Apalachin Fire Department

Year in Review 2003
• New Members
 Don Ames, Amanda Brown, Dan Cacciaglia, Shaun Foland, Andrew Hayko, Erin Knaul. Christopher Shelp.

• Removed from Rolls
 Jason and Krista Allen, Paul Garlitz, Nicole Kresge, Laura Runyon,   Christopher Graham, Blaise Ryan.

• Deceased Members
 Chuck Stanley, Life Member, died January 31, 2003, after a prolonged illness.  Chuck joined in 1956.
 Ed Lason, Life Member, died November 18, 2003, after a brief illness. Ed joined in 1966.

• Life Members
 Debbie and Paul Phillips received Life Membership this year.  Both have been firefighters with AFD for 21 years. They have coordinated the "Little Miss Apalachin" Contest at the Field Days for the past 16 years.  Debbie has been an ALS provider ever since she joined as well as serving on the "on call" schedule for the same number of years. She has also consistently offered and provided EMS training. Paul has served as an EMS driver, been on the "on call" schedule, and presently serves as a fire policeman.  

• Honorary Member
 Tony Malarky received the award this year for providing us with discounted supplies at the Field Days for many years, for removing the beer tent fencing after the field days, along with his team, and for consistently volunteering his assistance when we were setting up for field days.

• In the Apalachin Area 
 The Apalachin Fire District is comprised of 3,496 properties on approximately 35 square miles of land at an assessed value of $369,169,867.
 The bridge on Rhodes Road was closed due to safety issues. Repair date not determined. Extra distance from Station 1 is 0.4 mile. 
 Fire hydrants were installed on Griffin Drive and Brookside Avenue West in Tioga Terrace. 

• Site Reviews
 Don Ames and Shaun Foland are coordinating at least one site review/month beginning in November with the Smoke House at Pennsylvania Ave. &  Main Street being their first project. Their findings will be reviewed by the advisory board, then placed in the binders located in each apparatus.  We already have site reviews of other facilities in the apparatus, but we should eventually have all the businesses and vacant buildings in Apalachin pre-planned. 

• Contracted EMS Providers - Our tax dollars at work. 
 It's been one year since our contracted EMS providers started on November 18, 2002. Since then, our average emergency response out the door between 6:00 am and 6:00 pm is less than one minute. The day crew, working Monday thru Friday, consists of one paramedic and one EMT-Basic.  They have assisted with many programs and lightened the workload of the volunteer firefighters tremendously. They have also provided new ideas that the department has implemented which improved our EMS capability. Some of their involvement includes:  performing data entry, maintaining our NFIRS program, fit testing, fire prevention tours; maintaining our SAFE Home and Help a Hydrant Programs; modifying our ambulance equipment and supply arrangement to better accommodate patient care, initiated and arranged for our EMT-Basics to administer the EPI-Pens, upgraded our archived records, provide weekly blood pressure screenings; send thank you letters for contributions, and  assist with other administrative duties as needed. Then there are the usual duties of answering the phone and welcoming visitors. This is a plus since, in the past, many times there was no one at the station during the day to satisfy either of these needs.  The day crew is sub-contracted with the Village of Owego who contracts with Superior Ambulance for EMS coverage.