BAINBRIDGE – Members of the volunteer fire service and other emergency responders gathered in Bainbridge this weekend for the Chenango County Fire Convention. The event, now in its 89th year, is sponsored by the Chenango County Firefighter’s Association. This was the second consecutive year it was hosted by the all-volunteer Bainbridge Fire and EMS Department.

The three-day long event began Friday with a memorial service at the First Methodist Church of Bainbridge. Dinner followed at the Bainbridge Fire Station, where two prestigious awards were presented: The Chenango County Training Award and Chenango County Firefighter of the Year.

“There are many friends to be made and life lessons to be learned in this room,” said Bainbridge Fire Captain Matt Sherman, as he welcomed those in attendance from departments across Chenango and surrounding areas.

Chenango County Fire Coordinator Matt Beckwith commended all those present for their service and dedication to their departments and their communities.

“We’re here to help, to make every community safer,” he said. “Neighbors helping neighbors.”

Beckwith addressed some of the challenges faced by the fire service as volunteer departments strive to keep up with societal changes, the latest technology and recruit new members.

“These are the things that keep me up at night,” he said.

Through mutual aid agreements, departments are already sharing services, equipment and manpower and “doing more with less,” he said. But he encouraged them to go a step further, to put their resources together and “think outside the box.” He commended the McDonough Fire Department for downsizing.

“I’m not saying give up your history ... or the vision of your founding fathers,” he said, but to see “if there is a more efficient way of saving people’s lives.”

Following Beckwith’s comments, the first of the evening’s awards was presented by Deputy Fire Coordinator George Hanslmaier. Hanslmaier, who supervises fire training in Chenango County, applauded all the departments present for the number of training hours completed within the last year.

“This is the first time in three years that every department in Chenango County participated in state training,” he said.

According to Hanslmaier, the number of hours has increased substantially each year since 2008, when 5,432 hours were completed county-wide. This year, 19 state courses and 11 county courses were offered and departments racked up 7,028 hours in training

“We raised the bar again,” he said.