By JOSHUA THOMAS

C-S-E Editor

FORT PLAIN  —  Last week, Fort Plain Fire Department members gathered at the Fireman’s Park to honor David Bouck for 50 years of dedicated service.

Mayor Guy Barton and Trustee Loring Dutcher, along with Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Dwight Schwabrow, and Bouck’s family members were also on hand to honor the devoted fireman, presenting him with numerous plaques and certificates of appreciation, including honors from the Office of the Fire Coordinator, State Office of Fire Prevention Control, the Fireman’s Association of the State of New York, and from his own department, the Fort Plain Fire Department.

The Fort Plain Fire Department also presented Bouck with a $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant to make up for all the meals he missed with his wife, Shirley, who explained that for some time, David was called out every week just as he sat down for Sunday dinner.

Schwabrow, stated, as he presented a certificate of appreciation to Bouck, who celebrates his 50th anniversary in the department this month, “you’re a very active and valued member of our team, and we certainly hope you will continue for the next 50 years.”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s been 50 years,” said Bouck, adding, “It’s been a lot of fun, camaraderie and friendship. It’s been outstanding.”

Bouck stated of his wealth of memories in the Fort Plain Fire Department, “there’s so many, I don’t think I can single out just one or two, or even three,” although he did recall a few stand-out moments from his enduring career as a fireman.

One stand-out memory detailed the camaraderie that Bouck previously spoke of, with him recalling a time when he had just joined the department under Chief Conrad. Bouck lived less than one block away from the station, while Conrad lived right on the other side of the department  —  the closeness of each man’s home causing a friendly rivalry between the two  —  as they turned each blow of the whistle into a race to get to the station first.

“One night, the alarm blew and I said ‘I’m gonna beat him tonight,’” explained Bouck, who burst onto the street “boots in my hand, just my socks on, to get to the station ahead of him.” Bouck did win that night, joking “but I had to put my boots on after we got into the truck and were on our way.”

He recalled another night when he received a call in 1986, only to find out that his in-laws’ garage was on fire. The first truck to arrive to the scene, containing Bouck, created a wall of water between the garage and home in order to save the surrounding buildings and prevent “a secondary exposure fire.”

“These things you do automatically,” said Bouck. “You don’t stop to think a lot. You react to what you’ve been trained to do.”

Mayor Guy Barton, who was driving the first arriving fire truck the night Bouck helped to save his in-laws’ home, stated, “He’s been a really delightful friend and fireman, and he deserves everything he has tonight, plus a lot more. I’ve never met a better man in my life.”

“He’s a big asset to the community of Fort Plain, and I don’t know where we’d be without him,” said Barton, explaining that Bouck was responsible for securing about $500,000 in grant funding during his time in the department, including funding for the newest fire vehicle.

Bouck’s grant writing dates back to the time when the department was still only using a whistle system to alert fireman of an incident. It was Bouck and then-chief Dave Bowman that were responsible for securing funding to put individual alert systems into each department member’s home.

“That was a big, big improvement,” explained Bouck, noting that the system evolved into individual pagers that sent an alert, to more complicated pagers that sent detailed voice messages.

To incoming fireman, or anybody with an interest in serving their community in such a capacity, Bouck had some words of wisdom and advice. “Have an honest interest in giving back to the community, and put forth the effort. If you really enjoy what you’re doing, it’s never an effort.”

Bouck said he can’t even recall how many times he received a call in the evening, only to return home with just enough time to change his clothes and drive to work in the morning. Despite the long nights leading into endless days, Bouck said he’s  every minute of his service.

“If you make that commitment, you live up to that commitment,” he explained.

“It seems like ten years ago I was still the new kid on the block, still learning, still trying to get in there,” concluded Bouck. “I can’t get in there quite as much as I’d like to anymore, but I’ll still be here for a while. I still don’t feel like I’m used up.”