Dear Editor,
This is an open letter to the Apalachin Fire District taxpayers. As we head into April 2017, we anxiously await the birth of a local giraffe and the demolition and rebuild of our local fire station.
I see a commonality rooted in the optimism that awaits the start of any major life event and the pride that we all have in our community where something like a baby giraffe or a new fire station brings us all together. This new fire station represents a significant milestone in the life of your volunteer fire department, which has faithfully served our community for more than 100 years and it has been wonderful to see our community come together in support of our volunteers.
For the past month, the contractors have been hard at work inside the old station completing asbestos removal. This work effort is expected to be completed by the time you are reading this article. The demolition of the old station should commence the first week of April.
The community can expect to see several weeks of demolition work, excavation, and site development in preparation for the foundation work to begin in mid-May.
Operations have been working out of our two satellite stations for a month now and the feedback I’m receiving from the community is that it has largely been successful and without interruption. This is a tremendous credit to our fire chiefs and volunteers who planned accordingly, were flexible in their procedures, and focused on meeting the mission of the Department.
While the new fire station work continues to move forward, the regular business of the fire district certainly doesn’t stop. The financial oversight and fiscal controls were reviewed again this month as they are on a regular basis.
Two grants were approved for LED lighting upgrades to Stations 2 and 3. Fire Officer Qualifications were reviewed and updated to reflect new classes introduced by our regulatory body, the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) along with policy recommendations to further emphasize safety on the fire scene. The Fire Commissioners priority and the firefighter motto is, “Everyone Goes Home®.”
If you don’t live off Pennsylvania Avenue, perhaps you may want to drive by and see the progress around mid-April. We welcome your engagement and continued support for your fire department. In the interim, please feel free to reach out at any time with questions, concerns or compliments.
Sincerely,
Brian Rieber
Chairman, Board of Fire Commissioners
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