Local residents living in the hamlet of Huguenot and beyond came out to support their all-volunteer fire department at the annual corned beef dinner on March 10.
Art Moore, a Huguenot resident of 20 years, brought his wife, Maria Moore, and son Bamian Moore to the fire department dinner and enjoyed a hearty meal of corned beef, cabbage, and smashed potatoes.
“I am here to support the fire department,” Mr. Moore told The Epoch Times, adding that his family had also been involved in activities at the nearby Otisville Fire Department.
David Butler, another longtime Huguenot resident, heard about the event on Facebook and decided to come with his girlfriend. He said it was the first time he had attended a fundraising dinner at the firehouse.
Rosemarie Babey, a senior resident from the City of Port Jervis, also came to the fire department for the first time with her husband after learning about it through a flyer at her hairdresser’s shop.
“We want to support the local fire departments,” she told The Epoch Times, adding that she had supported neighboring Port Jervis fire departments and the Sparrow Bush firehouse in the past.
Huguenot Fire Chief T.J. Kalin told The Epoch Times that his department hosted between eight and 10 fundraising events a year and that he always appreciated the support from local residents.
“The fundraisers definitely help cover expenses of new equipment—they cost a lot of money—and keep the taxes down for our taxpayers,” he said, adding that the department’s largest fundraising event is the Penny Social, which typically takes place toward the end of the year.
The 2024 contract between the department and the town costs $300,000.
The fire department has about 25 active volunteer members, who answered about 350 calls—including a few dozen mutual aid calls from nearby firehouses—in 2023, according to Chief Kalin.
“Volunteers are not as easy to come by as they used to be, so we use a lot of each other’s help,” he said, adding that he is always on the lookout for new members.
Both Chief Kalin’s grandfather and father served as volunteer firefighters, and he followed in their footsteps at age 16 to become a firefighter in Port Jervis; he had been the Huguenot fire chief for more than 20 years.
The Huguenot Fire Department will host additional fundraising events on April 6 and June 27.
