Lately, there has been a great deal of debate over the merits of government consolidation. Discussions are heated, passionate and credible based on each side’s interests and points of view. Some aren’t interested in carrying the load or fixing generations of neglect in the city. Others fear loss of identity, representation, control and special services unique to their community. From townships to drainage districts, all municipalities are engaged in these discussions, including volunteer fire departments.
As chairman of the Public Safety Committee for the county legislature and as a former Lysander town councilor, I’ve had the privilege of working with all of the volunteer fire agencies that serve Greater Baldwinsville and this article is to share one of the best kept secrets in the region — the Lysander Public Safety Coalition.
Sometimes referred to as C.O.D.E.S., the Ccalition is a commission of representatives from every agency serving Greater Baldwinsville – Lakeside, Baldwinsville, Belgium-Cold Springs, Plainville, Lysander (Northwest), Seneca River, CODY, Phoenix (Enterprise) and GBAC. The town of Lysander, Onondaga County Emergency Management, E911 Center and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department also support and participate with this important group.
The coalition teaches our children and families fire safety in the schools and throughout the community. They train together, perform drills together, buy together and work hard to align operations guidelines where possible. Most importantly, they work together to keep us safe and our fire taxes low.
The coalition has been working together for the benefit of our community’s safety and well-being for years. Nobody says they have to do these things, and they certainly didn’t need a commission of “experts” to tell them working together is the right thing to do. They just do it with levels of pride and commitment you won’t find anywhere else. Best of all, they’re doing all of this magnificent work as volunteers. The coalition work is on top of the extraordinary training, compliance and duty requirements associated with their roles in the fire service. No other community in the region possesses anything close to the level of cooperation and results we enjoy in Greater Baldwinsville.
I am proud to be affiliated with these fine men and women. For as long as I remain in public service, supporting their efforts will be one of my top priorities.
We’ll discuss other forms of municipal cooperation in the future. Meanwhile, take comfort in knowing your local volunteers are working together to give us the best they have to offer. Saying “thanks” the next time you see a volunteer probably isn’t a bad idea either.
