Firefighters define courage. There are not many volunteer groups who are expected to be on call 24/7, leave their job at a moment’s notice, miss family dinners and rush to the scene of an emergency, placing themselves in harm's way for the sake of quite often, a complete stranger's life and property.

I believe we all take for granted the time and effort that goes into the hundreds of hours of training that these men and women put forth, all the dinners they miss or the time away from their family because of their dedication to helping others.

No doubt when tragedies happen, they take it personally, they replay those precious seconds over and over in their heads, wondering if there was anything else they could have done to change the outcome. There is not; you have given your all, and regardless of the outcome, I want you to know that we as a community are grateful.

But it is not only the firefighters that make sacrifices while serving our community, but also the families that allow us to do this special voluntary work. I want to say THANK YOU to our families. Thank-you for allowing your lives and time with your brave loved one to be interrupted and endangered in a moment’s notice. Your support and sacrifice is priceless not only to your loved one but to all of us in the Potsdam and surrounding communities.

With that being said, I would like express my sincere gratitude to each and every one of you of the Potsdam Volunteer Fire Department, men and women, for the record year of 596 calls of service that you bravely and professional answered last year alone!
- Potsdam Volunteer Fire Department Annual Banquet speech given by Chief Danielle Rose

Each year we like to recognize members who have dedicated 300 or more hours to our community within the year. These hours range from fire calls answered, trainings attended, department meetings, fundraising, and so much more. These hours are just a portion of what they really put in a year for our community, as there are many things we do not keep track of hours on. This year we had eight members who reached this milestone.
Kevin Blain- 355 hours of service
Jay Bradish- 365 hours of service
Brad Andrus- 450 hours of service
Justin McGregor-457 hours of service
Jim Corbett- 466 hours of service
Danielle Rose- 491 hours of service
Bob Robar- 651 hours of service
Dave Monahan- 790 hours of service

Years of Service Awards
Brad Andrus 5 Years
Mark Maroney 5 Years
Rian McFadden 5 Years
Toby LaBier 5 Years
John Benson 10 Years
Sean Corbett 15 Years
Jason Farnsworth 20 Years
Randy Webster 25 Years
William Enslow 25 Years
Mike Jerome 30 Years
John Keleher 35 Years
Jim Corbett 40 years
Joe Gallagher 40 Years
Bob Robar 40 Years

Through out the year we have many neighboring departments, businesses, organizations, highway departments and our Villages and Towns to thank. Especially the Canton Fire Department who provided a stand-by crew so the Potsdam members could enjoy themselves.

The Village of Potsdam has really stepped up this year and is helping provide us with overdue repairs to the firehouse, equipment upgrades, support with the cancer bill and much support with the everyday operations of running a firehouse. Lori Queor the Village of Potsdam Clerk/Treasurer was presented a plaque of appreciation for their continued support of the Potsdam Fire Department.

We also presented a plaque of appreciation to a local business for their continuing of support to the Potsdam Fire Dept. This business has always helped us out in a pinch and normally last minute. They print our annual coin card flyers, the banquet programs and gifts, have helped with fundraising materials, and much more. Dave and Tracy from Commercial Press came forward and accepted their award.

Firehouse Yearly Awards

Aggravator of the Year: The aggravator of the year award is presented to a member who knows how to push everyone’s buttons. This person is normally very sly about what he is doing but with good detective skills, all the evidence left behind always leads us back to him. This individual joined the Potsdam Fire Department on August 16, 1988, left for 5 years to run with the Norwood Fire Department and re-joined the Potsdam Fire Department on September 12, 2005 which gives him 25 years of aggravating experience. The 2017 Aggravator of the Year is awarded to Leland Cota.

Spring Arm of the Year: The Spring Arm Award is presented to a member who always is the first to volunteer to drive a fire truck. This individual has many years of fire service within our county. We are lucky that he is a member of Potsdam Fire now as he brings much knowledge and experience with him. He is just coming up on his one year probation and has already trained on most of the trucks. If a truck has to be at a training class or a call, he’s the first to volunteer to take it! This year’s Spring Arm Award goes to Craig LaPlante.

Rookie of the Year: The Rookie of the Year award is presented to a member who is newer to the department and has shown huge interest and dedication in the fire department both on and off the scenes. This individual started his journey as a Probie on August 15, 2016. This member has completed his Basic Firefighter Operation, Interior Firefighting Operations, and Ice Water Rescue Class. He has helped with numerous projects and fundraisers around the firehouse, and so much more. You will often here me yelling at him to pick his feet up or to get a job because he is around the firehouse so much. The 2017 Rookie of the Year is presented to David Monahan.

Chiefs Award: The Chiefs award is awarded to an individual that has stood out to the chiefs throughout the year. This member joined on March 9, 2016 while attending Clarkson University as an incoming engineering student. This member is always willing lend a hand when needed, you will find him putting his all into any training's we have, taking any state classes that he can work around his college classes, and just hands down being a huge asset to the Potsdam community. While on breaks from college, you can find this member running calls with his hometown department in Vermont. This member has recently accepted an RA position at Clarkson University while also helping out with the Clarkson EMS program. The 2017 Chiefs Award recipient is Jacob Giles.

Firefighter of the Year: The Firefighter of the Year award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond the call of duty throughout the year. This individual has served the Potsdam Fire Department since October 4, 2004. This member is a third generation firefighter with the Potsdam Fire Department. These last couple years, this member has really stepped up. He has been getting qualified on driving the trucks, has taken on a Wardens position within the department, is always willing to help out with training, has taken lead on some fundraising events, and has helped take new members under his wing to show them the ropes of the Department all while working a full-time and part-time job. He may think his efforts go unnoticed but believe me, THEY DON’T! The 2017 Firefighter of the Year is presented to Brendan J. Corbett.