Fire Prevention Program at Richmondville Firehouse March 19

Above photo: A fire prevention informational program open to the public will be held at the Richmondville Firehouse on March 19. Photo by Chris English.

RICHMONDVILLE — Fire prevention will be the subject of a special informational program open to the public 6 p.m., Thursday, March 19 at the Richmondville Fire Department, 288 Main Street in the Village.

Fire Chief Floyd Seales mentioned the program during his report at the Tuesday, Feb. 17 Village of Richmondville Board of Trustees meeting. It's being held by the RFD and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control and will focus on lithium-ion battery safety and fire prevention and safety for your home.

According to a hand-out available at the village municipal building right across Main Street from the Firehouse, NYS led the nation in 2024 with 138 deaths from fires. In addition, Cobleskill recently had a house fire caused by a lithium-ion battery.

"So, come and help us spread awareness, prevent, and protect your family against fires," the handout read. For more information, call 518-294-7923.

In other news from the Feb. 17 meeting run by Trustee Robert Hyatt because Mayor Carl Warner Jr. was unable to attend, Seales said the fire department recently got $20,000 from the Gary Sinise Foundation that will be used to purchase new turnout gear. The chief added that a new jaws of life purchased with a New York Power Authority grant has been received and the department now has two engine trucks equipped with the jaws for use in auto extrications.

During a discussion on truck and other equipment replacement for Richmondville Power & Light, RPL Superintendent Tim Smith said the replacement schedule has gotten off kilter and he's trying to get it back on.

"We just have to be careful we're not trying to do too much at once from a budget standpoint," Hyatt noted.

During Building Code Enforcement Officer Jesse Wilcox' report, there was some discussion on two wild turkeys that have been seen at various locations in the village during the last few weeks, including at Radez Elementary School and other spots on Main Street.

"I was driving near the firehouse the other day and the car in front of me suddenly stopped and I wondered why we were stopping, and it was the turkeys," Trustee Lisabeth Kabel said. Hyatt speculated that the two birds "hatched out" in the village sometime in the last few months or weeks and are staying close to peoples' bird feeders and other sources of food during the winter.

Village Clerk Jenifer Fisher and Attorney Michelle Storm will work on a written policy and protocol on village employees either reporting or not reporting to work during severe weather like the recent 14-inch snowstorm. Fisher said she was able to make it to the municipal building that day because her husband drove her but Deputy Clerk Aliha Harwood was not able to make it.

Board members agreed safety should be the guiding factor, with Hyatt adding that the village could follow Schoharie County's lead and close when county offices are closed because of weather. Fisher added that both she and Harwood have laptop computers they can work from at home, and also apps on their phones that enable them to answer village phone calls from home.

There was also discussion on installing a panic button or some other emergency notification alert system at the village municipal building just in case a visitor gets especially unruly or aggressive, or in the event of some other emergency that doesn't allow village employees to call authorities on a phone.

Fisher said she believed it was called for "given the state of society" and others at the meeting agreed.

"Something should be here, I agree wholeheartedly with that," Public Works Superintendent Eric Jones said. He said he will check into getting a panic button installed, and also a camera for inside the building as there is currently one only on the outside of the building.

The Board of Trustees will hold a public budget workshop meeting at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in the meeting room at the municipal building.