By Dennis Coffey
ReminderNews.com
NEW YORK — Michael Kesling was just 4 years old when he and his family moved to Brooklyn. He grew up in its schools, played Little League ball, and went up the ranks of the Boy Scouts, achieving Eagle Scout status. “The village raised me,” he said. Volunteering for the fire department is one way he is giving back.
“I was always interested in being a first responder,” he said. The 26-year-old has risen through the East Brooklyn Fire Department ranks and is now a lieutenant. He’ll celebrate his 10-year anniversary as a volunteer this October.
Kesling is one of an army of volunteer firefighters in the Quiet Corner. Out of 16 towns in Windham County, only one has a paid force of firefighters. The other towns rely on the generosity of the men and women willing to answer the call for help. But responding to a fire or an accident or answering a service call also requires those volunteers to be trained appropriately.
Full story: Volunteer firefighter Mike Kesling repays village that raised him