'Everyone goes home'

Warwick and Greenwood Lake fire departments host firefighter safety seminar WARWICK — Firefighting is dangerous; Billy Goldfeder tries to make it less so. The Warwick and Greenwood Lake Fire Departments sponsored a seminar at the Warwick Valley High School on Jan. 18 given by Chief Billy Goldfeder. Firefighters from as far away as Long Island came to Warwick to hear him speak. Goldfeder, a firefighter since 1973 and a chief officer since 1982, serves as Deputy Chief of the Loveland-Symmes Fire Department in Ohio. A member of many national as well as international firefighting committees and Boards of Directors, he is renowned for his efforts in teaching firefighters to work safer. On average more than 100 firefighters die and approximately 80,000 are injured in the line of duty each year in the U.S. Using photos, video and audio recordings, Goldfeder told the stories of near misses, close calls and tragic accidents on the fire ground. In so doing, he raises the awareness of his audience regarding their own mortality, reminding them that while the work they do is often crucial to the lives and property of others, going home after the alarm is just as important. “Everyone goes home” is the of mantra of Goldfeder and by it he means everyone returns safely to their loved ones when the emergency is over. By bringing Goldfeder and his message of safety and survival to Warwick for area firefighters to hear, the Warwick and Greenwood Lake Fire Departments have made a major contribution to their communities, taking this additional measure to train their members as well as those of other departments to work as safely as possible in the dangerous environment of fire and rescue.