St. Johnsburg active in air show

by Philip R. Richardson

The St. Johnsburg Volunteer Fire Co. Inc. was proud to participate in the Niagara Air Show this past weekend with our aerial ladder.

In partnership with Niagara Active Hose Volunteer Fire Co. in the Town of Niagara, the two ladder trucks raised the American flag for the parade prior to the air show each day. St. Johnsburg, along with several other area companies also assisted the Air Base Fire Department with coverage during the event.

During the day on Saturday and Sunday, we staffed our station with responders in the event that a call went out.

To ensure timely response, Tri-Community Ambulance also staged an ambulance out of our station that was called upon several times.

Several roads in our response area had more than normal volumes of traffic that could have posed additional problems if not anticipated and planned for. To ensure that we had as minimal response time as possible, our station was staffed with responders during the day, and we also had one truck staffed with an EMT on the overnight. Luckily, no major issues occurred, and we were able to maintain a 100 percent service level to our residents in our community. Our dedicated volunteers worked a combined total of 215.50 hours to ensure proper staffing both on our truck dedicated to the air base, but also at our hall.

To help remember the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil and honor the ultimate sacrifice 343 of our fellow responders from FDNY made that day, our Engine 1 was placed on display under an American flag that hung over the engine bay while on standby as a small remembrance and symbol of our appreciation to those who perished that day, while showing our support for our country and the freedoms we often take for granted. Our department also paid tribute to those who perished by sounding our station siren a total of five times on Sept. 11, each time for a full minute. The siren blasts signified the time American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center, the time that United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center, the time that American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, and the time that United Airlines Flight 93 was taken over by citizen heroes and crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. The last sounding of the siren was part of the National Moment of Remembrance, which occurred at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

Philip R. Richardson is assistant fire chief and public information officer for the St. Johnsburg Volunteer Fire Co.