Please humor me while I publicly thank the great men and women of the Hopatcong Fire Department. 17 years ago I made what I consider to be one of the best choices in my life by becoming a volunteer firefighter. This was partially because of the fact that over 32 years ago my own family was the victim of a robbery and an arson. It was from that point I probably developed a healthy respect for our local volunteers. As fate would have it, one night during RUSH week at my college, I drove home and past the firehouse that had a volunteers needed sign out front. I thought for a split second and made a U-turn and walked through the door. I haven't stopped going into that door for 17 years now.Having served in various administrative positions and line positions I was honored with the position of Chief. During this time I have heard of volunteers being called part-time, just being volleys, etc, but if you have ever been close enough to see our particular group of Hopatcong Firefighters you would know this to be very untrue. When those tones go off any time of the day, I got to see a machine that really did not need any one to lead them. Whether it be waking up at 3am, leaving work early, getting up from the dinner table, this group was spot on when residents needed them.A leader can be good at what they do or they can have a team of people that make them look good by being good at what they are doing. The latter was definitely true in my case. When you think about firefighting in Hopatcong think about these things, Difficult access to water, (while you may have a Hydrant or be close to the lake, remember only 33% of the borough has a hydrant and the rest of firefighting is done by water from the lake if close enough or from tankers.) The terrain of our borough and our narrow roads also come into play when it comes to safely delivering firefighters to a scene. I would put out group of drivers up against the best drivers in some paid departments anyday. I specifically say paid because my Hopatcong team is a group of professionals who volunteer their time and lives to help others.This group of volunteers who I have had the pleasure of leading fight fires, provide rescue services, respond to water emergencies, assist on EMS calls, assist the PD at special events, attend and help at most town functions, and are a major force during any states of emergencies. They do this with 80 firefighters 365 days a year 24 hours a day and they have made me proud every second of the day with no question. It is for this I would like to thank each and every one of them publicly from the senior member with 40-50+ years of service right down to the probie who just came through the door. When it was time for an emergency you all came together like a well oiled machine especially during the Hurricane Irene where crews ran several days straight and then again during the freak October snowstorm where crews were out around the clock thinking outside the box and making things more livable for the citizens. Good luck to the leadership team of 2012-2013 and all the firefighters who serve under them. Thank you to our brother and sisters at HPD who worked side by side with us, and the EMS who was on scene at every call to make sure our guys were treated immediately when injured.Please remember that our membership rolls always need help and all three fire companies are always looking for new members. Feel free to call any of the companies about joining today. If you think you don't have time, neither did any of us. So look into it you might be surprised at what you can do.
