The Bemus Point Volunteer Fire Department is closing its 98th year stronger than ever as we continue to welcome new members, upgrade our equipment, and provide the highest quality services possible. While many volunteer agencies throughout the country struggle to recruit and retain members, we have been fortunate to consistently gain a few new members each year. More importantly, our established members are as vested in furthering their skills and knowledge as our new members, which leads to more responders with more advanced training serving our community.
In the following pages you will see articles about the various equipment purchases we have made from your generous donations as well as Grant Awards. We have been able to replace worn or non-compliant equipment, acquire updated tools, and meet mandates which allows our responders to perform with higher efficiency and safety. From the new saws and extrication tools to the state-of-the-art air packs and radio system, all this new equipment means more training—and not just our members, but inter-departmental drills with responders and equipment from area departments to make sure when multi-department incidents occur, we can all work together efficiently, effectively, and safely. After all, the safety of our responders is as important as the safety of the people we serve.
To that end, on most any Tuesday night you will find responders training in some way, whether it's lectures on new or changing firefighting practices or learning how to use the new equipment, acquiring new skills and knowledge is crucial. Our responders are truly engaged in advancing their skills not only through in-house drills, but also through County Classes and Courses. So, in addition to the initial firefighting required courses, our responders have added classes like Tech Rescue, Rapid Water Rescue, Trench Rescue, and even EMT and Paramedic courses. We continue to enrich the depth of skill that we can offer to you, our residents, family, friends, and everyone who passes through.