By Jack Halchak, Past Chief Hurleyville Fire Department
The Hurleyville Fire Department is always looking to recruit new members. You can stop in on any Monday evening at 7:00PM to get an application or see what we are all about. If you don’t want to fight fire we can use fire police or you can work behind the scenes supporting the front line fire fighters. We do more than just fight fire. We even provide all of your training for free.
At the January meeting of the Hurleyville Fire Company #1, Chief Alan Price and President John O’Neil announced that they had received two significant donations. One was for $600.00 from the employee’s “Crisis Fund” from the Fallsburg Terminal of Rolling V Bus Corporation.
Part of the letter from Rolling V that accompanied the check stated that “The acknowledgement of the Hurleyville Fire Dept. as a worthy organization is a testament to the good work you do.”
Ironically it was just a few years ago that the Fire Department honored Rolling V with their “Community Service Award.”
This goes to show you the mutual respect that we have for each other and what we each do for the community.
The second check was for $2,500 from the SYDA foundation of South Fallsburg. Most of the SYDA properties are in the Hurleyville Fire District. The donation was in recognition for the work that we do and our contributions to the community. In addition, when the check was delivered it came with a basket of treats for the membership to enjoy (which we did).
Some of the monies from these donations went into the Fire Department equipment fund. This fund is used to purchase equipment that was not part of the budget. The items purchased make life responding to and working at an incident a little more tolerable. One such purchase being considered is new extrication goggles for firefighters who wear glasses.
In most communities the fire departments is usually the focal point of the community. The membership is grateful that these two fine organizations have recognized what we do. So thank you to both of them.
In other news, you might remember that I previously have written about the “Move Over Law.” Well, The Governor just signed an expansion to the “Move Over Law.” This is a quote from his office:
“Slow Down and Move Over: New York’s “Move Over” law. Driver’s to use due care, slow down and safely move over when approaching law enforcement vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, tow trucks, and construction and maintenance vehicles stopped along the roadway. The law was first established in 2011 to protect those working along the roadway and has since been expanded to include a wider range of emergency and hazard vehicles.”
The law was expanded to cover ALL emergency service vehicles and equipment, whatever color light they are flashing. Once again, it is good common sense to use caution around any emergency scene. Be careful. Listen to the fire police or whoever is directing traffic. They are there to help you, not to block you from going to work or home. Sometimes the road just gets blocked and you CAN NOT go that way. Give them a brake (pun intended) and follow their instructions.
Don’t forget the 29th Annual Hurleyville Fire Department -Town of Fallsburg Youth Commission Ice Fishing Contest is Saturday, February 11th from 7:00AM – 3:00PM. The event takes place on Morningside Lake off Brickman Road in Hurleyville.
Even with the unseasonably warm weather that we have had we still have enough ice and the future forecast predicts (I hope) more cold weather is in store for us.
If you have any questions just call: Jack at 436-5418, George at 434-3475 or Fred at 434-7706.
Unfortunately, I have been to a number of tragic and devastating fires since the start of the New Year. PLEASE be safe in trying to keep warm.