FERNDALE, NY — The Sullivan County Bureau of Fire held its Fire Chiefs’ Conference at the CVI Building in Ferndale on April 15. Forty officers from 11 departments attended—and there would have been more. Unfortunately, several officers were needed to take care of a large wildland fire near Roscoe and could not attend.

The conference kicked off with keynote speaker John Liddle, Sullivan County’s commissioner of health and human services, who gave a powerful message that “Training Saves Lives.” Liddle is a retired naval officer and is currently a firefighter with the Liberty Fire Department. He related his naval career to the fire service to illustrate several key points.

“Mission first: Protect life and property,” he told the crowd. “People always: The volunteer fire service is the soul of our communities, and some people are leaders by title; some are leaders because they run toward danger.”

Amy Barkley-Carey, a Loch Sheldrake firefighter and owner of Maple Woods Farm, shared knowledge and insights into animal behavior when under stress from a fire or accident. She also gave officers resources to assist in such events, noting that animals have behavior and stress levels just like humans and need to be handled properly.

James Farrell, Sullivan County Court Judge and Lake Huntington firefighter, spoke about social media in the fire service, capturing the audience’s attention with examples of when social media is a blessing and when it is a curse.

At the conclusion of the conference, Wayne Melton, chief of Orange County Hazmat and chief of the Pocatello-Mount Hope Fire Department, spoke about a very current topic: lithium-ion batteries and their storage. His strong message was to only use UL- (Underwriters Laboratory) approved devices, especially the chargers and charge cords that come with the devices. Melton also explained the proper way to fight, control and handle lithium-ion battery fires.

“The Sullivan County Bureau of Fire thanks Alan Gerry, Jamie Kaminski and the staff of the CVI Building for their continued support and dedication to the fire service of Sullivan County,” said Sullivan County Fire Coordinator John Hauschild. “Their gracious hospitality ensured the Chiefs’ Conference was a huge success.”

Dan Hust is the director of communications for Sullivan County.