The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 380 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 6 trips to carry that many people.
The New Salem Volunteer Fire Company held their annual Fire Prevention Week Open House. This year there was a “Wet Down” for the new fire truck 23-22. Members from Onesquethaw and Voorheesville Volunteer Fire Departments participated in the ceremony to dedicate the new truck. Firefighting awareness demonstrations were held for visitors including a simulated fire for learning how to use fire extinguishers. Firetruck rides were a big hit with the kids.
2014 Punkintown Fair Dates – Thursday July 24th, 25th & 26th beginning at 6pm every night.
History of the Punkintown Fair
The area of New Salem was first settled as farmland around 1770 and soon the Beaverdam Road was established through the future hamlet. Legend has it that the original name of the hamlet, Punkintown, was because a sow and her litter were able to live inside a “punkin” (pumpkin) since the pumpkins grown in the area grew so large. When the post office was established here in 1830 the name New Salem was used.
A family friendly fair supporting the New Salem Volunteer Fire Department in Voorheesville (New Salem), New York.
4 Albany County Volunteer fire companies practice getting water to a mock structure fire scene. East Berne, New Salem, Onesquethaw, and Voorheesville volunteer fire companies practice shuttling water from a nearby creek to the structure fire scene.
Annual “Fish Fry” Hosted by the New Salem Volunteer Fire Department during Lent, beginning every Friday, March 7 through April 11, at 694 New Salem Road, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Plenty of parking. The dinner includes homemade coleslaw, a baked potato or French fries, and coffee, tea, or lemonade. Also, you can order homemade New England or Manhattan clam chowder, and dessert. If you prefer takeout, call 765-2244.
Stand By Your Pan
— FPW.org
How often has the doorbell rung or a child interrupted you while you were cooking, causing you to forget about the chicken you left sizzling on the stove – until smoke filled the house?
If this scenario or a similar one sounds familiar to you, you may want to think about it a little more because it’s likely that you, a friend or family member has run the risk of having a dangerous fire. As chief of the (Your Fire Department Here), I often talk to people about the ways they can stay safe in their homes. Too often, we have that talk after they’ve suffered a damaging fire.
It’s my hope that people reading this article won’t have to learn the hard way. If I could give just one fire warning, I’d say, “Keep an eye on what you fry!”
Why? Because cooking is the leading cause of home fires, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The latest statistics from NFPA say U.S. Fire Departments responded to an estimated annual average of 156,600 cooking-related fires between 2007-2011.
We’re joining forces with NFPA and thousands of other fire departments across North America to commemorate Fire Prevention Week, October 6-12th, “Prevent Kitchen Fires.” The theme reminds us that leaving cooking unattended and other unsafe kitchen practices are a recipe for disaster.
Often when we’re called to a cooking-related fire, the residents tell us they only left the kitchen for a few minutes. Sadly, that’s all it takes for a dangerous fire to start. The bottom line is that there’s really no safe period of time for the cook to step away from a hot stove. A few key points to remember:
A cooking fire can quickly turn deadly. I have seen too many homes destroyed and people killed or injured by fires that could have been easily avoided. Please heed these simple safety rules. We firefighters would like to be in your kitchen, but only when you invite us for dinner!
“Reproduced from NFPA’s Fire Prevention Week website, www.firepreventionweek.org. ©2013 NFPA.”
This gallery contains 11 photos.
2013 Punkintown Fair Dates – July 25, 26, 27 beginning at 6pm every night.
Free Parking and Admission!
Thursday night: Meet and Greet with local D.I.R.T Modified Racing Champion Matt DeLorenzo!
Friday & Saturday nights: Dean Davis and his Animals that nobody loves!
Fun rides & Great food!
*Look for your 2013 Raffle tickets in the mail!
• First Prize $2,500
• Second Prize $1,000
• Third Prize $500
Extra tickets are always available at the announcer’s booth during the fair!
The fair is always family friendly. Join us at the 71st annual Punkintown Fair!
FASNY TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM HAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE SUNY EMPIRE STATE COLLEGE
– Higher Education Learning Plan now covers more than 500 online courses at ESC-
(SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.) Volunteer firefighters now can have up to one-hundred percent of their tuition costs for online courses at SUNY Empire State College’s Center for Distance Learning funded by the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) Higher Education Learning Plan (HELP).
“By partnering with Empire State College, we are ensuring that more of our volunteer firefighters have access to higher education while at the same time providing lifesaving services to their communities,” said FASNY President James Burns. “Our HELP program has been an integral tool in recruiting and retaining new members. This new partnership will make our program even more robust.”
“By including Empire State College in the HELP program, FASNY has dramatically expanded access for volunteer firefighters to earn an associate degree online,” said Meg Benke, acting president of Empire State College. “Special thanks go to Jim Burns and his team at FASNY, college alumnus and former volunteer firefighter Richard Wishnie, Empire State College Professor Jim Savitt and the college’s Office of Academic Affairs for their hard work in making this arrangement possible.”
Launched in 2011, FASNY established the HELP program to assist volunteer fire departments in attracting and retaining more members. Under FASNY HELP, a student/volunteer firefighter who hasn’t already achieved an associate’s degree or higher will be eligible to have up to 100% of his/her tuition reimbursed in exchange for maintaining good grades and fulfilling service requirements as a member in good standing in one of New York’s volunteer fire companies.
The program is covers courses at all 29 SUNY community colleges throughout the state and has seen hundreds of students receive tuition reimbursement. FASNY HELP is made possible through a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. More information and an online application form are available here.
Founded in 1872, the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York represents the interests of the more than 92,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel in New York State. For more information, visit fasny.com or fireinyou.org.
About SUNY Empire State College
SUNY Empire State College was established in 1971 to offer adult learners the opportunity to earn associate, bachelors and master’s degrees from the State University of New York.
In addition to awarding credit for prior college-level learning, the college pairs each student with a faculty mentor who supports that student throughout his or her college career.
The college offers more than 500 courses and complete degree programs online through its Center for Distance Learning. The college also educates students face to face at more than 35 locations in the state of New York. Its 66,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, nonprofit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more. More information about the college is available here.
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Not only does being a volunteer firefighter give you the opportunity to serve your community in an exciting and fulfilling way, there are also a variety of incentives available from the government, as well as your local fire companies. These may include:
Apply to become an Albany County volunteer firefighter online at http://achvfire.wufoo.com/forms/z7x3p3/
New Salem Volunteer Fire Department Seeks New Members 