Friday's MDA "Fill the Boot" drive sponsored by the IAFF local was an amazing success according to city firefighter Greg Ireland.
Ireland said city firefighters collected $7,156 for "Jerry's Kids."
That tops a record set last year by city firefighters when they raised $5,601.
"We are very grateful to the wonderful people of Batavia and Genesee County who gave to this great charity," Ireland said.
Members of the Batavia City Fire Department are out on Main, Ellicott and Court streets today with boots collecting donations for "Jerry's Kids."
The annual "Fill the Boot" fundraiser is sponsored by the International Association of Firefighters and benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
City firefighters will be on scene until 5 p.m.
If you can't make it by or prefer to make a donation with a credit card, click here.
Capt. Pat O'Donnell is on his final shift with the Batavia Fire Department tonight.
He joined the department Sept. 5, 1979 and decided it's time to stow his boots permanently.
"The body is not like it used to be," O'Donnell said. "It takes a few days to recuperate after being here for four."
Divorced with two daughters in college, O'Donnell has no sure plans for his retirement. He is staying in Batavia (His family was in Elba when he was born and moved to Batavia when he was in third grade.) and looking forward to a summer of taking it easy, playing golf and taking a couple of trips with his girls.
Asked if he had a message for the community, O'Donnell said, "The community should feel blessed that they’ve got this place. The guys do a hell of a job with the equipment that they’ve got. I know over the course of the last two or three years we’ve gotten a lot of bad publicity but the people in the city don’t realize what they have in this place. They do a good job."
A team of five firefighters from the City of Batavia Fire Department participated in the American Lung Association's Fight for Air Climb this month.
The climb was a race up 38 floors -- or 800 steps -- that took place at the HSBC tower in Buffalo to raise funds for the American Lung Association. The team from Batavia finished second in the open team division with an average time of 6 minutes 44 seconds.
Also, the team raised a total of $955 for the American Lung Association, which is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research.
These Batavia firefighters participated: Mark Sacheli, Greg Ireland, Mike Morris, Jeff Whitcombe and Jerry Yoder.
A story published by The Batavian in August 2009 received a second-place award from the International Association Firefighters in the organization's 2010 media awards.
The story, about the local firefighters' union annual MDA "Fill the Boot" campaign while ambulance layoffs loomed, was picked for nomination by City Fighterfighter Bob Fix and other members of the department.
The award category was for news stories on the Web. First place went to 1strespondernews.com.
A total of 245 entries from throughout the United States and Canada were judged in the competition.
Along with the recognition, the IAFF presented The Batavian with a $250 check.
Saturday, the Batavia Fire Department held an open house, which included a chance for the kids to shoot a fire hose at traffic cones, a chance to get a close-up view of the fire trucks, information on fire safety, a child seat safety check (with the help of Batavia Police) and a demonstration of how the fire department can get trapped people out of a car.
The dismantling of a car was pretty fascinating and are a good portion of the pictures after the jump.
To purchase pictures from the event, click here.
A few years as a Town of Batavia volunteer firefighter convinced Notre Dame graduate Mark Sacheli that he wanted to land a full-time job in the fire services.
This month, after 11 weeks of training at the New York State Fire Academy, things turned out for Sacheli better than he'd hoped -- now not only is he a career firefighter, he's serving in Batavia.
"I feel extremely fortunate to get a job doing what I love in my hometown," Sacheli said.
The 27-year-old bachelor was attending SUNY Brockport working toward a degree in physical education when his father suggested he would serve himself well by getting some EMT training and joining a volunteer department.
"After a few years I decided I didn't want to be a phys ed teacher," Sacheli said. "This is what I wanted to do. This is a career."
He said firefighting is an exciting job.
"Everything meshes well to make it a well-rounded job," Sacheli said. "Every day is different."
When he's not in uniform, Sacheli said he enjoys staying active. He described himself as an avid sports enthusiast who plays golf, softball, basketball and skies.
That fits in well with finding a job at home, where all of his friends live. He wanted to stay close to friends and family.
"The community is full of good people," Sacheli said.
City firefighters were at Robert Morris School this afternoon teaching the Pre-K students about fire safety. The class time included instruction on drop-tuck-and-roll, using your "outside voice" to get a firefighter's attention, and not being afraid of the big person in the funny looking suit.
City firefighters were back in training mode Friday afternoon, getting more practice with a safety system that will help them escape a burning building if they ever become trapped on a second floor or higher during a fire.
Chief James Maxwell said that in order to help personnel achieve the proficiency in the system he thinks they need (see previous story), he's now requiring the firefighters practice with the system at least once a quarter rather than only twice per year.
Not to be one to ask of his firefighters something he wouldn't do himself, Maxwell went through the training today as well.
Above, Firefighter Harmon goes through the drill. After the jump, Chief Maxwell and Firefighter Anne Kleinbach.
Being a relatively new observance, National Preparedness Month is not necessarily widely known. It is what Homeland Security designated the month of September in 2002, in response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
This initiative, which has the support of the Red Cross and other such organizations, is geared toward helping individuals, families, schools and workplaces develop efficient emergency response plans. This way, they will be ready in the event of a disaster -- natural or manmade.
Jim Maxwell, chief of the Batavia Fire Dept., recently commented on the fact that National Preparedness Month gets too little attention at the local level.
"It upsets me that not enough people get involved locally," he said. "I'd like to try and prepare for more (involvement) next year."
Maxwell's disappointment stems from his belief that every emergency is local in nature.
"It just depends on how you define local," he said. "'Local' starts in the household. For me (as fire chief), local means the City of Batavia. For someone like Jay Gsell (the Genesee County manager), the word 'local' has an even broader meaning. It (an emergency) starts and ends locally."
Of course, reparedness is not limited to September -- it ought to be a year-round priority.
"Part of my position is to make people aware," Maxwell said. "National Preparedness measures make things easier in the long run, because people are trained to handle smaller emergencies while we (firemen, emergency response teams, law enforcement, etc.) handle the bigger emergencies."
The chief pointed to National-Preparedness-Month-related websites that list things people can do to be ready for an emergency or disaster, as well as prepare for greater involvement in promoting the awareness campaign next year.
He mentioned websites like www.ready.gov, which educates people regarding steps they can take in order to successfully weather emergencies and provides information on what materials/provisions/supplies (and how many) they will need.
If you Google terms such as "National Preparedness Month" and "survival mom" (for parents), you will find a lot of useful information, including:
Another website Maxwell mentioned was www.72hourplan.com.
Anyone who is interested in contributing to National Preparedness Month next year or would simply like more information can contact Maxwell at jmaxwell@batavianewyork.com, or call 345-6400, ext. 4379.
James Maxwell, Batavia's new fire chief, has been on the job for only a few days, but he says he's getting settled in. He's worked with only two platoons of firefighters so far and said he's tried to let them know he believes in open communication.
"Bad news doesn't get better with time, so let's jump right on it," Maxwell said.
So far, though, Maxwell doesn't see any big changes coming and is impressed with the dedication and drive of department staff.
After a couple of years of musical chairs in the chief's office, the main thing now is to establish stable leadership, Maxwell said.
"(Turnover) has been unfair to the firefighters because of the inconsistency it creates," Maxwell said. "Hopefully, we can bring some continuity to the position."
One of the big questions on everybody's mind, Maxwell acknowledged, given his background in running a mixed department -- volunteers working along side full-time paid firefighters: Is the new chief aiming to move Batavia in that direction?
"That issue has not been expressed to me up to this point (by City Hall)," he said. "Two years from now, the organization may look very different than it does today. We don't know that it won't change. We don't have a crystal ball. As for now, the short term, it's business as usual."
City firefighters were at the Tonawanda Creek behind the courthouse this morning for some water rescue practice. It was a fairly simple exercise -- get the inflatable raft in the creek and guide it using ropes to waterfalls. It's been some years since anybody has drowned in this area of the creek, but the firefighters wanted to put together a plan to get the raft to the falls in case anybody ever becomes stuck there.
New City of Batavia fire chief Jim Maxwell is a wily veteran of Rochester-area fire departments. All in all, Maxwell has logged over 80 combined years, volunteer and paid, with the North Greece, Lakeshore and Kodak fire departments.
In a phone interview today, Maxwell said experiences during his 23 years at Kodak -- 10 of them as a as a haz-mat resource technician -- were especially educational.
"I think nowadays, you need to be prepared for any type of situation," says Maxwell. "I think the experience I've had with my 20-plus years with Kodak...has prepared me for this type of situation. Really, any type of structural fire you go to is a minor haz-mat situation, with the products of combustion that burn nowadays."
The Kodak department, however, did not strictly deal with chemicals. Maxwell says the Kodak complex was like a small city of its own in its heyday -- with all the emergency nuances of a city as well.
"You were looking at a daytime population of 20,000, with over 250 major buildings," he says. "We were 120 members strong...we operated out of three fire stations, and ran about 3,600 calls a year."
During his career, Maxwell has also served as a senior firefighter/EMT, lieutenant, battalion chief, deputy chief and assistant chief. But he has only one year's experience as chief of a department: 2006, with North Greece. Maxwell doesn't expect that to hamper him in Batavia.
"I feel with that background -- and other supervisory positions I've had throughout my career -- I'm prepared for the challenge."
At last night's Batavia City Council meeting, the council voted to give Maxwell a one-year exemption on the residency requirement, which mandates that the city fire chief live within the Genesee County lines.
Maxwell says with a year to go, moving isn't yet his top priority. He plans to first sit down with Fire Captain and former Acting Chief Craig Williams next week to find out about normal station operations. Then he'll set up a formal meeting with the entire station, and research the strategic five-year and 10-year plans for the fire department.
All that while still commuting from Greece. Maxwell says once he's comfortable in the new role, then he'll think about moving.
"It's close to home, living in Monroe County," notes Maxwell. "So with family close by, it makes that commute a lot easier than traveling to different areas of the country."
Commuter or not, Maxwell brings a level of stability -- finally -- to a department that's seen five chiefs in less than five years.
"I'm excited about the opportunity," he says, "and looking forward to working with the dedicated individuals in the organization...and moving forward in the right direction."
At National Night Out in Austin Park this evening, Batavia City Fire Department was on hand with Ladder 15. My joke, pointing to the top, "What's the price of the ride?"
That evolved into permission to get an actual ride high over Batavia aboard the platform of Ladder 15.
Thank you to city fire for letting me get a view of Batavia from such a great vantage point.
Firefighter Bob Fix drove the rig up and back down, and I know he was laughing under his breath when he said, "You know you can let go of the railing. You're wearing a harness."
The wind and any movement causing the bucket to sway wasn't frightful so much as it was disconcerting. I politely declined his offer to not keep one hand on the railing to steady myself.
More pictures after the jump (and more pictures from National Night Out T/K):
You may seen firefighters around town in pink T-shirts over the next week or so. It's not the new team color. After the wife of a firefighter was diagnosed with breast cancer, the entire department agreed to start wearing pink T-shirts as a sign of support. It's also turned into a fundraiser.
Members of the department will be at Thursday's Batavia Muckdog's game selling pink T-shirts with the Batavia City Fire Department logo on the front for $10 each. The proceeds will benefit Genesee Caner Assistance.
Pictured from left are, Rich Stefani, Mike Morris, Jeff Stevens, Bill Hilchey and Frank D'Angelo.
City firefighters raised $5,601 in support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association this year as part of its annual "Fill the Boot" campaign.
It's the most ever donated in a single MDA boot drive, according to Greg Ireland, president of IAFF Local 896.
On Friday, off duty firefighters, stood at the intersections of Main and Court and Ellicott and Court with firefighter boots and asked passersby to drop in donations.
"It was an amazing day," Ireland said.
Firefighters Mike Morris and Jeff Whitcombe were on Main Street at Court Street this morning collecting donations from drivers passing by as part of the City of Batavia Fire Department Local 896's annual campaign. The funds benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Firefighters will be at Main and Court and Ellicott and Court until 5 p.m.
At the age of 18, Tracy Miller and James Keller were just two teens riding their bikes on an evening in Bergen in 1958.
They happened to hear there was a fire on Maple Street, so they rode by the scene with great interest. To their surprise, the fire chief at the time yelled to the boys to get up on the fire truck and help out.
Holding the water hose and instantly becoming a part of the crew at the scene was the moment when both men fell in love with the idea of being a firefighter. Looking back on that fond memory, Miller explained how “it was so exciting” for them to be able to offer help to such a critical service.
Both lifelong residents of the Bergen community, and lifelong friends, were happy to share their stories with me.
This spring, the Town of Bergen commended Miller and Keller for their 50 years of service. It was an honor to get to meet them and their wives, Loretta and Wilda, respectively.
Miller shared with me that at the age of 18 when he signed up to be a Bergen firefighter, his name was placed on a waiting list.
“At the time, volunteering for the community was the thing to do," Miller added.
It was in July of 1959 when Tracy Miller officially joined the fire department. Keller was appointed as a member in 1958, just after his father was recognized for 65 years of service to the fire department.
"It has been an ongoing generation sort of thing for the Keller family to be a part of the fire department," he said.
Both men are still active and greatly involved with the fire department and now serve as fire policemen. Their exceptional contributions and volunteerism continue to inspire junior fire members, as well as Bergen and its youth.
For Miller, the most gratifying reward for being a part of the FD for so many years, he told me, has been “simply being able to help my neighbors in their time of need.” Keller also agreed that being able to help others has definitely been the most satisfying result of this uncompensated labor of love.
As if dedicating one’s life as a volunteer firefighter isn't enough public service, these guys do a lot more and Bergen is the better for it.
Miller served on the Town Board of Bergen for 16 years. He is the vice president of the Historical Society, a Mason, and a deacon at The First Presbyterian Church. He also volunteers at the Senior Center in Batavia to help people with their taxes, and he provides elderly people he's met through the FD with transportation when needed.
Bergen Town Supervisor Don Cunningham said “what makes Tracy’s 50 years of service even more extraordinarily unique is that he still remains active. Whether arriving at the hall to pilot the ambulance, direct traffic at a fire scene, or just be available to lend a hand where needed."
Currently, Miller is helping to the fire department plan its 150th year celebration for 2011.
Keller is active in the Cemetery Association at Mt. Rest as is Miller.
Keller was a member of the EMT rescue squad for 10 years. And he currently participates as an Institutional Representative for Boy Scouts, which is sponsored by United Methodist Church, where he has been a member for 20 years. Keller is also a member of the V.F.W.
Not only have both men been recognized for their 50 years, and counting, of outstanding work as a volunteer for the Bergen Fire Department, they both continue to gain satisfaction from their incredible volunteering roles in the community by participating in various village functions.
Tracy Miller is pictured on top. Above is James Keller.
City of Batavia firefighters are asking local residents to once again "fill the boot."
The annual fundraising drive benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
At 9 a.m. Friday, residents are encouraged to drive through the intersection of Court Street and Ellicott Street or Court and Main and drop donations into a firefighter's boot.
This is the 16th year City of Batavia Fire Department Local 896 has sponsored a local "fill the boot" drive.
Last year, the community donated $4,500 to the effort.
"Everyone at the firehouse is looking forward to this Friday," said Union President Greg Ireland. "The guys really appreciate the generosity of those that can give, whether it be their spare change, a dollar or even more."
Donations help cover everything from wheelchairs to braces, physical therapy sessions to kids summer camps.
Photo: File photo from last year.
At the age of 18, Tracy Miller and James Keller were just two teens riding their bikes on an evening in Bergen around the year 1958.
They happened to hear there was a fire on Maple St., so they rode by the scene with great interest. To their suprirse, the fire chief at the time yelled down to the boys to get up on the fire truck and help.
Holding the water hose, and instantly becoming a part of the crew at the scene was the moment where both men fell in love with the idea of being a firefighter. Looking back on that fond memory, Miller explained how "it was so exciting" to be able to offer help at such a time, to such a critical service.
Both lifelong residents of the Bergen community, and lifelong friends, were happy to share their stories of dedication and service with me.
The town of Bergen recently commended Miller and Keller for their 50 years of service in the Fire Department in March of 2010. It was an honor to get to meet with both Tracy, his wife Loretta Miller, and James and Wilda Keller.
Miller shared with me that at the age of 18, when he signed up to be a fire fighter in Bergen, his name was placed on a waiting list. "At the time, volunteering for the community was the thing to do", Miller added.
It was in July of 1959 when Miller and Keller joined the Fire Department. Keller was appointed as a member just after his father had been a part of the FD for a total of 65 years. Keller added, "it has been an ongoing generation sort-of-thing for the Keller family to be a part of the Fire Department."
Both miller and Keller are still active and greatly involved with the FD as they now participate as Fire Policemen. Their exceptional acts of volunteering continue to shine light on other junior fire members, as well as the community of Bergen and its youth.
For Miller, the most gratifying reward from being a part of the FD for so many years, he shared, has been "simply being able to help my neighbors in their time of need." Keller also agreed that being able to help others has definitely been the most satisfying reward from this uncompensated labor of love.
As if dedicating one's life as a volunteer fire fighter doesn't receive a loud enough applause, both individual's contributions to the community exceed past their role in the FD.
Tracy Miller also served on the Town Board of Bergen for 16 years. He is the Vice President of the Historical Society, a member of the Masons, and a Deacon at The First Presbyterian Church in Bergen. He also volunteers his time at the Senior Center in Batavia, and he generously provides elderly with transportation when needed.
Don Cunninghman, Supervisor of the Town of Bergen, stated that Tracy's will to help the community is "extraordinarily unique", whether it be "arriving at the hall to pilot the ambulance, direct traffic at a fire scene, or just be a available to lend a hand where needed", Tracy is there to volunteer.
(Photo: Tracy Miller)
Miller currently dedicates his time to the FD in planning for their 150th year celebration in the upcoming, 2011 year.
Both Miller and Keller actively participate in the Cemetery Association at Mt. Rest where they are currently getting ready for Memorial Day, by placing flags on all of the firefighter's graves.
Keller (pictured below) was a member of the EMT rescue squad for ten years. He is also a present participant as an Institutional Representative for Boy Scouts, which is sponsored by United Methodist Church. He has been a member for 20 years. Keller is also a member of the V.F.W.
Not only have both men been recognized for their 50 years, and counting, of outstanding work as volunteers for the Bergen Fire Department, they both continue to gain satisfication from their incredible contributions to the community by participating in various village functions.
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