Is there a fire in you? The slogan for this year’s Recruit New York is meant to attract members to volunteer fire departments as the number of volunteers declines while the number of paid firefighters increases. Curiosity starts at an early age, at left, as two tykes, too timid to board the truck, stand near their mother while Westmere Fire Department First Lieutenant Chris Hausgaard shows them what hoses firefighters use, fourth slide.
Each department uses helmets, like those in the first slide, to symbolize different members’ ranks, starting with green for safety officer, red for lieutenant, white for chief, yellow for captain, black for regular firefighters, and orange for junior members under the age of 18.
Getting details on how to become a member, second slide, Hector Ferraris, left, at Sunday’s open house, talks with Hausgaard at Westmere where three new applicants signed up. Other Guilderland departments had similar numbers: McKownville with two, Guilderland with four, and Altamont with two.
William Hausler, 6, third slide, wanted to see what it felt like to wear firefighters’ gear. His buddies, Alex Sanchez and Felton White, donned similar garb, perhaps getting ready to join the ranks in another decade.
Photographs by Michael Koff
