Greene County Formally Thanks Its Volunteer Firefighters

Greene County volunteer firefighters were honored by the Greene County Legislature for answering the call to the Ulster-Sullivan Whitehouse Fire and Orange County Wildfire.

GREENE COUNTY - They didn’t do it for the accolades but volunteer firefighters from multiple Greene County departments were formally thanked for their beyond-the-call-of-duty service, last week.

The women and men answering the call received deep appreciation and certificates from the Greene County Legislature after responding to the Ulster-Sullivan Whitehouse Road Fire and Orange County Wildfire.

Lawmakers, lead by Jay Lucas (District 1, Catskill), were joined by county Emergency Services director John Farrell, deputy director Dan King and 911 communications director James DiPerna for the ceremony.

Everyone gathered at the Emergency Services Center in Cairo on the evening of March 12, as Lucas told why they were all present.

“The Whitehouse Fire (aka Peekamoose Fire) began November 8, 2024, in Denning New York,” Lucas said.

“The geographic location of this fire made it unique in terms of response as well as command and coordination efforts.

“The fire was located in Ulster County with the initial responding units being dispatched from Sullivan County. The fire also encroached on and burned some State and NYC DEP property, making this a multi-jurisdictional fire.

“New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control sent a request to the 

Director of emergency services and Greene County Fire coordinator John Farrell, for mutual aid to assist in firefighting operations in both Orange and Ulster counties,” Lucas said.

“While some outbuildings were destroyed, no houses were damaged and no lives were lost. The fire burned 630 acres of land, however, fire crews achieved 100 percent containment on the evening of November 13, 2024.

“The Greene County Legislature would like to formally recognize each and every one of the officers and firefighters that left your jobs and families to respond to this request,” Lucas said.

“Some of you were there for multiple days. Your commitment to your community and selflessness does not not go unnoticed.

“It is with great pride that on behalf of the Greene County Legislature, we present these certificates to all of you who have assisted in those efforts.”

Farrell, in an interview following the event said, “these heroes, on average, spent three days away from families and jobs

“Some companies went twice. I remember when we had major flooding in 2011 [with tropical Storm Irene] and the mutual aid that came in.

“When Ulster and Orange counties reached out to us, we did not hesitate, showing the same true spirit of fire service,” Farrell said.

Noted out for their efforts were the following firefighters:

Athens Fire Department - Antonio Fuentes and Donald Winegard.

Catskill Fire Company - Angelina Colon, Richard Overbaugh, Anthony Rivenburg, Craig Rowell, Benjamin Swart, Sasha Testenko.

Coxsackie Hose Company No. 3 - Ken Bauer, Roger Burdick, Scott Hosier, Richard O’Bryan, Bryan Proper, Maverick Stannard

East Durham Fire Company - Josh Dedrick, Fintan Hogan, Jeremy Sala, Rusty Sala, Dylan Tercasio.

Greene County Emergency Services - Peter Alberti 

Kiskatom Fire Company - Steven Hansen, Mark Lasher, Justin Uvino, Chad Zmiyarch

Medway-Grapeville Fire Department - Dylan Muntz

New Baltimore Fire District - Sam Anderson, Greg Empie, Matt Latham, William Linger, Justin Stratta, Scott VanWormer.

Palenville Fire Department - Harleigh Frascello, Phillip Kenny, Don McGinnis.

Prattsville Hose Company - Eric Dymond, Brandon Hanley, Eugene La Salle, Cole Weingates, Ted Weingates

West Athens-Limestreet Company  - John J. Farrell, Larry Farrell, Luke Farrell, James Murphy, Greg Stanzione.

Windham Hose Company - Jordan Braren, Aaron Cook, John MacDonald, Michael Scarey.

The certificates were handed out, “in recognition of your selfless generosity, unwavering service and exceptional bravery in volunteering to assist with the Ulster-Sullivan Whitehouse Road Fire and the Orange County Wildfire. 

“Your dedication to duty and willingness to go above and beyond to help extinguish these devastating fires demonstrates the highest level of commitment to protecting the lives and properties of others. 

“Your actions embody the true spirit of heroism, and we are proud to acknowledge your extraordinary efforts in safeguarding our communities and supporting neighboring counties during this critical time.

“Thank you for your service, dedication and the sacrifices you make as a volunteer firefighter, you are a true asset to our community and we are deeply grateful for your contribution.”