GREENE – Volunteer firefighters are those who dedicate their life to protect others. According to Oxford Fire Chief Ron Martin, they do so because of their personal convictions and compassion, with no expectation of return for their hard work and personal sacrifice. On April 4, Martin and more than 150 others gathered to give the men and women of the Oxford Fire Department and Emergency Squad the recognition they deserve.

“Thank you for taking the time out of your personal life to help someone else in their time of tragedy,” said Martin, as he addressed the volunteers, community members and guests present at the organization’s Annual Awards Banquet, held at the Baron’s Inn in Greene.

With volunteerism on the decline, the chief said he dreads the day when someone takes on these duties “for a paycheck” rather than because of their convictions and commitment to the community, as current members of the organization do.

“For now,” he said, “we will continue to answer the call.”

And answer calls they do. In the last 12 months, 537 fire and EMS calls were answered by the department. Crews responded to a total of 22 fires, 11 of which were building fires. According to Emergency Squad Captain Craig Chesebro, squads responded to 427 emergencies during that time period, 50 non-emergencies, and were on standby for mutual aid requests on 17 occasions.