By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Justin Behrend-Jones, a member of the Kendall Fire Department, races to get his turnout gear on today during the final exam for the basic firefighting course.
Behrend-Jones and 12 other recruits spent the past three months of meeting for classes, typically two to three times a week. The volunteer firefighters took their final exams today to become basic firefighters.
The recruits went through a series of drills under the watchful eye of three state fire instructors. In this photo the new firefighters are checking their self-contained breathing apparatuses, verifying the gauges, making sure the straps are intact and the units are clean and working properly.
Ben Diltz, 22, from the Calrton Fire Department puts on the turnout gear, a multi-step task that needed to be done properly in less than 2 minutes.
Today’s final exam was at the Orleans County Fire Training Center on West Countyhouse Road. The fire training tower at the site was filled with smoke and firefighters had to show search and rescue skills as part of the final test.
Joe Robb is a member of the Kendall Fire Department. He waits for the signal to start getting on his turnout gear.
The recruits were from fire departments in Orleans and Monroe counties. Besides being tested on cleaning and assessing the condition of their equipment and putting their turnout gear on within 2 minutes, they also needed to pass tests for hydrant connections, setting up and using ladders, and primary search and rescue skills.
Tim Adams (left) from the Fancher-Hulberton-Murray Volunteer Fire Company and Tiffany Petry from the Shelby Volunteer Fire Company work with their turnout gear.
“It’s been kind of a dream since I was a kid,” Adams said about being a firefighter. “It’s community service. Somebody has to help everyone else who needs help.”
Adams joined FHM in September. He looks forward to more training with his department.
“I plan on going farther after this,” he said about advancing his skills. “I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter.”
Jerry Lewis, the lead fire instructor, announces the closing seconds of the turnout gear drill as Tim Adams signals he has completed the task.
Adams and the new recruits put in 100-plus hours in the training. Adams said the practice is critical for firefighters when they are on emergency calls.
“You need the repetition and you need to keep building your skills,” he said.
State fire instructor Jim Weber checks to see how well Andrew Faskell did in putting on the turnout gear. Faskell is a member of the Barre Volunteer Fire Company.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers – Jim Barrett, an emergency medical technician for the Kendall Fire Department, also works as a senior engineer for a company that manufactures hospital sterilization equipment. He used his life-savings skills as an EMT during a recent flight in the Middle East.
KENDALL – Jim Barrett has been on many long airplane trips and the veteran emergency medical technician will let the flight crews know he is an EMT and can help “just in case” someone may be feeling sick.
Almost every flight, Barrett can enjoy the trip without being prompted into action.
On May 7, Barrett was pressed into service when a flight attendant fell ill during a 14-hour flight from Washington, D.C. to Dubai. Barrett examined her and believed she was suffering from an acute appendicitis. The attendant was in severe pain, doubled over on the floor of the plane. Barrett didn’t think she could make it to the final destination before her appendix ruptured.
“If it bursts, there is infection in her abdominal cavity,” Barrett said today. “It would have been very dire. I don’t know if she would have survived that. We still had five hours to go.”
Barrett, 53, insisted to the flight crew the plane should be diverted so the flight attendant could be treated. Another medical professional on board confirmed the diagnosis, Barrett said.
The pilots at United consulted a medical command on ground, and those personnel suggested Tylenol and anti-nauseous pills. They believed the flight attendant could make it to Dubai, Barrett said.
But Barrett didn’t think the woman could last much longer. She was in extreme pain. He convinced the crew to divert and land at Ankara, the capitol of Turkey.
Turkish paramedics met the plane almost immediately after it landed and the stewardess was rushed to a local hospital.
Barrett and about 250 passengers on the 777 airplane stayed overnight in Ankara. The next morning they returned to the plane and the crew told Barrett the woman had the surgery, with doctors saying she only had 5 to 10 minutes to spare.
The woman had the operation in Turkey, and has since returned to the United States, Barrett said.
He has been an EMT for 35 years, starting when he was 18. He works as an electrical engineer, and is currently a senior engineer for Getinge, a company in Henrietta that makes hospital sterilization equipment.
Barrett travels to the Middle East, a big market for Getinge. He helps lead training for company employees and its distributors on maintaining and repairing the equipment.
Barrett said he is grateful the pilots diverted the plane so the flight attendant could get the needed medical care.
“I’ve had people get sick on planes before but I’ve never actually told the captain, ‘You must divert this plane,'” Barrett said. “We had a really good outcome from this. We did the right thing.”
Barrett said his effort on the plane is “all in a day’s work for a Kendall firefighter and EMT.”
His son Alex, 17, is a Kendall junior firefighter, and Barrett serves as advisor to the group.
He flew back home from the Middle East on Friday, with many of the same crew members from the flight on May 7. Barrett said he was warmly greeted by the crew.
“They said they were real happy they landed the plane,” he said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Doug Boyer
CARLTON – Doug Boyer sent in these photos he took of ospreys and also a bald eagle at Lake Alice. The top photo was taken on Thursday of an osprey with its catch.
This osprey was photographed about two weeks ago.
Boyer took this photo about a month ago of a bald eagle in a nest that Boyer built.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2015 at 12:00 am
File photos by Tom Rivers – The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church includes this stained-glass window of “Christ the Consoler.” It is an early work by the famed Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company.
ALBION – Historic churches around the state this weekend are opening their doors to showcase the architectural wonders inside the buildings.
There are 125 churches on the “Sacred Sites” tour, including two in Albion: First Presbyterian and Pullman Memorial Universalist. This is the fifth annual “Sacred Sites” tour in New York, an event aimed to raise public appreciation for the churches as community treasures with stained-glass windows, pipe organs, ornately carved pews, decorative paintings and murals.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy is spearheading the Sacred Sites tour. The organization provides grants to churches in New York. The two Albion churches are among the recipients of Sacred Sites awards.
Sacred Sites offers New Yorkers the chance to experience the beautiful religious art and architecture throughout the area. The event is also intended to assist religious institutions in promoting their history, cultural programming and social services.
The First Presbyterian Church in Albion recently completed a $300,000 renovation and restoration of its interior, including work on the rose window.
The Pullman church is located at 10 East Park St. and will be open for tours today and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The church was built in 1894 with money from railroad manufacturer George Pullman, who grew up in Albion. The building is an excellent example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style, the NY Landmarks Conservancy stated. The church has 41 Tiffany stained-glass windows including one of “Christ the Consoler” that was featured in Tiffany brochures in 1898.
The First Presbyterian Church will be open from noon to 3 p.m. both days at 29 East State St. The Presbyterian Church was built in 1874 and includes a 175-foot-high spire, the tallest structure in Orleans County.
For more information on “Sacred Sites,” click here.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A new memorial for veterans from Albion was unveiled this morning in a ceremony at the Albion Town Hall. The memorial shows a metal sculpture of a battlefield cross.
Jeff Benfer, a local welder and artist, created the sculpture as a donation to the community. The pieces were all cut and shaped by hand.
Jakes Olles (left), an Albion town councilman, said there is more work to be done on the memorial. He is pictured next to Benfer by the Town Hall on Clarendon Road.
Olles wants a large piece of Medina sandstone behind the sculpture with the names of local veterans who have died while serving their country.
Jason Johnston is the most recent Albion resident to die at war. He was killed in Afghanistan on Dec. 26, 2009. His family attended the memorial unveiling today. Johnston and Benfer are cousins.
“There isn’t anyone from Albion who hasn’t been affected by a war,” Olles said.
Olles sought to include Medina sandstone pieces for the memorial. The Albion Town Highway Department set up the sandstone pieces and did other site work.
Steve Coville, a veteran from Albion, carries the American flag while joined by Tyler Umlauf, 9, and Nevaeh Umlauf, 11. Jason Johnston is their uncle.
The Honor Guard from the Attica Correctional Facility is in the background.
Coville raises the flag at the Albion Town Hall.
The Honor Guard from Attica Correctional Facility attended today’s memorial unveiling and did a gun salute. Olles is a sergeant at the prison in Wyoming County.
“If we’re asked, we try to go,” said Lt. Scott Markowski, a member of the Honor Guard that attends many funerals for people who served as corrections officers.
Olles said he expects there will be a bigger dedication service when the memorial is complete later this year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Sandy Climenhaga, Albion AP biology teacher, and student Katelyn Perry work together in planting flowers this morning.
Students in Albion’s AP biology class put flowers in 17 planters that will head to downtown Albion next week. The students worked with three volunteers from the Albion Merchants Association on the project.
Lisa Stratton, Debbie Grimm and Paula Brooks helped with the effort from the Merchants. The Merchants and Town of Albion paid for the flowers with additional sponsors from 17 businesses. This year there will also be 16 hanging baskets in the downtown, Stratton said.
Climenhaga said her students try to help with a flower planting project each year in the community. They expect to help plant flowers next week at Bullard Park.
“The kids like going by and seeing their work,” she said. “It definitely gives them pride in the community and we want to help the businesses who are already busy working at their shops.”
The bio students learn about flowers as part of their class. They study photosynthesis and dissect flowers to learn about plants.
Jordan Deskins helps with the flower planting effort this morning. Other AP students who helped include Ryan Reed, Jacob Squicciarini, Andrew Hollenbeck and Katelyn Perry.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2015 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The classic cars, giant parade, food vendors, live bands and other favorites from the Strawberry Festival will be back. But this year’s 29th annual festival will have some new additions with a fishing pond in downtown Albion among the highlights.
With a fishing theme – “Hook, Line, and Strawberry!” – for this year’s festival on June 12-13, the planning committee decided to give people a chance to fish. A 14-by-22-foot tank will be set up on West Bank Street and will be stocked with about 250 rainbow and brook trout.
“It’s a fun thing for the kids,” said Ron LaGamba, a member of the Albion Rotary Club and chairman of the fishing pond event.
He is working with Western North Carolina Mountain Trout Fishing on the project. Participants will have to pay for a chance to catch the fish. The rod, reel and bait will all be provided. Any caught fish will be returned to the tank in a catch and release program.
“It’s for the thrill of fishing and for learning to fish,” said Michael Bonafede, chairman of the festival planning committee.
The tank has 14 spots for sponsors. Bonafede and LaGamba hope to make the fishing pond a staple of the festival for years to come.
Bonafede said the two-day festival, now in its 29th year, includes new vendors, an enlarged farmers’ market, new games and a demonstration tent sponsored by Ace Hardware. That spot could feature artisans and other exhibitors.
The parade will also include an extended route to the Erie Canal and prizes will be awarded in several categories.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced a crackdown on drivers and their passengers caught without a buckled seat belt or transporting unrestrained children as part of the national Click It or Ticket – Border-to-Border. The enforcement mobilization will be launched on May 18 and continue through May 31.
At the Governor’s direction, the State Department of Transportation and the Thruway Authority have coordinated variable message boards to be activated with “click it or ticket” messaging on roadways throughout the campaign.
In 1984, New York was the first state in the nation to pass legislation requiring drivers and front-seat passengers to use seat belts. Since that time, thousands of lives have been saved by seat belts and child restraints in New York including 467 in 2012 and 446 in 2013.
“The evidence is inarguable – seatbelts save lives,” Cuomo said. “Dramatically increasing road safety for drivers and passengers can be accomplished with just the click of a seatbelt and this campaign encourages all New Yorkers to buckle up in order to prevent avoidable tragedies.”
As part of this national enforcement effort, the New York State Police, county and municipal law enforcement agencies in marked and unmarked vehicles will aggressively ticket unbelted drivers traveling the state’s roadways through border-to-border checkpoints and roving details to look for seat belt violations. This annual campaign is one of the many traffic safety initiatives sponsored by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee throughout the year.
Currently, 91 percent of New York motorists buckle up, which is four percent higher than the national average. New York motorists have maintained a 90 percent or higher seat belt usage rate since 2010. Despite this achievement, approximately 32 percent of the front seat occupants killed in crashes in New York State between 2011-2013 were unrestrained.
Developed by NHTSA, the national Click It or Ticket campaign focuses on saving lives by encouraging all vehicle occupants to wear a seat belt. According to NHTSA, there were 9,580 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in the U.S. in 2013.
According to the New York State Department of Health, nearly 700 unbelted motorists a month are injured severely enough to require hospital treatment. In 2011, 8,309 motorists in New York State who did not wear a seat belt required hospitalization for injuries sustained in a crash. Treatment of these injuries resulted in almost $127 million in emergency room and hospitalization charges, and public funds were required to pay 12 percent (nearly $16 million) of these costs.
Data from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles indicates that statewide law enforcement issued approximately 198,000 tickets to drivers in 2014 for a violation of 1229-c of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, which directs that all front seat occupants, and passengers under the age of sixteen, be restrained by a safety belt.
“Statistics show that wearing a seat belt saves lives and reduces the number of crash-related injuries. Safety restraints are not an option in New York,” said New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico. “If a Trooper spots a driver or front seat passenger without a belt in your car, or a child improperly restrained, the Trooper will issue a ticket. The New York State Police want everyone to arrive to their destination safely.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
GAINES – These trees are reflected in the Brick Pond on Route 98, a spot south of Route 104.
The weather will be ideal for being outside today and over the weekend. Today is forecast for a high of 72, followed by highs of 77 on Saturday and 81 on Sunday, with lots of sunshine in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 May 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Ed Fancher, executive director of Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, addresses about 40 human service professionals about challenges for low-income residents in the community. He is joined at a table of panelists by Nathan Varland (left) of Community Action and Paul Pettit, public health director in Genesee and Orleans counties.
ALBION – About 40 leaders of local agencies met this week to discuss poverty and other challenges in Orleans and Genesee counties.
These are problems that are decades in the making, and will take a long-term commitment to improve.
“This is a marathon,” said Paul Pettit, the public health director for the two counties. “We didn’t create these issues overnight. We’re looking for incremental steps. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort.”
Pettit was one of the panelists during the annual joint meeting of the Genesee County Interagency Council and the Orleans County Human Services Council. The 40 human service professionals met at the Care Net Pregnancy and Family Center in Albion, in a meeting led by Marsha Rivers, executive director of the United Way of Orleans County. She is also past president of the Orleans County Human Services Council.
Nathan Varland, director of Housing and Support Services for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, shared highlights of the agency’s community needs assessment, a 200-plus page document.
Some highlights from the report:
The two counties have shrinking youth populations but a growing number of senior citizens.
In Orleans, the number of people under age 5 dropped 16.7 percent from 2,747 in 2000 to 2,286 in 2010. The 5-19 age group shrank 15.1 percent, from 10,039 in 2000 to 8,522 in 2010. The 20-64 age group held steady, while the numbers of senior citizens (ages 65 and older) increased by 12.9 percent from 5,472 to 6,178.
Every school district in the two counties saw enrollment decline from 2004 to 2010.
Orleans and Genesee both saw their overall populations decrease from 2000 to 2010. However, both saw an increase in people in poverty. Orleans went from 4,731 in 2000 to 5,194 in 2010. Genesee was up from 5,038 in 2000 to 6,952 in 2010.
Nathan Varland from Community Action shares statistics from a recent community needs assessment that shows a growing number of people in poverty in the two counties. Other panelists include, from left: Erik Fix, director of United Way of Genesee County; Howard Owens, publisher of The Batavian; and Ed Fancher, executive director of Community Action.
The poverty rate is far greater for people who are black – 40.4 percent in Genesee and 32.0 percent in Orleans. That compares to 11.2 percent of the white population in Genesee and 12.7 percent in Orleans.
In the two counties, nearly every school district saw an increase in students eligible for free and reduced lunch, Varland said.
There is more pressure on children to know more when they enter prekindergarten and kindergarten. Low-income children are more likely to be behind and have challenging behaviors, he said.
The number of child abuse/maltreatment cases has increased in both counties with Genesee going from 184 cases in 2006 to 223 in 2010. The cases in Orleans increased from 164 to 197 during those four years.
In regards to housing, 18 percent of housing units – 7,879 – in the two counties are considered substandard by the Housing and Urban Development. There is a significant need for home rehabilitation, especially with roofs.
Low-income residents and senior citizens have unmet transportation needs as well, especially after hours on weekdays an on weekends. Many poor residents who own a vehicle lack the money to repair it, according to the Community Action report.
The economy in Orleans County is stagnant compared to the rest of the state, while it is fairly healthy in Genesee County.
Marsha Rivers, executive director of the United Way of Orleans County, addresses the human service leaders during the meeting at the Care Net Pregnancy and Family Center in Albion. This space is the former cafeteria at Liptons in Albion.
There is growing demand in Orleans County for public assistance, help with utility payments, and requests for medical and prescription cost assistance.
The Batavia, Albion and Medina zip codes have large populations of low-income households.
Orleans County ranks 61st out of 62 counties in the state for worst health factors, which measure smoking rates, diet and exercise, alcohol use, risky sexual behavior and access to health care and other economic factors.
Pettit, the health department director in the two counties, said the agencies are working hard to meet many of the needs in the community.
“You guys are the answers to a lot of these problems,” he said.
Jim Moody, executive director for the Orleans Community Health Foundation, would like to see more funding for senior programs with that segment of the population rising.
“If you know where the dollars are, we’re looking for them,” Pettit said.
Genesee County is fortunate to have the Muriel Marshall Fund, a bequest that pays for many services for seniors, helping them to stay in their homes and have access to many services, Genesee County officials said.
Howard Owens, owner of The Batavian (an on-line news site in Genesee County), was one of the panelists. He said promoting entrepreneurship can be an effective way to lift people out of poverty and build a stronger community.
Some emerging entrepreneurs could use earned income tax credits to buy vendor carts and start their own businesses, he said.
I was also one of the panelists and I shared how the state gives so little in aid to villages, compared to cities. It is my opinion that this is a prime factor in the high taxes in the villages, which are chasing away residents and investment, resulting in declining housing stock, vacant homes and a struggling climate for small businesses.
I’ve written about the state aid disparity before (click here) and some of the villages, towns and the County Legislature have passed formal resolutions, asking the state for a fair formula for Aid and Incentives to Municipalities.
Marsha Rivers, the United Way executive director, is the former director at Care Net. She shared how every contribution, even pennies, can accumulate to benefit the community.
Care Net has an annual baby bottle drive, where supportors fill baby bottles with loose change. Some people tuck bigger contributions – $100 bills and checks – in the bottles. But most of the funds come from the donated coins. This year’s baby bottle fundraiser netted about $20,000.
“That shows that every little bit adds up,” Rivers said.
