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12/22/2022 02:03 PMWhen the worst happens and a panicked call to 911 is dialed, residents are secure in the knowledge that emergency personnel, including the Fire Department, will be dispatched and responding within moments. However, most residents probably don’t realize that Madison’s entire contingent of fire personnel are volunteers.
“Sometimes, though, I’m still shocked that people don’t know we’re all volunteers here. We aren’t waiting around the firehouse for a call. We are doing our regular jobs and run out to respond when we’re on call,” says Travis Gulick. “Even on Christmas morning, some of the guys had a call on Christmas last year. We are always on call for our community. We pride ourselves on that as a company. If we are called, we are going to show up no matter what.”
Travis has been a volunteer at Madison Hose Co. 1 since he was 16, following in the footsteps of his father and brother, both longtime members of the department. Travis says that working for the company is simply something, that regardless of time, appointments, family duties, or schedules, he and the rest of the team are committed to.
“I started here when I was 16. There is a junior department here for high schoolers,” says Travis. “My father was a fireman for about 12 years. My older brother is also into it. He is a paid fireman and paramedic in another town and has been that for his entire professional career.”
After college, Travis found himself back in Madison working at the family business, and it just seemed natural for him to start back at the firehouse volunteering.
“It’s fun here, but we work hard, too. That aspect of helping my community—I hate to say some of that cliché stuff—but we help the community,” Travis says. “When we go on these calls, it’s our friends and neighbors who are calling, and we respond 24/7. There’s definitely a sense of camaraderie. I think everyone here feels that.”
Travis says it is an honor to be part of a 115-year commitment to community safety. Travis is the vice president of the Co. 1 Board and heads the fundraising projects for the company, as well.
“The donations aspect is really important to us. The redo of our floor was a big job. It cost like 70 to 80 grand, and that was a project we had to take on. We had to cut a beam near the ceiling in order to fit our new ladder truck. That was a volunteer effort, too,” says Travis. “There are all these little projects that we have to stay on top of in order to make sure this is a functioning firehouse.”
Madison Hose responds to hundreds of calls a year, says Travis, making for very busy days. Madison’s unique geography means that the department responds to incidents on I-95, as well as to marine and water emergency calls on the Long Island Sound.
“We are on call 24/7, whether it’s an accident on the highway or a boat call on the water. We respond to 550 to 600 calls a year that are not usually medical calls. We respond to people who are unconscious or unresponsive, so that is a lot of calls that need to be responded to,” Travis says. “And every situation is different. You never know what you are going to. It could be a house fire, a dying battery of a smoke alarm. You never really know until you get there.”
One benefit of the volunteer model, Travis says, is that members are spread throughout town. So, when a call does come in, they can often respond more quickly than a paid on-site department, because they are closer to any given emergency.
“We are often able to get to places quicker, because we are all over town. Even if there is someone at the firehouse, one of the other members is probably closer, so we can have personnel on scene very quickly,” he says.
Despite being a volunteer-run department, the department’s yearly operating budget is taxpayer-funded. And while the town covers costs associated with training volunteers, the team at Madison Hose Co. 1 still needs to fund and tackle upkeep and special projects via donations and man-hours. The department recently remodeled its rescue truck bay thanks, in part, to the skills of its volunteers.
“Up until recently, it was just plywood covered and was decrepit and falling apart. And thanks to all of the efforts and fundraising of the last few years, we were able to fix it and make it look proper and fit in with the rest of the building. It actually looks better and fits in much better with the look of downtown Madison,” says Travis. “Everyone pitched in on that project. The materials were donated by Drew Landon, who is a fireman and owns Landon Lumber. He was very generous. We had another fireman member who did the brickwork, and the rest of us all pitched in to get the project done. We donated a lot of man-hours to take care of it. We’re blue-collar guys for the most part, so we just kind of made it a company project.”
Both of Madison’s two fire departments are currently seeking volunteers. There are numerous positions needing applicants, with varying levels of training.
“We have about 35 members right now. And were are not that deep. We don’t have 100 guys who can come down and respond whenever. Most of the guys have families and kids, and it can get very busy. Most of us work and, even after a 10-hour day, we have to go out, get a truck, and go out on the call,” says Travis. “Our chief, captain, and two lieutenants are great. They all work and have kids and families, but we care about Madison. But we are always looking for new members.”
“We also are always thankful for donations. Any funding can be incredibly helpful for us here,” Travis continues. “And we are always looking for people. New members are absolutely welcome. We really need a new generation to begin the process and cover all the hours of the day. You don’t have to fight fires, either. There are plenty of positions and responsibilities that we need volunteers for, so you don’t necessarily need to run into burning buildings. There are a lot of jobs outside the fire that need to get done.”
For more information about Madison Hose Co. 1, visit madisonhoseco1.com or attend a meeting held on Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the firehouse, 655 Boston Post Rd.