training times around her classes while she was going to college.

She points out that training helps you realize how strong you really are and that they push you to your limits, in a good way.

“Really anyone can do the training to become a volunteer firefighter. It’s really exciting and gives you the opportunity to try something new,” Jean says. “It gives you the skills and confidence boost.”

A mother of two working full-time as a psychologist, she finds time to be a volunteer firefighter.

“Being a volunteer firefighter has given me the skills and the mindset to handle the situations that could be crisis situation or understanding what individuals have gone through. I have gained the empathy and sympathy for people I work with,” Jean says.

Jean expressed that even when she took time off to grow her family and continue her education, she still was eager to continue her life as a volunteer. She found balance in it all and got back in the game.

“Find the balance, give yourself time to do something that you love. Firefighting is something that I love, so I find that time,” Jean says.

Jean is proud of her efforts knowing she is considered a hero to her daughters and the rest of her community. When she suits up, she becomes a different person.

“You never know unless you try,” she says. “Everyone needs something they can enjoy, and volunteering is something that gives you that. Volunteering as a firefighter is a great way to get things done.”

Hear Jean’s story and those of others who find time to volunteer.

By Dan Brooks, Patchogue Fire Department

I started in the fire service as a Junior firefighter/Explorer with the Cortlandville Fire Department. I joined because a few of my friends joined and it was a new program.

Eventually, we all became members of the Cortlandville FD when we reached the age to join. I moved away and lived in a few different places over the next 25 years and joined fire departments if I could, but didn’t stay in any one place long enough to establish myself. Nine years ago, I moved to Patchogue on Long Island and just this summer joined the Patchogue Fire Department after a friend urged me to get back into the fire service after being away now that I am settled.

I credit the Junior Firefighter/Explorer program that I joined for providing me the passion for the fire service. If it had not been for the Junior program, I may not have developed a passion for the fire service and most likely would have not re-joined after a few years away. The foundation of the program not only gave me the knowledge of the fire service at an early age, but it taught me life lessons that are only now becoming evident.

Many people say that they like helping their communities and giving back is rewarding. I think we can all agree on that and that’s what keeps us together as a unique niche of people. But, it’s the life lessons that taught me way beyond those first meetings as a teenager that shaped me into the adult I am today.

The Story of Brian George

The volunteer fire service is a family affair for Brian Georgeys. “As much as I can be there for everyone else in the community, it does a lot to help me.”

“Once my son aged out of Boy Scouts, we decided to join the fire department together,” he says, “Just a year later, my wife joined the department.”

Brian’s family thrives on positivity, he says. Being in the volunteer fire service is one of those positives.

Being in his 50s, Brian admits he was unsure about the training, part of the department’s weekly routine. It is what keeps their skills sharp and them prepared for any type of call the department may receive.

“You train daily, you train hard, you train with each other,” says Brian as he explains how all the volunteers in his department know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. “We are all there to help each other.”

Brian is proud and grateful for the experiences he has had while serving his community alongside his son.

“It is the best experience I could have asked for. Going through it together, it is a wonderful thing. I don’t think I would want to experience anything else,” Brian says. “A first-generation legacy being made.”

You never know what you a capable of until you try it out and experience it for yourself, Brian says. As a volunteer firefighter, you learn every day and it doesn’t matter the age, you are never too old to learn.

“Don’t be afraid to join your volunteer fire department. It is a wonderful experience,” he said. “You’re never going to think you can do it until you go in and try it.”

The Story of Rachael Aho

Rachael Aho, it just made sense. Having already served her country, she decided it was time to serve her community.

“I’ve always enjoyed public service whether it was joining the military, serving my country, or the fire department, serving my community,” Rachael says. “I do those things because I really, truly enjoy doing that.”

She joined the military right out of high school and served five years before becoming a dental assistant. Eventually, she returned to school to become a personal trainer, a job that introduced her to the fire service. Rachael was instructing a fire department and a recruitment class at a training academy.

“The more I worked with them, the more I realized I was still missing some part I left in the military: that family cohesion, that service to my community,” she says.

A skydiving enthusiast in her spare time, she was attracted to the adrenaline aspect of the job – thinking fast and on her feet. Rachael jumped into training shortly after joining the Fairport Fire Department.

After taking Firefighter 1, she felt more than prepared to do interior firefighting. Rachael admits both the initial and ongoing training take time, but it’s more than worth the commitment.

“I do it the same way I make time for anything else that’s important in my life,” she says. “If it’s something you want to do, you find the time.”

Rachael’s volunteer work has improved her professional endeavors as she’s adapted workouts to include firefighting-specific movements. Physical fitness is key for interior firefighters who carry equipment like air packs into environments that often call for unusual maneuvers. It’s a great way to stay in shape, Rachael says, though there are plenty of other benefits, like the camaraderie and the pride.

“It gives me a sense of purpose,” she says. “As much as I can be there for everyone else in the community, it does a lot to help me.”

Hear Rachael’s story and those of others who find time to volunteer

By Martha Rees, Piermont Fire Department

I grew up in a small town. When the fire whistle sounded for a fire, the town would show up at the fire scene to watch the amazing people fight the fire. I remember telling my father I wanted to be a firefighter. He just smiled and said, “Maybe someday.”

In 1978, my father joined the volunteer fire department and became one of only two EMTs in the department. When I turned 16, I talked him into letting me put in my application. He allowed it just to humor me. He really didn’t think I would get voted in. It was 1980 and I was a female. There were no females in the fire department in my county of 26 volunteer fire departments. I got a few no votes, but I did get in. I was told that I was only allowed to ride the ambulance. I got my EMT certification and was happy for a little while.

My fire department also had an underwater rescue team. It was announced at our monthly meeting that because of the lack of trained divers, we might lose the rescue team. I was a lifeguard and a water safety instructor. I would love the chance to be on the rescue team. Well, to discourage me, they told me I couldn’t because I hadn’t completed the firefighter course. I wasn’t about to give up, so I enrolled in the course.

I was given turnout gear and boots that were five sizes too big. I arrived at the class with all men giving me funny looks. As I continued showing up week after week, the instructor would call on me for all the answers and choose me to be the first to demonstrate things. He would say to the men who tried to help me “let her do it by herself.” I remember the night where I had to climb the 75-foot ladder. I would start up the ladder, but my boots were so big they would fall off. The instructor sent someone to get me smaller boots and helmet. I got my smaller boots and went right up that ladder!

On the last night of class, the instructor told all the men that it may have seemed like he was picking on me, but he wanted to prove to the class that I was able to do the job as well as the men in my class. I went on to become a rescue diver, firefighter, high-angle rescue and also captain by the time I was 22. At 13 years old, my daughter joined the fire department’s Explorer team that trains young teens how to be a firefighter. I moved away from Piermont, but still remain a life member. The Piermont Fire Department will always be my family and someday I hope to move back to Piermont and continue my service to the volunteer fire department.

In the very early morning hours of December 25, 2014, Deputy Chief Frank Crispin, Deputy Chief Steve Zaferakis, firefighter Phil Vogt, firefighter Ryan Whitmore and firefighter Jeremy Corsaro reported to a residential fire.

Upon the arrival of the deputy chiefs, Onondaga County Sheriff’s deputies said they heard an individual yelling for help from inside the trailer. Deputy chiefs Crispin and Zaferakis decided to attempt a rescue. Zaferakis forced the rear door of the residence open with the crew of Engine 41, which had just arrived on the scene.

The kitchen was fully involved at that point and fire was quickly spreading to the living room. The already thick black smoke only became thicker. As the engine crew attempted to hold back the flames, Zaferakis and the engine officer Vogt quickly searched for the known victim.

They made their way past the kitchen and active fire to a back bedroom of the trailer, where they found a semi-conscious 49-year-old Michael Echeandia.

Smoke inhalation and a physical disability had incapacitated him. Zaferakis and Vogt carried Echeandia to the nearest window and passed him to firefighters outside.

Echeandia remained semi-conscious and was cared for by firefighters until Rural Metro Ambulance arrived and transported him to Upstate Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. A few days later, Echeandia was upgraded to stable condition and has since continued to recover.

Back at the scene, Crispin located 31-year-old Justin Smith, who was in full cardiac arrest. Crispin was joined by two firefighters from Rescue 4, Whitmore and Corsaro, and the three together were able to maneuver Smith to the doorway of the room.

With the help of a fourth firefighter, Smith was eventually transported outside and resuscitation efforts began. By the time Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps arrived on the scene, Smith had regained a pulse and was attempting to breathe on his own.

Smith was transported to Upstate Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. He remained in critical condition for more than two weeks until he was upgraded to good condition.

This fire was a great example of a department-wide team effort and an overall well-run operation. A quick knockdown of the flames, a fast search and rescue operation, and quality emergency medical care not only resulted in two individuals being pulled from a house fire, but also surviving the ordeal.

A commuter train on Metro-North’s Harlem Line out of Grand Central Station struck an SUV at a grade crossing near Valhalla, killing six people and injuring 15 others on the evening of February 3, 2015.

The crash was the deadliest in Metro-North’s history as well as the deadliest such crash in the U.S. since the June 2009 Washington Metro train collision that killed eight passengers and injured 80.

The SUV got caught inside the crossing gate when it descended. The driver died along with five passengers on the train. The impact tore loose more than 450 feet of third rail. The SUV went through the front car of the train and broke into sections.

Riley DeJong was seated in the front car returning from classes in Manhattan that evening. She was 19 at the time and had just received her EMT-B certification as a member of the Lewisboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

The front car was filled with smoke, flames and fuel fumes from the burning SUV along with dead and dying passengers.

Miraculously, Riley was unhurt and immediately started triage and life-saving aid to the wounded prior to the arrival of other first responders. Passengers from the other cars could not reach the front car because the doors were jammed and the smoke held them back.

Riley removed waist belts from fellow wounded passengers and instructed an uninjured passenger to make a tourniquet out of one belt while Riley made one from another. Together, they provided hemorrhage control and treated a man with a double partial leg amputation. She then provided first aid, continued triage and instructed others around her on how to care for the wounded.

She maintained patient contact and cared for the double amputee victim until additional EMTs arrived, at which point they helped transfer him to the ambulance. After that patient left, Riley rode a Valhalla ambulance to the Westchester Medical Center and treated two patients en route.

Demonstrating great calm and courage, Riley helped to extinguish the fire and remove several victims to safety, providing care in the ambulance to Westchester Medical Center as well. She earned the appreciation of a grateful community and the respect and admiration of all New Yorkers, including many political leaders – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo among them – who recognized her with proclamations.