GUILDERLAND — Twenty-year-old Chris Fuino is following in his father’s footsteps. He joined the North Bethlehem Fire Department as a junior firefighter at age 15 when his father was the captain, and now he is a second lieutenant and this year’s Albany County Volunteer Firefighter of the Year.

At age 18, Fuino became a professional firefighter, working for the Albany International Airport Fire Department, all the while remaining active as a volunteer for North Bethlehem. He spoke to The Enterprise Friday afternoon before heading off to work.
"The adrenaline rush — you never know what to expect next," Fuino said is the reason he likes being a firefighter. He spends 15 hours a week volunteering, and had the highest call response for his district this year. This means, when all the volunteers’ pagers went off, Fuino was the one who responded the most to the emergencies. He is an emergency medical technician and also spent four months training at the Utica Fire Academy.

The fire department is a good way to meet a lot of friends, Fuino said. Whenever the firefighters aren’t out on a call, they hang out at the firehouse. With a wide age range of volunteers, Fuino said he enjoys teaching the younger guys but also learning a lot from the veterans.
"You get along with everyone as long as you now what you’re doing," Fuino said.

Each fire district picks one Firefighter of the Year and then recommends that individual for the county award; 36 compete for the honor, Fuino said.

The North Bethlehem Fire Department serves parts of Bethlehem, New Scotland, and Guilderland. Fuino lives on the Bethlehem and Guilderland border on School House Road and is a 2003 graduate of Guilderland High School.

In May of 2004, Fuino rescued a 71-year-old man trapped in his home on Knoxford Road in Bethlehem. When he arrived at the burning building, Fuino and the other firefighters were told that there was no one in the home, Fuino said, but, as is customary procedure, they went in to search the house.

As his partner was pushing through the front door, Fuino felt around with his hand, and about 15 feet inside the door, his hand unexpectedly touched the leg of the 71-year-old. The man was sitting on his couch, still conscious, but he was an ailing elderly person who did not have the energy to get to the door, Fuino said; the smoke was already getting to him.
When asked if he is ever concerned or worried about his own safety as he enters a burning building, Fuino said, "It usually is in the back of your mind," but, he went on, there is just so much going on, you don’t have time to think about it.
"He’s pretty remarkable," Cindy Fuino said of her son. He turned 20 on Sept. 21 and received the volunteer of the year award the week before, on Sept. 14.