Dear Friends and Neighbors,

On behalf of the members of the Vista Fire Department, I would like to thank you for your generous support for our 2019 Fund Drive and I respectfully ask that you make a contribution for this year, 2020.

Since our last appeal to the community for support, in 2019, a great deal has changed and a great deal has remained the same. 2020 has been a year that will be remembered, by all who experienced it, for all time, and we at the Vista Fire Department hope we never see another year like it again.

One thing that remained the same was the volunteers of the Vista Fire Department’s commitment to answer the call of duty throughout this public health crisis. Through careful consideration of the facts and diligent application of mitigation regulations within our department we have been able to safely provide uninterrupted EMS and Fire emergency services to our community and to our mutual aid partners.

The early days of the pandemic demanded the most of those who remained in service. Those days demanded dedication, bravery, cool heads and diligent adherence to safety protocols, instituted by the VFD leadership weeks before official guidance came in for both operations and business administration. But that’s not where the story begins.

Since our last appeal the VFD successfully hosted a Marine Corps “Toys for Tots” event and held a “Candy Cane Run” with Engine 141 where we gave away free holiday themed tee shirts. In a response to the pandemic’s effects on our children's lives and educations, the VFD’s newly formed Public Information Office recognized the John Jay Graduates of 2020 with a specially designed run of tee shirts celebrating their big event. The VFD had the honor of participating in the JJHS driveby graduation ceremony. Birthday Parades became a common occurrence on weekends in Vista during the pandemic lockdown. Every Saturday our volunteers manned the apparatus in a show of unity and togetherness in a time of isolation for many. Most recently, the VFD hosted a socially distanced Halloween event and a #VistaStrong t-shirt fundraiser for local businesses that have recently been burglarized.

In the last two years the VFD was able to reform, reorganize and update the administration of the Vista Fire Department, Inc. which provided paperless administration, transparency and accountability and the ability to effectively utilize all available remote resources at a time when we most needed it. The VFD was able to hold all meetings and elections remotely without any problem and with complete contemporaneous documentation, which all members have access to via Google Drive. In addition the Department’s rewritten bylaws, passed last year, provided for the creation of the Public Information Office (PIO) which has been responsible for myriad accomplishments this year. Led by Captain Porco and Lieutenant Cervantes the PIO has produced a new monthly newsletter, which is available at the vistafd.org website, a virtual 9/11 memorial service, and a virtual 2020 Open House event, both of which can be viewed on our Vista Fire Department Youtube channel.

Training continued into 2020 with too many classes to list here. The highlights include one member who became a Nationally Certified Fire Service Instructor and members who took the latest training in Active Shooter and Hostile Events (ASHE) with the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services and with our neighbors at the Ridgefield Police Department, before the pandemic closed all in person training. Six of our members have stepped up to bolster our EMT ranks, since the onset of COVID-19, and are now in the process of becoming New York State Certified Emergency Medical Technicians, in addition to their current roles, and only the New York State examination remains to be taken. This is the biggest class of EMT candidates in memory.

In house training, including EMS Continuing Medical Education, never missed a Monday drill or Sunday training, as our instructors developed distance training materials and held classes via Zoom, Google Meets and Webex.

As you may know, the Vista Fire Department is an all-volunteer, all emergency response agency that responds to fires, motor vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, weather-related incidents, commercial / residential alarms, etc. During the COVID-19 pandemic our firehouse has necessarily been closed to the public so as to not compromise the department’s ability to fulfill our mission; to preserve lives and property. We have made water and charging stations, available to the public, outside the firehouse at appropriate times.

As COVID-19 grabs the headlines the Vista Fire Department still has its usual responsibilities and calls to duty. Extreme weather events continue to become more common, and the VFD has been hard at work with area utilities to document damage for repair crews and to provide for public safety. The efforts of the VFD volunteers have been credited by the utility companies with the short down times in Vista.

Fires continue to become hotter and faster, active shooter events more prevalent and medical crises like COVID-19, opioids, and fentanyl demand that our members have more diversified skill sets which continue to add to the burden on our volunteers. This comes at a time when membership numbers across the country are falling. Fortunately, at the Vista Fire Department our volunteer agency continues to be fully staffed and our members meet the challenges with cutting edge in-house training programs which are recognized, for their results, county wide. This is largely due to the support we get from the community, both moral and financial.

Vista’s volunteers save our community millions of dollars annually over the cost of a paid department. Your Fire District tax dollars pay for our equipment, apparatus and the firehouse while the proceeds of this Drive directly support the day-to-day operation of VFD volunteers and our recruitment and retention of the high caliber members we have today. In addition your generous donation allows us to sponsor community education and social events, virtual and in person.

The Vista Fire Department is a cutting edge, all emergency response organization, with a diverse and motivated membership. Our in house, volunteer training staff includes five Certified NYS Fire Service Instructors, and a PHD in education. We are known to be head and shoulders above the rest, by those who know, and we are commonly looked to for guidance in everything from training to apparatus design to department organization and administration. Are you ready to be part of the Vista Fire Department? Join us; help others.

Help us keep the Vista Fire Department #VistaProud and ready to respond. Please make your tax-deductible contribution online at vistafd.org by clicking on the "Donate" icon. Or send your check or money order to the Vista Fire Department, 377 Smith Ridge Road, South Salem, NY 10590. All donations will be acknowledged.

With many thanks.

Yours in service,

Capt. Phil Katz
President, Vista Fire Department, Inc.