East Meredith FD To Celebrate 75 Years With BBQ, Fireworks

EAST MEREDITH – East Meredith is one of those places where you don't want to blink - but don't be fooled, it is home to a very dedicated group of volunteers. The East Meredith Fire Department was formed in January of 1949 with 40 members. Today they have 37 active members. Not bad when you consider the number of volunteers is diminishing and that they actually split off to form a second district, which is the Pindars Corners Fire Department.

The members of the department are gearing up to celebrate their 75th anniversary with a barbecue and Chinese auction on Saturday, Aug. 24. The day will end with a fireworks display at Hanford Mills Museum. The Chinese Auction runs from noon to 6 p.m. At 3 p.m. they will begin selling the chicken/pork barbecue until it is gone. The meal includes a barbecue quarter of chicken and barbecued pork loin with salt potatoes, baked beans, and a sugar cookie for $15. At dusk, there will be a "huge" fireworks display at Hanford Mills.

"People are really excited that we are going to have fireworks in East Meredith," said Dave Briggs, fire chief for the East Meredith Fire Department. "We never have fireworks in East Meredith and a lot of people are planning  porch parties."

Ralph Dales was the first chief of the department with William Balcom, first assistant and Earl Briggs, second assistant chief. Joe Cody was secretary and Carl Gilmour was treasurer.

An ambulance and one fire truck were purchased in 1949 and they answered their first fire call on Nov. 7, 1949.

There was no firehouse, so the first meetings were held in the District 15 schoolhouse which the department shared with the East Meredith Men's Club and another organization. In 1950 they purchased the old furniture/casket factory from Harry Beames, which he used as a garage. The building went through several renovations over the years to make a meeting room upstairs and space for additional trucks downstairs. It was home for the department until 1997.

The meeting minutes reflect that the members of the East Meredith Fire Department were committed to making their department a success and 30 members signed up for what was known at that time as Basic Fire School. They volunteered time and materials to improve the building and the equipment. Dances at the Davenport Center Grange Hall, now the town hall, were held to raise money. The first dance raised $222.18. They also held clam bakes and what has become known as their famous Pancake Day. They held other fundraisers to help defray the cost of operating the new department.

There is a continued commitment on the part of today's members, said Briggs. They continue to volunteer many hours to attend the required training courses and maintain the equipment, buildings, and grounds. They continue to respond to fires, motor vehicle accidents, and many other emergencies. And they still have their annual Pancake Day each spring and spaghetti dinner fundraiser each fall. 

Briggs said those are their two major fundraisers. However, in order to celebrate such an important anniversary they decided to add a summer barbecue and associates of the department added the silent auction to raise money for pre-eclampsia.

"We just want people to come and enjoy the day and watch the fireworks. It's our way of giving back to those who have supported us over the years."

The history of the department also reflects that Kate Shaw, who was the next door neighbor to the first East Meredith Fire House, ran next door to set off the siren when there was a fire. She also set it off at noon time. Before that, someone had to drive to the firehouse and set off the alarm. It was a blessing when she moved next door and they could call her to set off the whistle.

The fire district was divided in 1962 and the East Meredith Rural Fire Department No. 2 was formed at Pindars Corners to cover part of the district along state Route 23 and the Southside Oneonta area to the Delaware County line near the city of Oneonta. The area was growing and there was a need for a quicker response to fire calls and additional equipment closer to that area.

A Ladies Auxiliary was organized in 1975 to assist and support the firemen. Most were wives of the firemen and provided coffee and cookies at fire scenes. For a major fire they provided sandwiches to the firemen. They also got involved in the fundraising. The most popular was their annual raffle, held in conjunction with Pancake Day. The money raised was donated to the needy as well as to help purchase supplies for the firemen. They also worked to raise money to help finance the "Marty Winn" kitchen in the old fire house. The cabinets from there were moved to the new fire house.

Improvements in communication were made in 1989 to provide better communication and quicker response to emergency calls. As the area changed, with fewer farmers and men going out of town to work, the siren was no longer the best way to get a response. A paging system was installed in 1989, at a cost of $10,000 for a base unit and 15 pagers. It was funded by a $5,000 matching funds grant from the O'Connor Foundation and a Department of Environmental Conservation grant. Now all firefighters or EMS personnel have a pager.

The ambulance service was discontinued in 1966. In 1991, the department organized a First Responders unit, with five members. They began a six-month intensive training program in June to become Certified First Responders. Since that time, several members have received additional training to become New York State-certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). There are currently four EMTs. Funds from the Niels Norberg Fund, a $5,000 matching funds grant from the O'Connor Foundation, and generous donations from the community allowed the department to purchase First Responders emergency equipment. A response vehicle was made possible by a donation from a Long Island fire department.

By 1996, the department had outgrown its facility and the district had the opportunity to purchase a new building. Voters approved the purchase and members of the department worked long hours to retrofit it for use as a firehouse. The front part of the building houses the fire vehicles and apparatus while the rear serves as a meeting room. A kitchen was also installed and gets lots of use.

The nice thing, said Briggs, is that the new fire hall also serves as a community center. "There is something going on there all the time. It really is nice to make it available to the community," said Briggs. 

The East Meredith Fire Department currently has 37 active members, two fire police, and numerous honorary members, auxiliary members, and associate members. Of the 37 active members, 11 are interior attack personnel and 10 are EMS personnel. The associate members are people from the community who come in and help the auxiliary and department with fundraising and other events. "The associate members really help us out a lot," said Briggs. "We are very fortunate."

Last year the department responded to 214 calls, which included 12 structure fires, along with trees and wires down, grass and brush fires, landing zones, chimney fires, carbon monoxide alarms, and other calls. Like most departments, EMS response is responsible for the majority of the calls, making up 161 of those 214 total calls.

Current officers of the department, include Dave Briggs, chief;   Jarrod Carrington, first assistant chief; Charlie Ashe, second assistant chief; Allan Briggs, third assistant chief; Shannon Christensen, safety officer; Paul Schneeloch, fire police captain; Dennis Dalton, first lieutenant; Jerry Parkes second lieutenant; Dave Carrington, captain/treasurer; Christine Briggs, captain/secretary; Peter Blue, EMS captain; Donna Dalton,, first lieutenant;  Rich Darmondy, second lieutenant.

The department now has a 2000 Peterbilt pumper/tanker, a 2014 Kenworth tanker; a 2007 GMC 5500 4 x 4 mini pumper/light rescue truck; a 2019 Chevrolet 2500 HD EMS response vehicle, and a 2005 Chevrolet suburban utility vehicle.

They have come a long way from the 1949 Chevrolet pumper they used to respond to the first fire.

Briggs, who is the grand-nephew of Earl Briggs, the first, first assistant chief, and a long-ago town supervisor, said the 1949 pumper was the first fire truck he drove when he joined the department.

He is a 50-year member of the fire department and has been the chief for 25 of those years. He has served as some sort of chief since 1982, previously serving as a second assistant and then a first assistant. He is also a county fire coordinator. He kind of chuckles that the fire service is in his blood, along with serving on the town board. He is a member of the Meredith Town Council.