Goshen Fire Co. Holds 2nd Annual Open House
May 21: On a breezy, overcast Sunday afternoon the Goshen Volunteer Fire Co. rolled out its entire inventory of emergency equipment and welcomed the public in for a visit. Goshen kids of all ages got a chance to sit in the driver’s seats of the Co.’s fire engines, ambulances and rescue vehicles, try on firefighter’s boots, helmets and jackets, take a squeeze on the “jaws of life”, munch on hamburgers and snacks, and otherwise generally just have a good time. Smokey Bear was in attendance, too, providing fun photo opportunities for the many young families that turned out.
Fire Chief Barry Hall, who has held that position for 16 years, following a 14-year stint as Deputy Chief, said that it’s “nice to see the kids come along”, because “that’s our future”.
“I’d like to see the schools talk about volunteerism at an early age”, he said, because small towns like Goshen depend on their volunteers. The message apparently reached more than just the kids, as two new volunteers signed up during the event.
While the Fire Company’s roster is nearly 70 strong, at present, many are older or work out of town. 15 or 16 are available to respond at any given time, Chief Hall estimates, and last year they responded to 430 calls. Basically, on average, “we go out every day”, he said. “Sometimes twice a day”. Roughly 7 of every 10 calls are for Emergency Medical Services, the balance are fire calls.
While major structural fires only occur about once every other year, on average, the Town’s Fire Co. participates in a mutual aid agreement with the other towns in the region. Just two days earlier, Goshen’s trucks had been dispatched to a major barn fire in Cornwall.
Cooperation is not limited to immediate neighboring towns, however, and county coordinators keep track of every town’s equipment and capabilities, marshalling resources in response to large scale events, when they occur. Coordinators can mobilize resources from every town in the State, and when needed, aid from towns in New York State and Massachusetts can be brought in as well. There is no charge to any of the municipalities when their resources and expertise are shared, and it extends the reach of each town’s abilities to react to emergencies of any kind. The Goshen Co.’s particular expertise is water rescue.
The Goshen Volunteer Fire Co. was formed in 1943, and the original station was next door to the Congregational Church at the center of town. A 1943 Dodge fire truck is still owned by the Company and sits in storage in a nearby barn. The Company moved to its present location in 1972.
Things have changed a lot since those early days, of course. Joe Padone, the Co.’s most senior member, with 53 years of service, recalled how in his early days a siren would go off in the middle of the night when a call came into the firehouse. Someone would then have to go there to answer the phone and find out where services were needed. An answering service was hired when the Company moved to its current location, but communication was still a challenge and whoever responded to the call would have to write the information on a blackboard so that others would know where to go when they arrived.
Today, of course, communications are nearly instantaneous, and the equipment is far more effective, but it is also far more expensive. The cost to outfit a single firefighter – helmet, boots, coat, etc., can run in excess of $6000, and with an air-pak added in the cost easily doubles.
All equipment has a limited service life, as well, and the Town recently ordered a new fire engine at a cost of $1 million to replace its aged 1989 pumper/tanker #2. The firehouse itself is also crammed to capacity with emergency and rescue equipment.
