It was a good night for sleeping. With a hint of fall in the air, the windows in the Trainor house were open.
And it’s fortunate that they were. At 4:30 in the morning, it was still dark outside, but the pungent smell of burning wood caused Tommy Trainor to wake up and get out of bed. Soon the rest of the family was up too. But Tommy moved the fastest.
Stepping outdoors on Sept. 24, the high school freshman saw flames coming from his neighbor’s deck on Elsie Circle in Cornwall-on-Hudson. A call had gone out to the Storm King Engine Company, but Tommy was the first one on the scene.
And he was well prepared. He knew that next to the burning deck was a home with a garden hose. He turned it on full force and aimed it at the blaze. When help arrived, the fire was already knocked down.
Chief Jeff Armitage of the Storm King Engine Company said the fire was probably smouldering all night. It had run up a column and melted the siding. Tommy’s quick response had made the job easier for the volunteers.
Fire fighting is a tradition in the Trainor family. There have been three generations in the Storm King Engine Company. Tommy’s father is a former chief and his great uncle is the company’s longest serving member.
Tommy isn’t a member yet, but he’s affiliated with the company through its Explorer Post. It’s a co-ed training program that accepts young people in Grades 7 and above. They drill twice a month, and help the company with its community activities.
Nancy Bryan and Eugene Conley are the adult leaders of the post. Some of their alumni have become volunteer or professional firefighters. “It’s a nice way,” Mrs. Bryan says, “to get them exposed to fire service and community events.”
Although many of the Explorers relocate for college or jobs, Chief Armitage doesn’t think the training is wasted. “If we get six or eight years out of them, it’s superb,” he says. “Or they take their experience and they help someone else.”
Tommy gives the post credit for his prompt action. “I wouldn’t have known what to do without them,” he said.
