Honor Clay Fire Department

Assembly Resolution No. 363 BY: M. of A. Stirpe COMMEMORATING the 100th Anniversary of the Clay Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those vital volunteer fire departments within our communities, and to honor all of its past and present members, for providing their citizenry with years of exemplary fire protection and safety; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Clay Volunteer Fire Department, Inc.; and WHEREAS, Volunteer fire departments are an integral part of community protection in localities across this great Empire State; and WHEREAS, For the past century, the courageous and dedicated firefighters of the Clay Volunteer Fire Department have valiantly devoted their hard work and effort to respond to various fire emergencies, all while earning the praise and respect of the community in which they serve; and WHEREAS, The founding members of the Clay Volunteer Fire Department were farmers from the area who laid the bricks themselves to build their first fire station on Route 31 in Clay, New York; The Clay Volunteer Fire Department was established on February 26, 1917; and WHEREAS, The Clay Volunteer Fire Department's first firefighters would jump off their tractors when the alarms sounded to help their neighbors in need; the department's sole fire truck was housed in a garage across the street; and WHEREAS, Charles Newman was named as the first Fire Chief of the Clay Volunteer Fire Department, and William Kopp was elected as its first President; currently, Kenneth Stach is serving as Fire Chief and Richard Rioux is the President; both were respectively voted into their posts in April of 2016; and WHEREAS, In 1948, The Clay Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary was formed with 21 members; over the year, the auxiliary has sponsored various turkey and chicken suppers and bake sales to supplement the department's funds for supplies, hoses, and equipment; furthermore, the Ladies Auxiliary had the tradition of making coffee and food at the fire station and then shuttling it to the scenes of fires; and WHEREAS, Since its establishment in 1917, the Clay Volunteer Fire Department has grown its fleet to 13 modern fire and rescue vehicles, and has increased its emergency services and its membership; and WHEREAS, Presently, the Clay Volunteer Fire Department has two stations in operation, one on Route 31 and another on Caughdenoy Road; both have grown significantly throughout the years to include a wide array of modern fire equipment; and WHEREAS, The Clay Volunteer Fire Department's Station No. 1 has a state-of-the art Fire Training Tower that provides training for all area fire departments; the Clay Fire Training Tower was a collective effort of the Clay Volunteer Fire Department, the North Syracuse Fire Department, the Moyers Corners Fire Department, the Town of Clay, and the State of New York; and WHEREAS, The Clay Fire Training Tower was completed in two phases and established in September of 2000; the facility has hosted the New York State Chief's Live Hands on Program for Thermal Imagining, as well as numerous New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) courses; and WHEREAS, The Clay Volunteer Fire Department has grown to provide various fire, rescue and emergency services to the residents of the Town of Clay, such as: fire suppression, fire prevention, vehicle rescue, life support medical services, and community education programs; and WHEREAS, The Clay Volunteer Fire Department responds to roughly 500 alarms annually; in 2016, the department responded to 491 calls; and WHEREAS, Each day, the brave and dedicated members of the Clay Volunteer Fire Department prepare to risk their lives, and sacrifice time away from their families, in order to protect the life and property of those living within our community; the fire department currently has

40 members on its roster; and WHEREAS, The State of New York cannot express sufficient gratitude to all those trained and devoted individuals who serve their neighborhoods through volunteer fire departments across the state, and enough cannot be said about the important role that a volunteer fire department plays in its community; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to recognize and commend the Clay Volunteer Fire Department upon the occasion of its 100th Anniversary to be celebrated with a dinner on Saturday, May 6, 2017, at Traditions at the Links Restaurant in East Syracuse, New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Chief Kenneth Stach and President is Richard Rioux, Clay Volunteer Fire Department.