Williamsville native voice of firefighters
by DAVID F. SHERMAN

Mike Wutz, left, is joined by his father, Bill, at this year's convention of the Fireman's Association of the State of New York in Syracuse.

by DAVID F. SHERMAN

A man with a lifetime of dedication to volunteer firefighting has risen to become president of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York.

Michael P. Wutz, a member of the Hutchinson Hose Company of Williamsville since 1964, took the oath of office Aug. 19 in Syracuse at the organization's annual convention.

FASNY's mission statement is, "To maintain, support and serve the Volunteer Fire Service of New York, its firefighters, and the public they protect through education, legislation, communication, recognition and community service."

The organization found tremendous success in this effort this year, with 50 bills it supported being approved in Albany. Many are related to firefighter benefits and safety issues.

Wutz said increasing training and education will be critical during his two-year term.

"We need to retain our people," he said. "We are working on additional incentives for membership to attract new people and keep those we have."

He said FASNY, established in 1872, has hired a public relations firm from New York City to help identify and implement ways to accomplish that goal.

"We also need more money for training from Erie County. It's minute compared to the rest of the state. Our firefighters need the support of their elected officials, and they are not really getting it."

The FASNY mission statement also commits its members to "provide a haven at our Firemen's Home for our volunteer firefighters." Mike's father, Bill, recently moved from Williamsville to the Firemen's Home in Hudson, N.Y., fulfilling that end of the creed as well.

Bill joined Hutchinson Hose in 1944 and rose to become one of the volunteer fire service's leading ambassadors. He was named "Firefighter of the Year" by the National Volunteer Fire Council in 1998 and also received FASNY's Fire Service Achievement Award the same year.

Bill was president of Hutchinson Hose in 1949 and 1963; Mike held the same post in 1973 and 1979.

Mike grew up in a fire service environment. His late mother, Evelyn, was a member of the Hutchinson Hose Ladies Auxiliary. Mike joined the old Hutchinson Hose Drum Corps at age 11 and became a member of the fire department 10 years later after graduation from Williamsville High School and the University of Buffalo.

Mike's brother Tom is a past chief of the Schoharie Fire Department and an official with the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control in Albany.

Yet Mike keeps coming back to why he got involved in his local fire department.

"I miss fighting fires," he said. "I wanted to stay active for 50 years but just couldn't do it for health reasons."

Instead, Mike's resume overflows with posts held with numerous organizations. He was a member of the local committee which organized the 1966 Western New York Volunteer Firemen's Association convention in Williamsville. A year later, he was appointed as an officer of the group and served as a delegate to FASNY.

Only two other Erie County residents have held the office of president of FASNY: Gene Braun of Eggertsville and Tom Owczarczak of Cheektowaga.

While goals and objectives have changed during the years, Wutz said FASNY is concentrating on the recruitment and retention issue and the need for increased safety at the scene of emergency calls. Following a recent seminar on apparatus safety held in the Southern Tier, two companies took apparatus out of service because the rigs failed to make the grade.

"Last year, we hit 57 counties in safety education programs," he said. FASNY has been able to form partnerships with several other organizations in the state as well as private companies such as Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services, based in York, Pa.

"Our partnerships are growing. No one can live alone anymore. We need each other."