By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

CANAJOHARIE — During Canajoharie’s Village Board meeting Tuesday, the Canajo-harie Volunteer Fire Depart-ment’s plans to reduce the application age from 18 to 16 was discussed, with Fire Chief Frank Nestle providing a generic policy to board members, who encouraged him to move forward in drafting a detailed local policy.

Nestle had obtained a copy of the Town of Mohawk Fire Department’s policy, as added to their bylaws, for the village board to view. Nestle stated that there are portions of the document he hopes to change. For instance, while the document presented stated that junior members, between the ages of 16-18, may not drive vehicles at emergency scenes, Nestle doesn’t think junior members should ever be allowed to drive department vehicles.

Currently, fire department applicants must be 18 and complete high school. Nestle said that rule will remain in effect for full fledged members with voting rights. After enrolling in the program, entrants will be subject to a year-long probationary period, at the end of which, membership would vote on each junior member individually.

Junior members would likely be able to take state training and earn certificates, though at no time would they be allowed to enter a structure where there is a fire in progress.

Mayor Francis Avery read from a NYS municipal NYCOM bulletin, containing an article about state youth fire service programs, and noted that certain criteria must be met to comply with NYS law. It also stated that rules and regulations should be established prior to starting the program.

Details that must be established, Avery noted, include: minimum and maximum age of entrants, procedure for participation, instances of removal or expulsion, supervision, mandatory written consent, and fire chief approval of all program activities.

Avery asked Fire Trustee Jena Coppernoll to meet with Nestle to hammer out the details of the local policy, addressing each issue in the NYCOM bulletin.

Once the policy is presented to the membership, they will have 30 days before voting on it, during which time discussions will occur. The village board then has to approve the policy, which will be viewed by the village attorney prior to being adopted as a department bylaw.

HUD Board Member and Trustee Ronald Dievendorf provided the results of an annual HUD audit, noting that it received a 91 percent CMAP score, indicating a high performance rating. “Based on what it was a year ago, this is a really good report,” said Dievendorf, continuing, “as a member of the HUD board, we take our responsibilities seriously and are trying to handle our finances with a more business-like approach.”