MARGARETVILLE — As part of the annual RecruitNY statewide initiative, the Margaretville Fire Department will open its doors on April 26 so residents can learn how they can serve their volunteer fire department.
As part of RecruitNY Weekend, the Margaretville Fire Department will open its doors on Saturday, April 26 from 10am to 2pm at the fire station at 77 Church Street. Margaretville will join hundreds of volunteer fire departments across New York to raise public awareness regarding the need for volunteers and to highlight the rewards of being a member of a volunteer fire department.
Throughout the day, the Margaretville Fire Department will conduct tours of the station and apparatus, allow visitors to try on gear, demonstrate firefighting activities, provide information, and address questions on becoming a member. Volunteer firefighters will be on hand to discuss the requirements and rewards of joining, and refreshments will be available. All are welcome and encouraged to attend, including families with children.
Like most other volunteer departments in the region and across New York State, Margaretville is struggling to recruit enough new volunteers to meet the need for first responders. In addition to structure fires and brush fires, the department responds to medical emergencies and motor vehicle accidents, and is on the front lines of natural disasters and emergencies of all kinds in the community.
Despite the growing challenges of recruiting new volunteers, the Margaretville Fire Department has welcomed multiple new members in the past year, including our first weekender member. Justin Diehl, who works in emergency management for New York City when he is not at his Margaretville weekend home, attended the department’s RecruitNY event in 2024 and has since been welcomed by the Margaretville Fire Department as a valued member.
“In Margaretville we are perilously close to not being able to meet our mission,” said department chief Nelson Delameter, who was honored in 2022 with FASNY’s annual statewide Fire Service Community Achievement Award. “We want our work to reflect our community. Whether you are new here or have been here your whole life, we want to meet you.”
The Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY) is committed to assisting New York’s 1,700-plus volunteer departments connect with their communities and have sufficient members to protect them properly. Established in 2011, RecruitNY is an undertaking of FASNY. It is made possible by the continuing support and generosity of Lincoln Financial Group (LFG). In 2012, LFG announced the introduction of a new National Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) HEROPLUSSM Program. A first of its kind, LOSAP was designed for individual fire and emergency services departments to help recruit, retain, and reward dedicated volunteers with a program that will help boost their retirement readiness.
For more information, visit margaretvillefiredept.org, follow our Facebook page at facebook.com/MargaretvilleFireDept, or visit RecruitNY.org.
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