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2017 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 353
Commending Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 10, 2017

 

WHEREAS, in 2017, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department in Bristol is celebrating proudly serving 110 square miles of Washington County for 50 years; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1967, and property for the main station of what was then called Washington County Volunteer Fire Department No. 2 was deeded on March 27, 1967; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated on May 29, 1967, and the company’s name reflected the two Washington County magisterial districts it served: Goodson and Kinderhook; and

WHEREAS, the magisterial districts of Washington County were later renamed, and Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department is the last remaining entity in the county that retains the former names of the magisterial districts; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department’s main station, a two-bay block building, was completed in the fall of 1967, and the company’s first fire engine was a used 1948 Ford that was purchased for $2,950; and

WHEREAS, in 1970, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department implemented required duty shifts, requiring volunteers to spend one night a month at the fire station and the required duty shifts were increased to two per month in 2003; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department purchased brand new Oren fire engines in 1970 and 1977, a brand new Ford tanker truck in 1989, a brand new Spartan Quality fire engine in 1995, and a brand new Spartan Crimson fire engine in 2004; and a used International tanker truck was purchased in 2012, replacing the company’s older tanker; and

WHEREAS, in 1971 and 1972, the Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department main station was expanded with major additions that included upstairs meeting rooms and a third bay; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department became certified as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) First Response Agency in 1994, and EMS transport began in 1997 as a joint venture with the Bristol Life Saving Crew; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department began independent EMS transport services in 1998, and the company now has two ambulances; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department hired its first paid firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in 2001, and, with the addition of a third and fourth paid staffer in 2005, the department is able to have a paid firefighter/EMT on duty around the clock seven days a week; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department undertook a fourth expansion of its facilities in 2001, effectively doubling the size of the main station; and

WHEREAS, in 2003, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department became the first emergency services agency in Washington County to be awarded the Federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department filled two Advanced Life Support (ALS) positions that were funded in 2015, and began running a 24-hour ALS shift that provides advanced care to the community without delay; and

WHEREAS, during its 865 total calls in 2016, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department displayed exemplary service to the Washington County community in saving lives and protecting the property of its citizens, while minimizing environmental impact; and

WHEREAS, Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department and Washington County Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 have worked closely together over the past five decades and that relationship continues to this day; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department hereby be commended on 50 years of superior service to the citizens of Washington County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Don Venable, chief of Goodson-Kinderhook Volunteer Fire Department, as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for the department’s proud and honorable history.