Cottekill Volunteer Fire Company

Protecting Life and Property Since 1932
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Welcome to the Home of Cottekill's Bravest. . .

 
Your Fire Emergency Services Are Provided By 100% Volunteers.

The Cottekill Volunteer Fire Company provieds fire supression and fire prevention activities to the hamlet of Cottekill in the towns of Rosendale and Marbletown. In addition, the Company reponds to medical emergencies, rescue operations, hazardous materials incidents, and other hazardous conditions within the hamlet.
 
We do all of this with volunteers.
 
Thats right... VOLUNTEERS!!!
 
 
Length of Service Awards Program
 
The Cottekill Fire District offers an incentive to the active members of the Fire Company. Any person over the age of 18, who joins and becomes an active volunteer with the company and contributes 1 year of service, can participate. The basic concept is for every qualifying year a monetary contribution is set aside to be distribute in the form of a pension-type award.

Here’s how it works. Members attend meetings, drills, activities and alarms. They earn points for there attendance. When the member collects 50 points in addition to attending minimum sessions in all areas but miscellaneous activities, that member qualifies for that year. Each qualifying year is worth $20.00 a month at the entitlement age. To see a beak down of the points system and minimum attendance requirements click here.

Members must qualify for five years prior to being vested. The program caps at 20 years, offering an individual a monthly check of $400.00 at entitlement. So what is entitlement? Age 65. Need some more examples? Ok… You join and make your 50 points for 5 years in a row. You are now vested in the program. That means we know you are serious about this and we are willing to invest in your future. Those who do not qualify for five years or leave before then will not receive a monthly check. But I know you are serious because you are still with me at this point of the article. Let’s move on. You have 5 years in. If you were to quit the company now, when you reach the age of 65 you will receive a check each and every month until you pass away, and no less than 120 payments for $100.00. (5 years x $20.00 for each year = $100.00/month.)

Now let’s get really serious. For each continuing year after entitlement you will earn another $20.00 a month. So if you qualify for 10 years that would be $200.00/month… 16 years, $320.00/month.

 

So, what do you say? Could you use an extra $400.00 a month when you retire during your entitlement years? To become a member click here to fill out an application.

Where does my

Fire Protection Come Form?

 

You may have seen the movies Backdraft or Ladder 49, or maybe you’ve caught an episode of Rescue Me or Third Watch… Does any one remember the series Emergency from the ‘70’s? Certainly we have all seen  the NYC Fire Department on the news every night… As a child you might have had a story book or coloring book about firefighters…

 

Most images shown on television, in theaters and in books are those of career or paid firefighters. They work, eat and sleep at the fire station. The bell rings and off they go to the emergency. Is that the image you have? Unfortunately that’s not the case throughout most of the country. Nearly 72% of the 30,000 fire departments in the U.S. are volunteer.

 

Here is how your Fire Emergency Services works.

There are three parts to the fire protection equation. Think of it as a triangle with information and resources flowing in both directions around the triangle. It is made up of these components:

 

  • The District

  • The Fire Company

  • The Community it serves

 

Now let’s take a look at the responsibility of each one.

 

First there is the Fire District. It is the political boundary in which the Community rests in. It is the Governing agency responsible for managing the tax dollars collected. This Governing body is known as the Board of Fire Commissioners. They are residents of the Community that are elected into office. They are Volunteers. They assist the Fire Company by utilizing the tax dollars to provide them with the needed equipment, apparatus and training. They also manage the associated operating costs to maintain the building, grounds and equipment.

 

The Fire Company. The human resource. This is the staff that is responsible for answering the calls for help made by the community. They perform weekly checks to make sure all the equipment purchased by the Fire District is in good working order. They train for emergency situations on a weekly basis. They too are Volunteers. They leave from their jobs, they dash from the dinner table, and they get up in the middle of the night to help a neighbor in need.

 

Last but most important is the Community. As residents of Cottekill the Community also has responsibilities when it comes to Fire Protection. One is to practice fire safety in your homes and with your families. The second is, property owners elect the Commissioners and pay fire tax to help pay for the costs to operate the Fire District. The third and the biggest responsibility of the Community, is to Volunteer.

 

In the fire service we learn about the fire triangle:

fuel + heat + oxygen = FIRE

 

If you take one out of the equation the fire goes out. Unfortunately if you remove one of the components to our fire protection equation/triangle, the fire gets bigger and people loose there property and may even loose their life.

 

Currently there is an imbalance in the fire protection triangle. The Fire District is providing the Fire Company with the tools, equipment and apparatus needed to provide adequate and safe emergency services to the Community. The Fire District is also being responsible to the Community by properly managing the tax dollars and keeping the budget within reason. The Fire Company is utilizing and maintaining the equipment provided by the Fire District. They are answering the calls for help by the Community although they are struggling to do so. The Community is paying the taxes so the Fire District can provide the proper equipment to the Fire Company, but here is where the breakdown of the triangle begins. The human resources are not being provided to the Fire Company. This taxes the few that are Volunteering and leaves both the Fire Company and the Community at risk. The same jobs normally done at an emergency scene by 15 to 30 firefighters, also needs to be done even with 5 to 8 firefighters. This causes undue stress on the firefighters threatening their lives. This unequal balance also posses’ life and property threats to the Community as the human resources can only do so much when in limited supply.

 

Please take this time to think and ask yourself, “What am I doing Wednesday nights that is more important than learning how to save someone’s life?” or “Could I live with the fact that my neighbors house burned or they lost their life, and all I could do is watch?”

 

You own the firehouse, the trucks and all the equipment. Be more than just an owner, be a member.

 

For more information on how to become a member of the Cottekill Volunteer Fire Company, stop in any Wednesday night between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. or click here to fill out an application

 

What are the Benefits?

 

  • You could save a life

 

Need more? Ok…

 

  • That person could be a family member

 

Not enough? How about…

 

  • Receive a $200.00 NYS income tax credit

 

Sounding a little better?

 

  • After 20 years of active service you could receive up to $400.00/month at retirement

  • $10,000.00 life insurance policy

  • Free annual physical

  • Free uniforms

  • Free training

  • Be recognized

  • Be someone’s hero

 

And the last thing…

 

  • You could save a life

 

Come down to the firehouse to see your newest fire truck any Wednesday night from 7:00 to 9:00p.m.