Out of all the recognitions cited during Stafford Fire Department’s annual banquet, one of them featured a guest in the audience who has never donned a firefighter’s full gear or raced into a burning building.
In fact, quite the opposite. Charm Robinson, who lives in Stafford, was the recipient of the department’s finest when a fire broke out in a hay field adjacent to Robinson’s home. Toward the end of the banquet Saturday at Batavia Country Club, she thanked the firefighters from Stafford and other fire departments that showed up that day in July 2021, and for being volunteers.
“We appreciate everything that you do to help the people in our communities,” she said. “You are awesome.”
Robinson further explained to The Batavian what happened and what it meant to her to express her appreciation in person.
“Two years ago, I was at Crossroads House, and they were getting ready for their annual garage sale. And I got two phone calls. My brother called me up, and he goes, 'it looks like there's a fire at your house,' and then a neighbor called me up and said the same thing.
"And there was a fire, a big hay fire in the field on the north side of my house in about five acres burned,” she said. “They all worked hard, and they put that fire out, and it was coming up towards my house. And it was coming up towards the barn that's next to my house. And the firemen saved my house. All these people are all volunteers, and they did that, and how much it meant to me, and how much I wanted to say thank you to them.”
While numbers and statistics may be important to gather and review, she said, it’s the faces of people who are affected by the dedication of firefighters, including her nephew James Call, a City of Batavia firefighter and volunteer at Stafford, on a daily basis, she said.
There were other fire units alongside Stafford that day, she said, and “I tried to go out and thank all of the firemen.”
Chief Timothy Eckdahl shared similar sentiments. He thanked all of the firefighters for their past year of service.
“As we honor a few members tonight, I want to acknowledge that ever has played a part in the success of the Stafford Fire Department this past year,” he said.
Training is one of the most important tasks that they do throughout the year, he said. And this year, the department completed 1,329 training man-hours for both EMS and fire.
Third Assistant Chief Brian Breemes presented the top fire training hour recipient award for a year with 1,188 completed man hours of fire training, topics from SCBA confidence, hose line skills, ladder training, ventilation, gas emergencies, EVOC, bus extrication and other topics for public emergencies.
That award went to Chad Rambach.
The Top 10 responders were named from the 10th up to number one, with a tie of Kari Breemes and Don Hall 10th spot; Brian Pocock for ninth; Ashley Swartzenberg eighth; Jason Smith seventh; Mark Dougherty sixth; Chris Penkszyk fourth; Tim Eckdahl third; Randall Henning second; and Brian Breemes earned the top responder spot.
Stafford Fire Department responded to 298 calls, up from last year’s 271, with 60 percent being EMS and the remaining being structure fires, motor vehicle collisions, good intent, gas leaks, water problems, CO alarms and providing mutual assistance to neighboring districts.
There were 141 total man-hours of EMS training, with topics from CPR and blood pathogens to first aid, patient extrication and many other topics and tasks, including filling out the paperwork necessary for EMS calls.
Julie Bobo was named top EMS training hour recipient.
The final award for the evening went to Matt Hendershott as 2022 Firefighter of the Year for his “truly remarkable” leadership during the pandemic. He was also presented with a proclamation delivered by state Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
Hendershott was credited for being willing to help train and share his knowledge with others, guiding the department and keeping all responders safe while responding to calls throughout the unknowns of COVID-19 and pandemic protocols.
Not one for the spotlight, Hendershott said he did what he was supposed to do. He was chief at the time, serving from 2020 to about six months into 2022, and a member of the fire service in Genesee County for 15 years.
He would talk about working alongside his fellow department members, since serving is about getting the job done, he said.
“The membership is the only reason I was successful at all. They responded well to a doer that wants to be out front leading, and who's not afraid to speak his mind and tell them what he's seeing. I think in the county, especially here, we need more of that,” he said. “And there's a lot of good chiefs that are coming up now that are taking those roles on more where they're not just a command. They're actually a doer, they're gearing up with their guys for mutual aid calls.
"They're leading from the front instead of managing, and that's something that I did that my department responded to," Hendershott said. "And they responded well, and we were very successful.”
Top Photo of Charm Robinson with her nephew, Stafford volunteer firefighter James "Jamie" Call; Matt Hendershott was named 2022 Firefighter of the Year for his “truly remarkable” leadership during the pandemic; the Top 10 responders were named from the 10th up to number one, with a tie for Kari Breemes and Don Hall 10th spot; Brian Pocock for ninth; Ashley Swartzenberg eighth; Jason Smith seventh; Mark Dougherty sixth; Chris Penkszyk fourth; Tim Eckdahl third; Randall Henning second; and Brian Breemes earned the top responder spot; several firefighters were sworn in during a brief installation ceremony; the top fire training hour recipient award went to Chad Rambach for a year with 1,188 completed man hours of fire training, topics from SCBA confidence, hose line skills, ladder training, ventilation, gas emergencies, EVOC, bus extrication and other topics for public emergencies; and James Call served as Master of Ceremonies. Top photo by Joanne Beck, remaining photos by Howard Owens.
