GOUVERNEUR, NY – 39-year-old Gouverneur-born Steve Young is the very model of a modern public servant. For fifteen years Young has volunteered as a Gouverneur Fire Fighter, the last two spent as an Assistant Chief and the preceding six as Captain. Like most volunteers, Young does have a day job, but unlike many, he chose to serve the public in a professional capacity as well. For ten years he has been a member of the Gouverneur Village Police Department, and currently works as a patrolman. From behind his desk at the Police building on Clinton Street, Young discussed his feelings about the fire department and the recent elections, what it means to be a firefighter and police officer, and plans for the future of the Gouverneur Volunteer Fire Department.

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In addition to Young's election to Fire Chief, Joseph Lacks and Joseph Lamb were elected as assistant Fire Chiefs. The power structure of the fire department is much like any government office; the Chief has principal control and responsibility, but in the event that he isn't present, an Assistant Fire Chiefs will take control. This is important at a department like Gouverneur, says Young, “obviously being volunteers we're not all always going to be there.” If none of the Fire Chiefs are there then control would be assumed by the Captain of the present company. GVFD has three seperate companies, two hose companies, #1 Captained by James Hadfield and #2 by Fred Tharrett, and one Rescue Hook and Ladder led by Captain Tom Conklin. From this point in the infrastructure, power could fall to a present former Fire Chief, or to whomever is controlling the Main Line Pumper that's in use. The latter delegation is important for a number of reasons, the man at the pumper is likely to have the best vantage point, and he controls the spray of water, which jettisons out at such a rate that anyone inadvertently caught in the blast could, or likely would, be hurt. The newly elected Chief Young has total confidence in his assistant Chiefs, and his captains: “Joe Lacks is very knowledgeable, he's been working for the county for several years as a fire investigator and in public safety. I don't doubt his decision making abilities, nor do I with Joe Lamb, who is also very knowledgeable... [and] is a physician's assistant. Even though medical is separate, having him around is nice. He watches out for the guys.”

While the companies run themselves independently, all three come together every month as a department to discuss concerns and coordinate efforts. Every company at GVFD have their own specialized duties, and by each company taking care of their assigned tasks the department runs smoothly. The department utilizes the volunteers as an advantage, being able to access different facets of strength from individual firefighters. “Being a cop and a firefighter is a plus... we do have that knowledge behind us,” says Young. “Say an alarm goes out right now for a stove fire, as long as we're not tied up... we're going to go over there, grab the extinguisher... and knock it down. It's a plus for the taxpayers... and I think they see that. We have total support from the Chief of Police in doing that.” In volunteering as a firefighter and working as a police officer, Young, and the other members of the Village Police who fight fires alongside him, have armed themselves with the training and experience needed to provide well-rounded and multi-faceted protection to the citizens of Gouverneur and other towns contracted for mutual aid.

Mutual aid is something those of use with wide band scanners hear a lot of right around now. “The biggest challenge this time of year,” Young says,” is grass fires. As you see things get dry, a little bit of wind and they take off.” Grass fires are very dangerous in the North Country as they not only threaten structures and lives, but can quickly and easily spread to trees and cause a forest fire. “They're a pain because a lot of times you're hauling equipment over acres, and the guys get tired.” The unpredictability of grass fires, which move according to wind, ground moisture, slope and, sometimes, seemingly of their own will, make battling them very dangerous and often very difficult. “I'd rather fight two or three house fires at a time than a grass fire,” says Steve, who then laughs and adds, “Not that I want to see someone's house burn down!” The danger and unpredictability of such fires compared to the relative containment of a structure fire clearly shows how diversely dangerous the work, that firefighters volunteer to do for us and our families, can be.

Family is important to the Patrolman/Fire Chief as well, and he is thankful to have “total support from [his] wife and son.” When Young first contemplated become involved in the 'Chief's Ring' after some of his co-volunteers suggested it, he sat down with his wife and son to talk about it. “It does take a little more of your time,” he says, “but it's like anything... you organize yourself.” His family's not only supportive, but they assist him where they can. “My son helps me even though he's 10 years old. He'll probably be a good firefighter himself one day,” muses Young. “We're a close family, and that'll keep us that way.” The help and support certainly makes going to his job, and doing his volunteer work, easier, but being a police officer and a firefighter has its proclivities. “It's real life stuff and sometimes it's hard to deal with... I try to leave it here, but sometimes it's hard.”

Of course, in such a tight-knit community, responding to accidents or fires will often lead one to the home of a friend or family member, or someone that at least have met or known in the past. It takes a certain type of individual to do the work of the Police and Fire Department. “What that type of person is, I can't answer,” says Young. However, he did have a suggestion for those that may be interested in getting involved. “First of all, you've got to want to do it, some people have to take that chance and get involved in it to see if it's right for them, because a lot of times it's not.” As with anything of its caliber, volunteer firefighting requires training and discipline. New York mandates that certain criteria must be met within two years, and that continuing education is important to the safety of the individual firefighter as well as the group. It must become instinct, because volunteer firefighters don't work shifts, they come as they are called, day or night. Interested in helping but don't necessarily want to plunge headlong into burning buildings? That's alright. “When everyone is running out, we're running in. A lot of guys don't want to do that, but there are a lot of other things to do.”

Helping out at the new fire station, for example. GVFD's new station house has more room for training, administrative offices and expansion. In the past many of Gouverneur's Fire Chief's ran the department “from their kitchen table, so to speak,” but with the new facility the department can more efficiently manage internal affairs and, thus, more efficiently respond to threats. With a lot of room to expand, Steve Young says “we can only get bigger and better.” In addition to the new facility, the department recently received a FEMA Assistance of Firefighter grant for over $47,000, which it used to acquire items from the departments “wish list.” The new Holmatro tools are advanced extrication equipment—commonly known as the “jaws of life”—to be used at the scenes of numerous types of accidents, from industrial to automotive. Gouverneur has five sets of the equipment in the area, three at the Gouverneur Volunteer Fire Department and two at their closest neighbor and mutual aid department, Richville. Young believes that because of how GVFD is equipped, the training its members have received, and the advanced coordination with Richville, that they are ready for anything.

The future of Gouverneur Volunteer Fire Department: a new tanker. “Our tankers are getting old... we're a very busy department, our stuff gets used and mechanical things wear out.” Young and his department are researching a new tanker truck, which is used to transport water. A tanker is particularly important in fighting fires in rural areas without hydrant systems. The department currently has two 2,000 gallon tanker trucks, and the addition of one more would allow the firefighters to more effectively fight fires, as well as have assurance that if one of them suffers a mechanical failure they can rely on the other two. “It's not going to be a hasty decision,” says Young, “they just opened up the FEMA Firefighters grant, and we have about 8-9 weeks to get the applications completed.” Steve won't be making the decision alone, though, as he intends to sit down with the GVFD committee and make informed decisions on what they need and will apply for. “We're a young department, an aggressive department, we plan on continuing that line of service and protection to all the townships we contract with. [Our first and foremost goal is providing] the best equipment and service to them.”

On a lighter note, this summers' fireworks, scheduled for July 5^th, 2009 (rain date is September 7^th, 2009), is “coming together.” The celebration will be as it has been, with local vendors coming in to sell hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages. “Because it's volunteer it's kind of hard to get too big,” says Young, “but we try to add to it every year.” The Fire Department reached out to the Gouverneur Chamber of Commerce this year to attempt to provide "the best show that we can." The plans are still in motion, and a complete schedule has not yet been set. More details will be released in the coming months.

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