For 100 years, the Plattekill Fire Department has stood ready to answer the call.

That is an accomplishment worth celebrating — not simply because of the number of years, but because of what those years represent: neighbors helping neighbors, volunteers putting the needs of their community ahead of their own and generations of firefighters answering the alarm whenever someone needs help.

The story of the Plattekill Fire Department began in 1925, when the need for organized fire protection became apparent in the rural farming community. In April 1926, the Plattekill Fire Department was founded, bringing emergency response capabilities to residents of the Town of Plattekill and the surrounding community.

Edward Neuwirth served as the department’s first chief from 1926 to 1927, while Joseph Bensel was the first president, serving from 1926 through 1931. In 1930, the department was officially incorporated as Plattekill Fire Department No. 1 of Plattekill, N.Y. Inc.

A lot has changed since those early days.

Plattekill is no longer quite the same small farming community it was a century ago. The population has grown, development has expanded and the demands placed on emergency responders have become increasingly complex. Yet the fundamental mission remains unchanged: protect life and property and be there when the community needs you.

Today, the Plattekill Fire Department operates from two stations and has 88 members. It is part of a broader network of volunteer fire protection in the Town of Plattekill, where three volunteer agencies work together from four stations and regularly assist one another on serious emergency calls.
Those calls aren’t limited to fires. Today’s volunteer firefighters respond to medical emergencies, rescues, vehicle accidents, hazardous situations and countless other calls for assistance. They train, maintain equipment and remain prepared — often while balancing careers, families and other responsibilities.

That commitment deserves our appreciation.

Volunteer firefighting is not something that can be taken for granted. It requires time, training, sacrifice and a willingness to run toward an emergency when most people are trying to get away from it. Every time a Plattekill firefighter responds to an alarm, that person is demonstrating a commitment to the community that should never go unnoticed.

The department’s centennial is therefore about more than looking backward. It is an opportunity to recognize the men and women who built the department, honor those who served before them and celebrate those who continue that tradition today.

And what better way to celebrate than by bringing the community together?
On Saturday, Aug. 29, Plattekill will celebrate the department’s 100th anniversary with a parade. Lineup begins at 2 p.m., with the parade stepping off at 4 p.m. The route will follow the same path as the Town of Plattekill Memorial Day Parade and conclude at Thomas Felten Community Park.

But the celebration won’t end when the parade does. Residents are invited to Thomas Felten Community Park for an evening of food, festivities and recognition of the departments and organizations participating in the centennial parade. Trophy presentations will take place at 8 p.m., followed by a centennial fireworks display.

It should be a wonderful community celebration, but it should also be a moment of reflection.

One hundred years ago, a group of Plattekill residents recognized that their growing community needed organized fire protection. They created an institution that has survived for a century because generation after generation of residents has been willing to carry the responsibility forward.

That is something all of Plattekill can be proud of.

So, to the current members of the Plattekill Fire Department, and to every firefighter, officer and member who served during the past 100 years: thank you.

Thank you for answering the calls, for the long hours of training, for the sacrifices made away from home and for the simple promise that, when a neighbor is in trouble, someone will be there.

Congratulations to the Plattekill Fire Department on 100 years of service.

May the next century be just as strong.