We are preparing for our annual fundraiser. We have been fortunate that every year has been extremely successful with meeting our goals and as with everything the more the word spreads the bigger the event becomes. Thankfully over the years we have gained a lot of support from local businesses and people in the community that have made each year’s event possible. During the past events we have raised a combined $18,852! We are very excited to announce that this year’s recipient, is our very own local Palermo Volunteer Fire Department! Over time, I’ve had the honor of getting to know some of the members and seeing firsthand their hard work and dedication. Now as someone who has been on the wrong end of a life threating incident during which some members of this department were the first on scene and contributed to saving my life, I can assure you we could not have made a better decision for this year’s beneficiary, I am so confident in this, that as of this year I personally became a volunteer member of the department to lend a hand where ever possible. The Palermo Fire Department protects the lives and property of the community by providing services in the event of fire, medical emergencies, and disasters, or any other event which may threaten the public welfare. They provide and are trained for emergency rescue operations and/or lifesaving activities for people who are stranded, lost, accident victims, or exposed to other life-threatening dangers. As well as minor incidents like a flooded basement, slip and fall or even just a faulty fire alarm. Last year alone, the members of the department were dispatched on a total of 383 calls for our community, on top of the 36 times they went and assisted other surrounding departments. Of those calls 116 were rescue calls, 32 motor vehicle accidents, and 20 hazardous conditions. Now please keep in mind that everyone is a volunteer, so when that pager goes off in the middle of the night, during a meal, or as they have just walked in the door after a long day at work, no matter how serious in nature, they respond voluntarily and are compelled only by their personal generosity and compassion for others. These members donate their time and money to serving our community, at the same time as attending training & educational courses, raising families, and holding down employment. A balancing act not for the faint of heart, so I’m asking you to help show our very own first responders some support and gratitude at this upcoming event! The event will be held on August 20th, 2022, at the Driveway Inn, in Palermo NY.