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Over Five Hundred Fire & EMS Volunteers Help Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department Celebrate 60 Years of Service
by Edward Paul Greiff
To the casual observer Saturday, September 30, 2006 was just another parade, but to the brotherhood of firefighters it was a deeply emotional birthday celebration - the 60th anniversary of a brother firefighting and rescue unit, the Putnam Valley Volunteer Fire Department.
60th Anniversary Committee Chairman Louie Luongo (also PVVFD Deputy Chief) said, "I want to thank my committee members for their outstanding help and devotion to this project, without their help and personal sacrifices this project never would have been possible." The committee members are: Ed McCarthy, Kathy Brown, Charlie Milo, Marvin Keeler, Shawn Keeler, Ed Royael, Jim Laporte, Carl Denisco Jr., Carl Denisco III, Charles Eberhart, and Larry Cobb.
Luongo held it together emotionally until at the end of the day when announcing the last two awards he spoke with a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes and said, "The Special Anniversary Committee Choice award is given in memory of deceased PVVFD members to the Putnam Valley Ambulance Corps Junior Corps and the Best Overall trophy is given in memory of Skip Thompsen to the Brewster Fire Department." Accepting this last award was retiring Brewster Fire Chief Kenny Clair. When Chief Clair accepted the trophy he turned to his fellow brethren, waved the trophy and then hugged and kissed his 1st Assistant Chief, Ric Tofte. It was an emotional climax to a day filled with emotional camaraderie.
Putnam Valley VFW Post Commander Robert Ulrich said, "What an honor this is to be the lead Color Guard for this parade, I wouldn't miss it for anything." He and the VFW Color Guard led the parade from Putnam Valley Town Hall along Oscawana Lake Road pass the judges and reviewing stand at the Putnam Valley Elementary School and into the Leonard Wagner Memorial Town Park where a crowd of spectators were waiting to greet them. And as has been the time-honored custom when you invite friends into your household, you break bread with them and have a drink together. In this case it was roast beef sandwiches along with beer and soda. The vegetarians in the crowd skipped the roast beef and just had the beer.
The marching bands, color guards, firefighters, EMS technicians, ambulances, a wide variety of fire engines, ladder trucks and equipment made for a spectacular parade. As one observer said, "I feel that if ever there was a disaster with all this manpower and equipment we would be prepared to handle it! And that makes me feel safe."
Every participant received a silver plaque commemorating Putnam Valley's 60th Anniversary. The best in each category: Music, Trucks, and Marching, received an individual trophy. Many of the trophies were donated in memory of a family member.
The following awards were given:
Best Musical Color Guard: Tarrytown VFW; Best Jr. Musical Group: Germantown Ancients; Best Sr. Musical Group: St. Peters; Best Musical Group: Brassman; Best Ambulance: Carmel; Best Antique: Brewster; Best Ladder: Verplanck; Best Rescue: Garrison; Best Tanker: Mahopac; Best Engine: Mahopac Falls; Best Ladies Auxiliary: Brewster; Best Junior Explorer Group: Lake Carmel; Best Non Firematic Color Guard: Putnam County Sheriff; Best Firematic Color Guard: Brewster; Best Shirts Under 16 in Line: Cold Spring; Best Jackets Under 16 in Line: Croton; Best Jackets Over 16 in Line: Montrose; Furthest Distance Traveled: Modena; Most Firefighters in Line of March: Brewster; Special Anniversary Committee Choice: Putnam Valley Ambulance Junior Corps; Best Overall: Brewster
Twenty-five Departments from around New York State participated in the parade and anniversary celebration culminating sixty years of community service.
On September 24, 1946 the Putnam Valley Fire Department incorporated as part of the Mohegan Fire District and on August 9, 1947 the Town Board voted to form a separate Putnam Valley Fire District. Frank Rush became its first President and John "Skip" Thomsen the first Chief. They purchased their first fire engine, a war surplus vehicle used until 1970, for $1,000. The Town Board gave the fire fighters permission to build a firehouse on the Town's Oscawana Lake Road property. The only money spent was on material. Volunteer labor built the building over a two-weekend period. Those early gatherings were held around a pot-bellied stove that provided the only heat for their new building.
Now, sixty years later Fire Board member Louie Luongo says they are conducting some serious discussions and investigations relating to the possible building of a new headquarters adjacent to the Ambulance Corps property.
The equipment may get more sophisticated and the buildings may get bigger but what it's all about is displayed in the above picture of retiring Brewster Fire Chief Kenny Clair hugging his First Assistant Chief because he wants to share the glory and thank his team for making it all possible. It's the spirit of teamwork and camaraderie that makes the fraternal order of firefighters so powerful, it's the human element.
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