Bob Theadore looks on as veteran firefighter Earle Poley and his wife Mae look at memorabilia.
Story and photos by Ted Waddell
NORTH BRANCH – The firefighters of Station 29, the North Branch Volunteer Fire Department, celebrated their 100th Anniversary with an open house at the fire station on Saturday, March 20.
Carol Welton, wife of Chief Alan Welton and Dawn Sander show off the special U.S. Postal Service commemorative cancellation.
The department was organized on March 17, 1910, and in the words of Earle Poley, their oldest serving member, was set up “by a bunch of men who realized the necessity of some kind of organization to fight fires as well as helping in any other emergencies.”
A few years down the road, Poley and his beloved wife Mae sat inside the firehouse looking over albums of photos and newspaper clippings collected over the decades, stories that told of fires striking the local community, and tales of the community banding together to help their neighbors.
Poley signed up to be a fireman at the age of 13, and by the time he turned 22, was elected chief.
“They needed firemen, and in my days the chief did everything, you was everything, he recalled.
Billed as “A Century of Dedication, One Hundred Years of Service”, the 100th Anniversary featured demonstrations of firefighting techniques and equipment, games for the kiddies and commemorative tee-shirts.
Deputy R.J. Ramos of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office was on hand with the DARE car, a hot rod Corvette confiscated from a local drug dealer, while K-9 Deputy Eric Breihof showed up with his K-9 partner, “R.C.”
Station 29 insignia.
“It’s real nice, a lot of people came out,” said Chief Alan Welton, a 25-year member of the local volunteer fire department.
While joking that he joined the department “for the beer,” Welton said the 70-degree weather and sunny skies sure beat minus-20 degrees and three feet of snow during the unpredictable early spring in the Catskills.
Asked if the department was already planning for their 200th Anniversary, he replied, “we’re going to leave it up to them guys.”
Meanwhile outside the firehouse, Mike Sakell was joined by Thunder “Lightning Hot Country” 102 radio folks Paul Ciliberto, Michelle Semerano, Corey Ciliberto and Regina Hensley in interviewing firefighters and providing a live broadcast.
The vintage 1928 Chevrolet apparatus attracted a lot of attention.
The department’s classic 1928 Chevrolet apparatus attracted a lot of attention from young and old alike, including a couple of teenagers who sat in the drivers seat.
Ruth Elliott is a 16-year old volunteer firefighter from Hortonville.
“It’s hard work, but fun…the guys are polite, they treat you like you’re their brother, it’s very cool,” he said, adding that her father and grandfather are members of the local fire service. Jessica Welton, 15, is proud of the fact that her grandfather serves as chief of the North Branch Volunteer Fire Department.
During the course of the afternoon, hundreds of folks made their way through the firehouse, and paused to watch a slide show created by Brittany Flynn,, a visual presentation of vintage photographs inter-spliced with 100th Anniversary photographs donated by The Catskill Chronicle.
Ruth Elliott is a 16-year old firefighter from Hortonville, while 15-year Jessica Welton’s grandfather is chief of the NBVFD.
She hails from a long line of firefighters and members of the ladies auxiliary, including her father, brother, cousin, uncle, mother and aunt.
”Everyone sticks together, they’re not just firemen, they’re friends,” Flynn said of that band of brothers (and sisters) serving their local community.
Dennis Finley has been a firefighter with the Callicoon Center Volunteer Fire Department ever since he moved to the Upper Delaware River Valley.
“We all refer to ourselves as first responders and when we get a call, no matter what’s going on in our lives at that particular moment, we stop and respond to the emergency,” he said.
“You step out of your own life and focus on how you’re going to be able to help…it’s a rewarding experience at the end of the day. There’s a sense of personal honor in being a firefighter…it’s a good feeling being part of the community.”
To view more photos or to purchase prints from Happy Birthday Station 29 visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.
Click any service in this box to share this post with your friends!
Related
The Catskill Chronicle 
Happy Birthday Station 29
March 23, 2010 by The Catskill Chronicle
Bob Theadore looks on as veteran firefighter Earle Poley and his wife Mae look at memorabilia.
Story and photos by Ted Waddell
NORTH BRANCH – The firefighters of Station 29, the North Branch Volunteer Fire Department, celebrated their 100th Anniversary with an open house at the fire station on Saturday, March 20.
Carol Welton, wife of Chief Alan Welton and Dawn Sander show off the special U.S. Postal Service commemorative cancellation.
The department was organized on March 17, 1910, and in the words of Earle Poley, their oldest serving member, was set up “by a bunch of men who realized the necessity of some kind of organization to fight fires as well as helping in any other emergencies.”
A few years down the road, Poley and his beloved wife Mae sat inside the firehouse looking over albums of photos and newspaper clippings collected over the decades, stories that told of fires striking the local community, and tales of the community banding together to help their neighbors.
Poley signed up to be a fireman at the age of 13, and by the time he turned 22, was elected chief.
“They needed firemen, and in my days the chief did everything, you was everything, he recalled.
Billed as “A Century of Dedication, One Hundred Years of Service”, the 100th Anniversary featured demonstrations of firefighting techniques and equipment, games for the kiddies and commemorative tee-shirts.
Deputy R.J. Ramos of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office was on hand with the DARE car, a hot rod Corvette confiscated from a local drug dealer, while K-9 Deputy Eric Breihof showed up with his K-9 partner, “R.C.”
Station 29 insignia.
“It’s real nice, a lot of people came out,” said Chief Alan Welton, a 25-year member of the local volunteer fire department.
While joking that he joined the department “for the beer,” Welton said the 70-degree weather and sunny skies sure beat minus-20 degrees and three feet of snow during the unpredictable early spring in the Catskills.
Asked if the department was already planning for their 200th Anniversary, he replied, “we’re going to leave it up to them guys.”
Meanwhile outside the firehouse, Mike Sakell was joined by Thunder “Lightning Hot Country” 102 radio folks Paul Ciliberto, Michelle Semerano, Corey Ciliberto and Regina Hensley in interviewing firefighters and providing a live broadcast.
The vintage 1928 Chevrolet apparatus attracted a lot of attention.
The department’s classic 1928 Chevrolet apparatus attracted a lot of attention from young and old alike, including a couple of teenagers who sat in the drivers seat.
Ruth Elliott is a 16-year old volunteer firefighter from Hortonville.
“It’s hard work, but fun…the guys are polite, they treat you like you’re their brother, it’s very cool,” he said, adding that her father and grandfather are members of the local fire service. Jessica Welton, 15, is proud of the fact that her grandfather serves as chief of the North Branch Volunteer Fire Department.
During the course of the afternoon, hundreds of folks made their way through the firehouse, and paused to watch a slide show created by Brittany Flynn,, a visual presentation of vintage photographs inter-spliced with 100th Anniversary photographs donated by The Catskill Chronicle.
Ruth Elliott is a 16-year old firefighter from Hortonville, while 15-year Jessica Welton’s grandfather is chief of the NBVFD.
She hails from a long line of firefighters and members of the ladies auxiliary, including her father, brother, cousin, uncle, mother and aunt.
”Everyone sticks together, they’re not just firemen, they’re friends,” Flynn said of that band of brothers (and sisters) serving their local community.
Dennis Finley has been a firefighter with the Callicoon Center Volunteer Fire Department ever since he moved to the Upper Delaware River Valley.
“We all refer to ourselves as first responders and when we get a call, no matter what’s going on in our lives at that particular moment, we stop and respond to the emergency,” he said.
“You step out of your own life and focus on how you’re going to be able to help…it’s a rewarding experience at the end of the day. There’s a sense of personal honor in being a firefighter…it’s a good feeling being part of the community.”
To view more photos or to purchase prints from Happy Birthday Station 29 visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.
Click any service in this box to share this post with your friends!
Related
Posted in Comments | Leave a Comment
Comments RSS