MONTICELLO- Members of the Sullivan County Bureau of Fire traveled upstate to Watkins Glen at the end of March to attend the New York State Fire Coordinators’ Association Conference. Several local firefighting leaders from Sullivan County, including County Fire Coordinator John Hauschild, Deputy Fire Coordinator Tom Totten, Deputy Fire Coordinator Jack Halchak, and Deputy Fire Coordinator Charlie Rampe.
Richard Martinkovic, of Liberty, is the county’s former Public Safety Commissioner and serves as the Treasurer of the Fire Coordinator’s Association.
The conference was kicked off by Jackie Bray, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Service. One of the highlights of the conference was Sullivan County Court Judge and Lake Huntington firefighter James Farrell’s presentation on “Social Media Do’s and Don’ts.”
Other training presentations included a full-size electric school bus so that attendees could experience firsthand what to anticipate in the event of an emergency with an electric school bus. Attendees also learned more about lithium-ion battery fires, which are becoming increasingly common. Many of these fires are caused by damaged batteries and non-UL (Underwriters Laboratory)-approved batteries found in common household electronics.
