By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer
Debby White said she became
a volunteer firefighter 13
years ago partly out of tradition
and partly
because she
wanted to help
out her community.
On Jan. 1,
she was elected
chief of the
Unadilla Forks
Fire Department. But the 48-
year-old mother of eight said
Thursday she did not have any
idea she was setting a milestone.
White is the first female
fire chief in the history of Otsego
County, according to Lyle
“Butch” Jones, the county’s
emergency services coordinator.
White said she started at the
Cassville Fire Department in
1996 and became qualified as
an emergency medical technician
a year later. She moved to
nearby Unadilla Forks in 2001
and joined the fire department
there.
“That’s where I grew up,”
White said.
White said
she was born
into a dairy
farming family
and is a former
dairy farmer.
She’s also
no stranger
to heat and
flames.
On Thursday, before talking
with The Daily Star, White
finished her shift at Special
Metals in New Hartford.
“I melt metal,” she said.
White said she has learned
special emergency response
skills working in a hazardous
environment, which has
helped her as a volunteer firefighter
and emergency medical
technician.
Because she grew up in
Unadilla Forks, she has
known many of the fire
department members all
of her life.
“It’s pretty awesome,”
she said.
White said she hopes
to build on the sense of
teamwork that already
exists at the department
and do a few more training
initiatives in her first
year as chief.
“I have a lot of really
good officers helping me,”
she said.
Unadilla Forks is in
extreme northwestern Otsego
County and covers
much of the town of Plainfield.
The rural community
is sandwiched between
Herkimer, Oneida and
Madison counties, with
Chenango County about
10 miles away.
Although there are
five counties and several
other fire departments
nearby, such as Bridgewater,
Leonardsville and
West Winfield, White said
there is a sense of community
in the largely rural
area, and everybody looks
out for each other.
inactive
January 16, 2009
On the Bright Side: Female fire chief makes history in Otsego County
Took Unadilla Forks job on Jan. 1
- Local News
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Motorist rolls truck, charged with drunken driving
A motorist who continued driving after his truck rolled 360 degrees in Summit early Monday was charged with drunken driving, state police at Cobleskill said.
- Motorist rolls truck, charged with drunken driving A motorist who continued driving after his truck rolled 360 degrees in Summit early Monday was charged with drunken driving, state police at Cobleskill said.
- Mary Lorraine Hawkins RICHFIELD SPRINGS _ Mary Lorraine Hawkins, 85, went to be with the Lord on Monday, May 10, 2010, she was at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown.
- Area briefs: Video on natural gas drilling to be presented COPES CORNERS _ The Concerned Citizens of the Butternut Valley will sponsor a video presentation about natural gas drilling at 7 p.m. today at Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School at 693 State Highway 51.
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- Evelyn E. Kinney MORRIS _ Evelyn E. Kinney, 81, of Morris, passed away Jan. 17, 2010.
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- Daisy Wagner Schultz WALTON _ Daisy Meda Wagner Schultz, 65, of Walton, passed away unexpectedly Sunday evening, May 9, 2010, at home.
- Frost may have damaged plantings Traces of a visit by Jack Frost overnight might leave severe damage to plant life in Otsego, Delaware and Chenango counties, weather officials said Monday.
- Edward Luke Ryder MOUNT VISION _ Edward Luke Ryder, 71, passed away Monday, May 10, 2010, at his home.
- Police probe apparent murder-suicide WALTON _ An apparent murder-suicide shooting is being investigated by the Walton Police Department, the state police and the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, Walton Police Officer Brian Laauser said Monday. The shootings occurred at 32 Union Street at about 10 p.m. Sunday, police said.
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3 area lawyers say Kagan likely to be confirmed
Elena Kagan is likely to be confirmed as United States Supreme Court justice and seems qualified for the post, according to three area lawyers.
Kagan, the nations solicitor general and a former dean of Harvard Law School, is President Barack Obamas choice to succeed retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. - Alyce H. Roberts ONEONTA _ Alyce H. Roberts, 89, of Oneonta, passed away Sunday, May 9, 2010, at home.
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3 area lawyers say Kagan likely to be confirmed
Elena Kagan is likely to be confirmed as United States Supreme Court justice and seems qualified for the post, according to three area lawyers.
Kagan, the nations solicitor general and a former dean of Harvard Law School, is President Barack Obamas choice to succeed retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. -
Outdoor biking program starts in city
ONEONTA _ An outdoor biking program Tuesday nights has begun in Oneonta.
The group meets at the Brenner Recreational Center near Hodges Pond in Neahwa Park at 5 p.m. -
Outdoor biking program starts in city
ONEONTA _ An outdoor biking program Tuesday nights has begun in Oneonta.
The group meets at the Brenner Recreational Center near Hodges Pond in Neahwa Park at 5 p.m. - Marc E. Guy DELHI _ A graveside memorial service for Marc E. Guy, 79, of Delhi, who passed away Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, at Hospice of the Golden Isles,
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- David C. Yager ONEONTA _ Graveside services with military honors for David C. Yager, who passed away Feb. 7, 2010, will be at 1 p.m. Friday, May 14, 2010, in the West Oneonta Cemetery.
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Motorist rolls truck, charged with drunken driving
