Ask us anything

Sixteen. Anyone under 18 joins as a Junior Member and needs written consent from a parent or guardian. Junior Members train and respond with the company, but do not do interior firefighting, operate apparatus, or run power equipment at an emergency scene until they turn 18.

No. Most people who join have none. We will train you from the beginning, and the training costs you nothing.

Living within the Town of Ghent Fire Protection District No. 1 is ideal, but it is not required.

We welcome volunteer applications from:

• Town Residents: Anyone living within the Town of Ghent or bordering fire protection districts.
• Local Workers: Individuals who work in Ghent or nearby hamlets during daytime business hours, when rural volunteer staffing is in greatest demand.
• Neighboring Communities: Volunteers living in adjacent towns (such as Chatham, Claverack, Hudson, Kinderhook, or Austerlitz) who can reliably participate in station drills, meetings, and alarms.

Review our District Coverage & Mutual Aid Guide for our full geographical response boundary and road directory.

Yes, for your health and safety on the fireground.

• Interior Structural Firefighters: Members who wear self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and enter burning structures must pass an annual medical physical and respirator fit test in compliance with OSHA and NFPA 1582 standards. This includes pulmonary function testing (PFT), blood pressure screening, and cardiovascular evaluation.
• Zero Cost to You: The physical exam is 100% paid for by the company and town. You will never receive a bill or co-pay.
• Exterior & Support Roles: Exterior firefighters, apparatus drivers, fire police, and administrative members do not require the full interior respiratory physical, ensuring that volunteers of all physical abilities have a meaningful way to serve.

Email the company (or use the interest form on our Join page) and an officer will get back to you to answer questions and talk through the ways you can serve. You can also stop by Station 1 (2230 Route 66) during Engine Checks on the 3rd Monday of the month at 6:30 PM to meet the officers, tour the apparatus bays, and pick up or drop off an application in person.

Yes, and we need you. Not every member rides the truck. The company depends on people doing recruitment, apparatus and building maintenance, fundraising, and administration. There are also operational roles outside the building — exterior firefighting, ground support, and traffic control.

Volunteering is structured to fit around your family and job. Here is the realistic time commitment:

• Three Monday Evenings per Month:
  • 2nd Monday at 7:30 PM: Monthly Business Meeting (~1.5 hours)
  • 3rd Monday at 6:30 PM: Engine Checks & Equipment Inspection (~1.5 hours)
  • 4th Monday at 6:30 PM: Hands-On Skills Drill (~2 hours)
• Emergency Alarms (On-Call):
  • There are no assigned shifts or station standby hours. When Columbia County 911 dispatches a call in our district, members respond from home or work if they are available. If you are working out of town or attending family events, other members take the call.
• Initial Certification Courses:
  • New exterior or interior firefighters take state certification courses (such as BEFO or Firefighter 1) at the Columbia County Fire Training Center. Classes are offered free of charge on evenings and weekends so you can complete them at a pace that fits your schedule.
• Support Roles:
  • Non-operational support roles (auxiliary, fundraising, vehicle maintenance, administrative) have flexible commitments centered around the monthly meeting and special events.

The company gathers three Monday evenings each month at the Ghent Firehouse (Station 1, 2230 Route 66):

• Monthly Business Meeting (Second Monday of the month @ 7:30 PM — Active Members Only): Company-wide business meeting covering monthly calls review, district operations, administrative updates, and committee reports.
• Engine Checks (Third Monday of the month @ 6:30 PM — Open Drop-In for Prospective Members): Comprehensive apparatus and equipment inspections. Members verify working order, inspect tools, test power saws and generators, and ensure every piece of apparatus is emergency-ready.
• Company Skills Drill (Fourth Monday of the month @ 6:30 PM — Active Members Only): Practical hands-on training. Drills rotate through structural evolutions, hose advances, pump operations, rural water supply and drafting, vehicle extrication, and water or ice rescue.

Prospective volunteers are welcome to stop by on the 3rd Monday of the month at 6:30 PM during Engine Checks to meet the officers, see the apparatus up close, and tour the firehouse. (Monthly business meetings and skills drills are for active members only.)

It depends on the role you choose. Interior firefighters complete state-certified structural firefighting training; exterior firefighters, ground support, and traffic control each have their own shorter course of instruction. Classes run evenings and weekends. Every required class is provided at no cost to you.

No. We are one hundred percent volunteer, and we understand that our members have families, jobs, and personal commitments.

There are no mandatory 12-hour station shifts or overnight standby requirements. When Columbia County 911 alerts our pagers and mobile responder apps, members respond from home or work if they are in town and available. If you are working outside the county, caring for family, or sleeping, other neighbors take the call.

We ask for consistent, dependable commitment: attend Monday night meetings and drills, help maintain the apparatus, and roll when you can.

The company typically responds to between 100 and 150 emergency calls each year, varying with seasonal weather conditions, storm events, and mutual aid requests across Columbia County.

Calls range from structure fires and vehicle extrications to automatic alarms, downed power lines, and wildland brush fires.

You can view our live call activity on the home page, which displays our current Year-to-Date (YTD) emergency dispatch count directly through Columbia County 911 and I Am Responding.

No, parade participation is completely voluntary.

Ghent proudly participates in community parades — including the Chatham Memorial Day parade, county convention parades, and local holiday celebrations — bringing our vintage 1928 American LaFrance and frontline fleet.

While members enjoy representing the company in uniform and celebrating with our neighbors, it is never mandatory. Emergency response, Monday night training drills, and station maintenance always take priority.

No. The company is one hundred percent staffed by unpaid volunteers who live and work in this community.

No. Ghent firefighters do not pay for any required equipment or training. Turnout gear, helmets, boots, and every required class are provided free of charge.

Yes. While volunteer firefighting is unpaid, active members earn substantial financial and educational benefits:

• NYS Personal Income Tax Credit: New York State provides an annual $500 state income tax credit for active volunteer firefighters, or an optional 10% local property tax exemption for homeowners.
• FASNY HELP College Tuition Assistance: Student members attending community colleges or SUNY institutions can receive up to $1,500 per semester in tuition reimbursement through the Firefighters Association of the State of New York.
• Free Medical Physicals: Complete annual occupational physical exams, respiratory clearances, and preventative health screenings at zero cost to you.
• Insurance Coverage: In-line-of-duty medical and disability protection covered under the New York State Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law (VFBL).
• Training & Gear at No Cost: All turnout gear ($4,000+), uniform items, pagers, and state-certified fire training classes are paid for 100% by the company.

You are fully covered at zero cost to you. Under New York State’s Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law (VFBL), active volunteer firefighters are provided comprehensive workers’ compensation coverage for any injury, illness, or disability sustained in the line of duty.

This statutory coverage includes:

• 100% Medical Coverage: Emergency room care, surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, and prescription medications with no co-pays or deductibles.
• Lost Wage / Disability Replacement: Weekly disability indemnity payments if a line-of-duty injury prevents you from working at your regular job.
• Permanent Disability & Survivor Benefits: Statutory lump-sum and ongoing financial protection for volunteer firefighters and their families.

Coverage begins the moment you respond to an alarm, attend a sanctioned drill, or participate in authorized company service.

Only if you train for it and choose that role. Interior firefighting is one of several ways to serve. Exterior firefighting, ground support, and traffic control are all essential and none of them involve entering a burning structure.

Yes, active members can qualify to drive and operate company apparatus.

Operating emergency vehicles on rural roads carries immense responsibility. To qualify as an apparatus driver/operator, members must:

• Hold a valid, clean New York State driver’s license.
• Complete their initial probationary membership period and foundational firefighting coursework.
• Complete an approved Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC or CEVO).
• Complete pump, tanker, and vehicle-handling training under company driver-trainers and receive final sign-off from the Chief of Department.

Junior firefighters (ages 16–17) may not drive emergency apparatus.

When Columbia County 911 dispatches an alarm, members respond in their personal vehicles (POV) directly to Station 1 on Route 66 to don turnout gear and staff the frontline apparatus.

Key personal vehicle response guidelines:

• Station Response: Dedicated firefighter parking is provided alongside Station 1. Members board the first-out engine, tanker, or rescue rig.
• Green Courtesy Lights: Qualified active firefighters who have completed probationary requirements may be authorized by the Chief to display a green emergency courtesy light per NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law § 375(41).
• Rules of the Road: Green lights request courtesy and right of way from other drivers; they do not grant permission to exceed speed limits, run red lights, or violate traffic laws. Safety on the way to the station is mandatory.
• Direct Scene Response: In certain situations (such as exterior traffic control or specialized support requested by the Incident Commander), officers or designated members may proceed directly to the scene as directed by radio.

Ghent Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 is dispatched through Columbia County 911 for all emergencies within Fire Protection District No. 1 and surrounding mutual aid jurisdictions.

Our calls typically include:

• Structure & Chimney Fires: Residential, commercial, barn, and chimney fires requiring interior attack, exterior exposure protection, and rural water supply.
• Motor Vehicle Accidents: Roadway crashes requiring hydraulic extrication (“Jaws of Life”), stabilization, fluid spill containment, and patient care alongside EMS.
• Mutual Aid & Water Shuttles: Responding with pumper tanker 22-35 and engine 22-22 to provide water and manpower to neighboring Columbia County departments under Battalion 4.
• Wildland & Brush Fires: Field, brush, and forest fires handled with 4WD brush truck 22-69 and backpack pumps.
• Hazardous Conditions & Severe Weather: Downed electrical wires, basement pumping during floods, storm debris clearance, carbon monoxide alarms, and odor investigations.

Yes. A serious fire needs more water, more air bottles and more people than any one small company carries, so Ghent runs mutual aid with departments across Columbia County and operates within Columbia County Battalion 4 — the incident management system that brings additional resources when a call outgrows the first alarm. When you see another town’s apparatus in Ghent, that is why, and our trucks do the same for them. See our District Coverage & Mutual Aid Guide for full details on our Battalion 4 network and partner departments.

In Columbia County, postal ZIP codes often cross town and fire protection district lines. Many households inside the Town of Ghent have a Chatham (12037), Hudson (12534), or Kinderhook (12106) mailing address, while some properties with a Ghent (12075) mailing address sit in neighboring fire districts.

Under the Town of Ghent’s 2026 fire protection contracts, fire protection across the town (~28,876 acres / ~45.1 sq. miles) is divided into five service areas:

• Ghent Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 (18,954 acres / ~29.6 sq. mi.): Covers all areas of the Town of Ghent outside the Village of Chatham other than contract exclusions a through w.
• West Ghent Volunteer Fire Company (7,643 acres / ~11.9 sq. mi.): Covers contract items i to xvi (= Ghent exclusions a to p) along the western Route 9H, Old Post Rd, and split-centerline border roads (Leggett Rd, Link Rd, Talerico Rd, western CR 22, Ostrander Rd, and Route 66 south of George/Ostrander).
• Mellenville Fire District (1,110 acres): Covers exclusions s to v (County Route 9 south of Starks Farm at 300 CR 9, Carpenter Rd, Eagle Rock Rd, and Eagle St).
• Chatham Fire Protection District No. 2 (775 acres) & Village of Chatham (394 acres): Covers exclusions q (Route 203), r (Houseman Ave), and w (Village of Chatham).

Most importantly: in an emergency, you do not need to know which district covers your house. Columbia County 911 dispatchers automatically route your emergency using Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) geo-mapping, and mutual aid agreements ensure neighboring apparatus responds immediately whenever needed. Review our official 2026 District Coverage & Contract Map to look up your exact road or download the full 2-page PDF map.

A fire in 1923 destroyed several businesses in Ghent, and in November 1924 the first nineteen men — then called The Ghent Fire Protectors — voted to build the first firehouse. The company has been staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers ever since.

Ghent Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded through two primary sources:

1. Town Fire Protection Contract: Under the Town of Ghent’s 2026 Fire Protection Contract 1, the Town contracts with the company to provide primary fire and emergency protection across 18,954 acres (~29.6 square miles) of the Town of Ghent (all areas outside the Village of Chatham other than contract exclusions a through w), plus mutual-aid support across the entire town. This municipal contract funds essential operational expenses, insurance, apparatus maintenance, and firefighter turnout gear.
2. Community Donations & Fund Drives: Our annual fund drive mailer sent to district households, memorial gifts, and online donations fund specialized rescue equipment, facility improvements, and volunteer training beyond basic municipal budgets. Unsure which fire company covers your road? Check our 2026 Town of Ghent Fire Protection Map.