WESTHAMPTON — When a fire breaks out in Westhampton, more than 30 volunteer firefighters are on call, ready to spring into action — just as they have been since 1949, when several firefighters banded together to form the town’s all-volunteer force.
That legacy was honored Monday afternoon at Westhampton Center Cemetery, where firefighters laid markers made of red-cast aluminum at the graves of each of the more than 41 firefighters buried there. There are dozens more that have served the town’s fire department but do not have gravestones at the cemetery.
Deputy Fire Chief John Bridgman, who has served on the force for nearly 50 years, said the more than 50 people who attended the ceremony gathered to honor those who answered the town’s call when needed.
“There were a bunch of volunteer firefighters that served for years but didn’t have any markers so I thought this would be a nice way to honor them,” Bridgman told the Gazette. “It was nice to see everyone gathering there, around their families’ gravestones.”
Some time ago Bridgman was walking with his partner past a cemetery in Wells, Maine, when there was a red flash that caught the corner of his eye. He said there were red markers planted in the ground next to firefighters’ gravestones who died and were buried in the cemetery.
“I said to myself, ‘What are those red markers,’ so we walked in and I thought that we (Westhampton) needed to do that,” he said.
Bridgman’s father, David Bridgman, died several years ago, having served as chief for the fire department and in the military. Bridgman said he has seen many cemeteries with markers honoring members of the military like his father, but comes across less markers for firefighters.
“I went online and bought one for my father and as I was looking at the graves around his, (at the Westhampton cemetery) I thought we should get them for everyone,” Bridgman said. “It would brighten the cemetery.”
“It was a great way to honor the former members of the association and it goes back to 1949 when the department was established,” said Chris Brooks, president of the Westhampton Firefighters Association. “There were so many members that gave their time and volunteered for the town.”
Brooks and Bridgman said there are about 30 current volunteer firefighters, first responders and EMT’s on the force. They are also a part of the Westhampton Firefighters Association which meets once a month and helps support the department by fundraising, administering trainings and collaborating with other communities, Brooks said.
It is common for small communities with limited resources like those in the hilltowns to run on volunteer departments, Brook said, making it crucial for volunteers to join like the ones honored Monday evening. There are several members that have been on Westhampton’s department for more than 40 years, he said.
“It’s a way for us to get together, have a meeting and we kind of discuss what’s new and what to focus on,” Brooks said. “Everybody helps everybody, especially the way things cost today.”
Brooks said the association has helped keep the force sustainable for the more than 75 years the department has been volunteer based, which is why it was important to honor them with these markers.
“We really wanted to recognize the former members and it shows how our department has, throughout the years, had so many people that have wanted to volunteer to help out the town,” Brooks said.
