Pelham's Fire Department Relies on Neighbors to Fight Huge Blazes

When huge fires occur, like , small communities like Pelham often need the help of neighboring fire departments.

Fire crews from Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle, Pelham Manor, Yonkers, Greenville, Eastchester and the Larchmont Cascade Unit aided the Pelham fire department in fighting the blaze, which was caused by an electrical lighting fixture in the basement of a home on 313 Sixth Ave.

"We transmitted greater alarms to get other departments here to help because it was a labor intensive fire, we needed all of the manpower we can," stated Fire Chief William Stone of Pelham Fire Department at the scene of Wednesday’s fire.

In communities like Pelham, fighting fires can become a battle.

"Fighting fires takes manpower. During the 1940-70's many towns had volunteer firefighters. Now the number of volunteers has dramatically decreased, but the number of paid personnel were not increased to offset it," said Barry Nechis, captain of New Rochelle Fire Department, who also assisted with the Sixth Avenue fire. 

Nechis was involved in a groundbreaking 2009 study by Pace University on consolidating fire departments, which makes recommendations on what small towns like Pelham can do to work more efficiently.

"The staffing of a fire house depends on how many people you need to handle one house fire not based on the population of the town. Technically a fire department should have 15 people staffing it, and small towns like Pelham are greatly understaffed," Nechis said.

Training is the difference between paid staffing and volunteers. During recent years, the number of volunteers has dropped across the nation, and the recession has contributed to the decline.

"The numbers (of volunteers) are worse in white collar and commuter communities. Blue-collar communities like Port Chester are better in recruiting volunteers. But now, many of those volunteers have other obligations to bring in more income for their families."

Those extra paid staff and volunteers can make a big difference in saving a resident's property and life.

"Every minute counts. A fire can double in size every minute. In four to five minutes a house can be completely engulfed in flames," Nechis said.