The people who answered the siren

Mark Anthony, son of Gale and Cynthia Anthony, was born and has lived his entire life in North Rose. He is married to Colleen Stewart Anthony; together they raised two children, Nolan and Erin. Nolan is an active fourth-generation firefighter and EMT.

"I am a third-generation firefighter, joining the fire department right out of high school, inspired by my father and my grandfather Herbert Hendershot. In our small town, joining the fire department was simply what you did as a young man with a desire to help your community. Though times have changed in our community, the feeling I get when helping people in their time of need has not."

"Thankful: I would not have been able to do any of this if it were not for my wife. Though she was never a member of the fire department, she has done as much for them as any member. I can't tell you how many birthdays, anniversaries, dinners I have missed because the siren went off and I got up and left the house."

"I am now a senior member and though my desire remains strong, I am no longer able to do the things I used to. Sustaining membership is a challenge. In years long past the department offered an opportunity to serve and social interaction; there was not much to do in a small rural town. Life is much busier now, leaving little time to meet the demands placed on members such as extensive training requirements."

"Looking back on a long and fruitful career, there is nothing I would have done differently, and I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve the community, my family and friends."

In earlier times many members worked locally, and employers routinely released them to respond when the siren sounded at the center of town. The nature of the emergency was rarely known; it did not matter — someone needed help. Those businesses are gone, and most members now work out of town.

"Remember that you are here for your neighbors, not yourself."

"A message I carry with me, offered by a senior member: you did not put these people in this situation, but you will do whatever you can to get them out of it."

"I had always admired the volunteers of the North Rose Fire Department. My husband David Guthrie, brother-in-law Bob Guthrie, his wife Becky, step-sons Sean and Andrew, our son-in-law Ric Guthrie, his father Dick, and brothers Steve and Mark were all members. Often there were dinners left to get cold and family celebrations missed, because someone in the community needed help. It was a big responsibility, a big commitment — and secretly I wished to be part of all that."

"In 2003 I joined the North Rose Fire Department. I had to pass all the firefighting requirements before I could join the ambulance crew: climbing ladders, dragging 150 pounds through a building, air pack, radio protocol, qualifying to drive a fire truck. My biggest worry was backing the trucks into the bay. My first time behind the hose I was knocked on my butt from the pressure — amusing for our instructor, who knew exactly what was going to happen."

"My husband David was my most trusted mentor. He had been a fireman for 37 years when I joined. He explained what I needed to know, but more importantly why we followed procedures as taught. Eventually I earned the role of Ambulance Captain — at the same time David was the elected Fire Chief. He was my driver and I was the medic in the back. Many nights we answered calls and then reported to work at Xerox with little or no sleep. That was a sacrifice we willingly accepted."

"A lot has changed. Our ambulance territory is now staffed by Wayne County paid employees. Our department no longer owns or houses an ambulance. But the brother- and sisterhood of a fire department and EMS agency is one like no other. When David and I were moving out of New York, we planned to do it with a few family members — and on moving day we were surrounded by members of the department who came out of nowhere to help. We will never forget their kindness."

"Thank you, North Rose Fire Department; it was an amazing ride."

Frederick Edwin Jenks was born July 13, 1924, and died December 7, 2007 — a fifty-eight-year member of the department. The son of Edwin Thomas Jenks and Estelle Ocumpaugh Pillow, he was raised in Painted Post, New York, where he played football and performed in the orchestra at Painted Post High. He attended Cornell University in agriculture and, before finishing, enlisted in the Army Air Corps.

The following women have been, or are, members of the North Rose Fire Department. Each met the qualifications for firefighters, and many went on to become Emergency Medical Technicians serving a vital role in the department and the community. This list is not complete and remains in process.