The
first organizational meeting of Burtonville Fire Department was held on May 2,
1949.
Elected as officers were:
Edward Karl
-Chief
Kenneth Gidley -1st Deputy
Chief
Gordon Humphrey -2nd Deputy
Chief
Raymond Freeman
-Captain
Edward Siegler
-Lieutenant
Willaim W. Kleitgen Jr.
-Secretary
Schuyler Snyder -Treasurer
Elected as Directors were:
William Koon
Wallace Janetsky
Jean Ferris
David
Davenport
Kenneth Gidley
Along
with the members listed above, attendance at the 1st meeting included: Ed
Barbin, William Dybowski, Ray Ferguson, Eugene Ferris, Kenyon Gidley, Robert
Harve Gordon, Alexander Gumbar, William J Kleitgan, Michael Quinn, E.H. Reid,
and Earl
Snyder.
Incorporation as a Fire Department was accomplished in September 1949. It was
not until the following year that he department purchased its first truck,
a 1948 GMC which was purchased for $1050.00. A front mount Gorman Rupp 500
Gallon pump was purchased in November
1950.
In the
absence of a fire hall, the Department spent its first five years meeting in
various locations around the fire district; first in Micheal Quinn's barn and
later in the homes of its members. Equipment was stored in the sheds of the
Methodist Church which were located on the side in the old carriage house.
In 1951, after a fire had destroyed Maddy McKie's store on the corner of
Burtonville Road and Colyer Road, the Fire Department passed a resolution to buy
the McKie lot in order to build a fire hall.
In a true community effort,
the fire hall was designed and built. Lumber for the fire hall was cut by Reggie
Freeman, Wallace Janetsky, Kenneth Gidley and Schuyler Snyder from timber on
members' Kenneth Gidley's and Kenneth "Bud" Youker's farms. Edward Siegler
discounted the sawing of these logs and donated an additional 1000 feet of
lumber. The building of the hall was accomplished with labor by the members of
the fire company. The foundation for the former McKie store was enlarged in 1952
for the new building and erection of the fire house began on November 14, 1953.
The first meeting of the fire department was held in the new hall on May 13,
1954.
With a fire hall, the Burtonville Fire Department was able to
provide a setting for community events. Fundraisers in the early years included
raffles, bingo games, band concerts by the Esperance Band, auctions, pancake
suppers, ice cream socials, and movie nights. Square dances played by the Pearly
Band were popular as were card tournaments. In its early years the fire hall
possessed a pool table as well as the current shuffleboard table and the minutes
of March 1956 record the support for Friday night recreation nights for the
children of the village.
An Auxiliary, formed in February of 1955, was an
important part of the fire hall organization, providing both financial and
organizational support for the fire company. Money from their treasury
partially paid for the cabinets in the kitchen of the fire hall and their
service was indispensable during times of crisis. In addition to women's
involvement in the auxiliary, women have been active firefighters since the
1960s. The first women firefighters in the company were Bonnie Barnes, Bev
Stoliker, and Jean Snyder, auxiliary members who expanded their involvement by
joining the fire company.
Burtonville's second truck was purchased in
1959. The body was removed from the 1948 GMC truck and placed on this new
chassis. Because the cab was painted red and the body was painted white,
Burtonville became known as the "pepsi cola fire department," as the truck
sported the color combination of the pepsi cola company.
In May of 1950,
Burtonville Volunteer Fire Department was designated an emergency rescue
squad. In 1990, the Fire Department expanded services to provide trained
First Responders and Emergency Medical Technicians for medical emergencies
within the fire district. The first Emergency Medical Technicians for BVFD
were Jean Bradt and John McKeeby.
Burtonville Volunteer Fire Department
members have been honored in larger ways. Firefighter Tony Solomon of
Braman's Corners was named Fireman of the Year for Montgomery County and Gordon
Humphrey received an Honorable Mention for this same honor. In addition to
responding to fires, Burtonville Firefighters have responded to flooding, storm
damage, and hazardous materials emergencies. During the ice storm of 1998,
Burtonville sent three of its firefighters on extended service to Malone, NY to
assist emergency personnel in North Country communities.
Under the
leadership of Chief John Vice, the fire hall built an addition in 1989 and
1990. The kitchen was enlarged and updated and a new bay was built for the
department's trucks. As with the previous construction, the addition was
built through the labor of it's members.
In its 60 years of
existence, the Burtonville Fire Department has been an indespensable
part of
the community.
