A Hometown Honor
A Hometown Honor
55 years of Firefighting Service Recognized
When you think about the dedication it takes to devote 55 years to a calling, it’s truly impressive and deserves recognition. John Burrell, Ellicottville native and Mayor of Ellicottville, was recently honored with a special clock by the Ellicottville Fire Department for his 55 years of dedicated service.
A lot goes into a firefighting/EMS career this lengthy. ellicottvilleNOW spoke with Burrell and asked him to take a walk down memory lane - a path that started in 1967.
“It’s a way of giving back to the community,” Burrell said. “I think in order for a community to function, we need to have people that do these kinds of things.”
He reflected on a fire call early in his career - in the 1970’s - which he responded to that struck close to home. “On my way to the call, I got to the top of Fish Hill, and I could see the smoke from the fire down in Ellicottville. I knew it was in or near my family’s factory, Burrell Cutlery Company. The fire destroyed about a third of our plant,” said Burrell.
He also recalled one of his rescue stories that involved his fire company, ice and a full sized buffalo! “We had a rather large buffalo ranch here in Ellicottville, and their biggest bull buffalo had gone out onto the ice on this rather large pond and broke through. I was part of a group that made the rescue. We had to cut our way out to the buffalo and then get a rope around him and lead him back to shore. It was quite an experience!” Burrell recalled.
Burrell has a deep appreciation for the fire service and the time he’s spent responding along the way. It doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down either! Burrell finished our conversation with a message for younger people interested in joining the company.
“We’re very fortunate in that we have an Explorer Post through our fire company,” he said. “We have young members, and we’ve seen a lot of young people come up through it, and that in itself is very rewarding.”
All of us here at ellicottvilleNOW join the Ellicottville Fire Company in saluting John Burrell for the many emergency calls answered and serving the community when they counted on him the most. Congratulations!
