Archives 2014

How many young men and women have said that they wanted to be a firefighter since they were 8 years old ??  The satisfaction of getting on the back of a fire truck and helping somebody on the worst day of their lives that is just about the best feeling in the world. Participating in the Herkimer and Oneida Counties Firefighter Training Camp hosted by the Frankfort Fire Department will make those dreams for the twenty-one students attending the boot camp from several departments including Clayville, Deerfield, Mohawk, New Hartford, Newport, Salisbury, Sherrill-Kenwood, St. Johnsville, Stratford, Vernon, Whitesboro and Willowvale a reality.  Officials say the camp packs four to five months worth of training into 10 days for students who want to be a certified firefighter.

This is the second year the Frankfort Fire Department has hosted the camp, last year, we had 18 graduate and go back and serve their communities, said Frankfort Fire Chief Charles Conigliaro.  Coordinated by the Herkimer and Oneida County Offices of Emergency Management, Conigliaro said both emergency management offices canvassed their respective counties to find interested students. They eventually had to turn away 18 people because all the spots were filled. This year’s students are being housed at Herkimer College and transported by bus from the town of Webb School District.

Chief Conigliaro outlined the 2014 course objectives:

Safe delivery and performance of basic fire operations.  Skills and knowledge to include interior and exterior firefighting survival skills and tactics.  Maintain an environment with personal and operational teamwork that empowers workplace discipline, respect and ethics.

Conigliaro also said these new firefighters need to have certified training before delivering emergency services, according to NY State law, which this course provides. He also said students can test for their national and state certifications after completing the course.

The training camp includes classroom and hands-on training. On Thursday, students visited different stations on the service road between Frankfort-Schuyler Junior-Senior High School and Frankfort-Schuyler Elementary School to experience several skills firefighters need to have. The stations included how to use a hydrant, hose loading, apparatus appliance and nomenclature, establishing a water supply and hose rolling and storage.

During the Tuesday, July 15th  evening session, Chief Conigliaro spoke to the students about community involvement and about groups that step up to the plate and support the efforts of these young man and women as they train very hard to help out their communities.  The Chief went on to tell them of the involvement of the New Vision Pioneers over the past many years, teaming up with the Frankfort Department and the Herkimer County 911 Center to provide actual hands on training to elementary school students about how to handle emergency situations if they arise. He went on to say, that it is because of Pioneer members Don Peterson, Mike Fitzgerald and Roosevelt Kilpatrick and their dedication, that these types of training programs exist.  To help support this years Firefighter Training Camp, we presented the group a check for $500.00 to help offset expenses.

The Oneonta/Norwich Club donated $500.00 to the Lord’s Table, a soup kitchen and food pantry.Pictured above left is President Lynne Solovitch, Lord’s Table manager, Joyce Mason, and Past-President, Dottie Wooden presenting the check outside the front door to the Lord’s Table.

Cell phones distributed to fire departments  Don Peterson addresses firefighters who gathered at the Ilion Municipal Building Tuesday to receive cell phones from Verizon on behalf of their departments. TELEGRAM PHOTO/By DONNA THOMPSON
Telegram Trends Editor, Jan 31, 2014 3:56 pm

• ·ILION — Firefighters from several area departments will have cell phones to use for the next year thanks to a partnership between Ilion Community Watch and CWA Local 1126, the Verizon Pioneers and Verizon Wireless. Representatives from the Herkimer County 911 Center, along with the Little Falls, East Herkimer, Schuyler, Frankfort Center, Frankfort Hill, Frankfort, Ilion, Herkimer and Mohawk fire departments were on hand at the Ilion Municipal Building Tuesday evening to accept the phones and fill out the necessary paperwork.Each of the new Samsung digital flip phones has 3,000 minutes available and will be live for the next year, according to Don Peterson, Leatherstocking Council E-911 coordinator for the Verizon Pioneers.The phones can be used for either talking or texting in situations where emergency crews can’t use a radio. He noted the recent standoff and fire in Ilion was a situation where normal radio communications could have put emergency personnel at risk.“Hopefully these will make your jobs easier,” Peterson told the firefighters.He said he had expected to receive about 40 phones from Verizon.“They sent us 65,” Peterson said.He said he hopes to obtain enough phones next year to distribute to five or six more area fire departments.The phone project started some years ago when then-Mayor Mark Cushman asked the Ilion Community Watch to find a way to help crossing guards do their jobs more safely. The group was able secure phones through Verizon to make available to the crossing guards. School crossing guards for what is now the Central Valley Central School District receive cell phones to help them in their work, but the program has been expanded to assist other departments as well.Captain Laurie DeVaul, of the Ilion Police Department, thanked Peterson for his efforts.“It’s a huge benefit to the departments,” she said, adding putting information out on the radio could compromise safety or effectiveness during some calls.She said although most people have cell phones now, the police still have some available for people in domestic violence situations.Keith Dye, president of Ilion Community Watch, said the organization has done a great deal for the community over the years and he hopes it will become more active again in the future. 

Excelsior Chapter 98 would like to highlight Ed Swan as our Lifetime Pioneer for April. Ed has been a Pioneer for 34 years and has been actively involved for most of those years. He is the curator for the Pioneer museum located at 65 Franklin St. in Buffalo, New York for the last 20 years and meticulously keeps track of the inventory on hand and has been available to open the museum on Fridays from 9am-1pm or for any community organizations willing to come in by appointment.

Ed has also worked with the Talking Books Repair Project for a short period and is the Area Rep for Chapter 98 for the Telephone Pioneer QSO party on-the-air gathering throughout the United States and Canada since 1984. He currently takes care of the main fundraiser Buffalo/Niagara Region Lucky Days lottery numbers, raising about $5,000 annually to fund current projects. He has been a longtime volunteer for Project Flight/Books for Kids on Monday mornings where he sorts, stamps and boxes books to be made available to children and organizations who are in need. Ed maintains the Buffalo/Niagara Region membership list, updating it twice a year.
Outside of Pioneering, Ed runs bus trips for seniors through his church, All Saints in Buffalo, New York and maintains records for the Black Rock/Riverside Food Pantry, which services about 700 families per month.
Ed is a humble man who likes people and is always willing to help out and be there with a smile.

The Life Member Spotlight is on Nina Gordon, president of Elmira/Corning LMC. She has held several Club Board positions, including Fellowship chair, vice president, and is currently chapter secretary.Nina is involved in many projects. Through a grant, she was able to purchase a flat screen TV and a number of videos for the Domestic Violence shelter which is run by the Salvation Army in our area. She also collects toiletries which are donated to the shelter. Another project that Nina supports is the Bath, NY, VA Medical Center. She and her club sponsor a monthly coffee and refreshment hour for the residents of the nursing home. They also host an annual “Casino Night.”Nina has connected with the local Military Mothers group. They collect articles for the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, pack the boxes and send to the troops. Nina collects items as well as purchasing what is needed. She also sees that Christmas stockings are stuffed and distributed to needy children, arranges to fill backs for back to school, and distributes dictionaries and books for schools.