Assembly Resolution No. 624

BY: M. of A. Walsh

COMMEMORATING the 100th Anniversary of the John
McLane Hose Company

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is proud to commemorate the 100th
Anniversary of the John McLane Hose Company and to honor its past and
present members for a century of fire protection and emergency response
to the citizens of the Hamlet of Rexford, New York and its surrounding
communities; and

WHEREAS, Fire companies are an integral part of community protection
services in every locality of our State; during the past 100 years, the
courageous and devoted firefighters of the John McLane Hose Company have
valiantly responded to all types of emergencies and have won the praise
and respect of the community which they serve; and

WHEREAS, The Rexford Fire District is located at the western end of
the Town of Clifton Park and the south-western corner of Saratoga County
in New York State, and the District is managed by a board of elected
commissioners and is responsible for the fire protection and medical
first response of approximately 800 homes in the Hamlet of Rexford; and

WHEREAS, Volunteer firefighters serve without pay, devote hundreds
of hours of time away from family, and in many cases; spend their own
money on firefighting gear and bear the responsibility for recruitment
and retention to maintain organizational stability; and

WHEREAS, Soon after the burning of a cement shed in the spring of
1923, a meeting was held by several residents of Rexford for the purpose
of determining what could be done to protect life and property from
damaging fires; and

WHEREAS, Those attending this meeting were Michael Travis, Joseph
Mahar, Fred Bennett, William Drumm, John McLane, Jr., Edmund Hinchcliff
and Homer Tracey; and

WHEREAS, The resulting conclusions of the meeting were that if a
small shed or shanty were to be built near the church, to house fire
extinguishers and pails, the residents of the village would have a
common place suitable for obtaining firefighting equipment, and further;
the church bell would be used for a fire alarm; and

WHEREAS, Under the current leadership of Company President Al
Craver, and Chief Aaron Cote, the John McLane Hose Company has held up
the high standards of ensuring public safety which has been a staple of
this company since its inception; and

WHEREAS, In addition to the skill and devoted service demonstrated
by individual firefighters and emergency personnel, the John McLane Hose
Company reflects on their rich history and development of firefighting
over the past 100 years; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body cannot express sufficient gratitude
to those devoted individuals who recognize that the preservation of life

and property is a sacred responsibility and who make that responsibility
their own by serving, especially in a volunteer capacity; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that we should
give special recognition to those who work so assiduously for the
betterment of their communities, and acknowledge publicly the heroic
good works performed by the volunteer fire companies of this great
Empire State, their officers, and auxiliaries; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
proudly commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the John McLane Hose
Company; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to ranking members of the John McLane Hose Company.