Chief says department on ‘right path’
Trending
Fredonia Fire Chief Josh Myers highlighted changes at the Fredonia Fire Department during his first year on the job during a recent interview.
"I'm really excited to share what we've done … the day to day stuff the public doesn't see," he said. "They see us on calls, the big, large things that we're talking about, but they don't see the day to day stuff."
He began by noting, "A lot of our personal protective equipment, our PPE, was expired. I was able to secure some funding to get us healthy in that. That's important -- our responders should have, and need to have, the stuff to keep them safe. So that was a big one for me."
Another change Myers instituted was to career firefighters' scheduling. "By doing that we really streamlined a lot when it comes training and shift work, (and) it does drive overtime down for the village."
The fire department also acquired self-contained breathing apparatus, ambulance loaders, and a new ambulance that is expected later this year.
Myers also got a new incident commander vehicle for himself, after initially getting criticism for seeking the purchase right after the 2022-23 village budget got ratified.
"Every incident commander runs things a little different, they do what works best for them to keep the folks safe," he said. "I use my truck as a command center. I have a whiteboard back there for accountability and assignments, I have pre plans in file drawers… it's worked great for us."
Myers initially lived in West Seneca, where he held his previous position, when he started his Fredonia fire chief tenure. He has since moved to Fredonia. "I've found some hidden gems to eat at, which is great," he said.
He said that during his first three to five months as Fredonia fire chief, "I was evaluating. I wasn't making changes, I was doing a summary of where we stood. Really, it was the second part of the year when we were able to establish some safer processes."
Myers listed hose testing, annual preventative maintenance on tools, physicals, and training as some of those safety improvements.
"Training was a big one," he said. "What we've done is we've implemented 20-plus training hours every month that's open to every member. Not only is training important, we have to train to be good at our jobs, but it is required -- there are standards out there that say what we have to do."
Myers also sought to spotlight strides in community relations.
"We had our first ever open house, which was a big hit. We do plan on doing that again this year," he said. The department is working with village Recreation Department summer programs and Fredonia schools on fire prevention and volunteer opportunities.
"I encourage the public, when they see our apparatus bay doors open as the nice weather rolls in -- come in, stop in and see us," Myers said. "Say hi to us, introduce yourself, let us show you some of the (equipment) and give you a tour. That's really important to me as the chief."
The fire department has also boosted its Facebook presence. "We try to highlight some calls we've been on, everybody's curious," he said. "Just showing our community what we're up to, that's important to me. We try to post our weekly drills."
The Facebook effort is getting noticed in Fredonia. A photo of firefighter Levi Wright saving a pet rabbit from this month's fire at 19 Central Avenue had already garnered 172 reactions by 9 a.m. the next day -- not bad for a small-town fire department.
The community outreach effort is meant to garner interest in fire department volunteering.
"Sure, we have career firefighters here 24 hours a day, but we are reliant on our volunteers to supplement manpower," Myers said. "We need volunteers -- we're no different than anywhere else, our volunteerism is down."
Myers also said the Fredonia Fire Department is trying to grow mutual aid relationships with surrounding departments.
The fire department building on Main Street is getting spruced up through volunteer work by department members, he added.
Myers is confident in the road he has put his department on. Asked about future priorities for the department, he said, "Continue to do what we're doing, that's the short answer. We're really headed down the right path with increasing our training … to ensure we're putting the best product out there for our customers."
The chief also mentioned an apparatus replacement plan. "A fire truck breaks down on the way to the fire, it's really not going to be of much use," he said.
Myers thinks people in Fredonia are satisfied with his first year as fire chief. "I'd love to know if they're not," he said.