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.
Local News -
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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Local economic 'game plan' ready for action
Attracting, developing and promoting business and economic development in Otsego County are moving to the front burner in a ``game plan’’ to apply for state funding, three local officials said this morning.
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Upper reservoir at Blenheim-Gilboa to reopen for recreational boaters
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Outdoor biking program starts in city
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The group meets at the Brenner Recreational Center near Hodges Pond in Neahwa Park at 5 p.m. -
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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.
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Local economic 'game plan' ready for action
