Three Stevenson firefighters celebrate 50 years of service

MONROE, Conn. — David York followed in his father’s footsteps when he became a firefighter and a minister to serve his community. William “Willy” Wiley, who was a Boy Scout growing up, joined the Stevenson Volunteer Fire Department to get involved shortly after moving to Monroe with his wife, Geralyn, in 1976. Months later, Geralyn joined at a time when female firefighters were not commonplace.

“Now it’s not a big deal, but back then they didn’t make gear in female sizes,” she recalled. “My boots, they couldn’t get them smaller for me, so I wore sneakers inside larger boots.”

People used to ask Geralyn why she became a firefighter and she always gave the same response.

Looking at her husband during an interview at Stevenson Fire Station No. 2, Geralyn said, “I’d tell people that I’d rather be active at the fire scene to know he was okay at a fire call, rather than waiting at home for a phone call. But the real answer is, ‘don’t tell me I can’t do something because I’m a female.'”

One day at the Derby Fire School, Geralyn overheard firefighters behind her in line for a drill laughing among themselves, amused that a woman was participating.

In the drill, one had to climb down a ladder with another firefighter lying across their arms. Geralyn told her husband to climb up the ladder ahead of her, telling him, “I’m carrying you down the ladder.”

York and the Wileys are celebrating their 50th anniversary as Stevenson firefighters, though York had previously served as a Stepney firefighter going back to 1965.

“It’s really special that these three individuals have served in various roles in the department for the last 50 years,” said Stevenson Deputy Fire Chief Geoffrey Giordano, who is also president of the fire company, “and we are very lucky to have them. It is a very rare achievement and it’s something to truly celebrate.”

A ceremony was held for York and the Wileys at the firehouse on April 7. During the event, Stevenson Fire Chief John D. Howe praised his firefighters’ longevity.

“Fifty years isn’t just a number — it represents thousands of calls, countless hours, missed holidays, and more interrupted dinners than anyone can count,” Howe said. “It’s a level of sacrifice that most people will never fully understand.”

Of Willy, who served as Stevenson’s fire chief in 1986, Howe said, “Willy has been a chief, a mentor and an inspiration to generations of volunteers. He has led with courage, integrity, and just the right amount of patience. Willy, your dedication to the town of Monroe, the Stevenson Volunteer Fire Company, and this community is truly outstanding. You’ve set the bar incredibly high — maybe a little too high for the rest of us, honestly.”

York, who grew up on Long Island, was 22 when he and his wife, Suzanne, bought a house on Pepper Street in Monroe in 1963. He joined the Stepney Volunteer Fire Department in 1965. Then, after moving to a new home on Cutlers Farm Road, he joined Stevenson’s fire company in 1975.

York had worked as a counselor at Masuk High School for 30 years, before his retirement, and is currently a retired minister of the United Methodist Church of Monroe.

He is chaplain for all three of Monroe’s volunteer fire companies and has been chaplain for the Fairfield County Emergency Plan (all of the fire companies in the county) for about 20 years. York has been the town’s CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) coordinator for the past 15 years and served in Emergency Management for Monroe for longer than that.

As a Stevenson firefighter, York held numerous ranks, including a 17 year span as chief.

Howe said York is “instrumental in critical stress counseling, and guides” the fire company’s “High School Fire Brigade —shaping the next generation of firefighters, including at least two of our current officers. His impact reaches every corner of this community.”

“For five decades, David York has answered the call, led with courage, and set the standard for what it truly means to serve,” Howe said. “As chief, his leadership shaped not only this department, but generations of firefighters who followed his example.”

Geralyn was vice president, treasurer and secretary for the organization. Willy is a civil engineer and Geralyn is a hydrogeologist.

State Rep. Tony Scott, R-112th, arranged for citations from the Connecticut Legislature in recognition of former chiefs, York and Willy, for their service. It was also introduced by local legislators Sen. Jason Perillo, R-21st, and Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, D-22nd.

Scott said, “50 years of service is more than a milestone — it’s a lifetime of answering the call, putting others first, and strengthening the fabric of the community. Dave, Will and Geralyn represent the very best of Monroe: dedication, courage, and an unwavering commitment to their neighbors. We are deeply grateful for their decades of sacrifice and proud to honor their extraordinary legacy.”

“Public service in Monroe is held in high regard,” First Selectman Terry Rooney said. “Our honorable volunteers have helped forge what is the fundamental fabric of Monroe. As we hold our volunteers to a high standard, many do not stand the test of time. In the case of Dave York, Will and Geralyn Wiley, their longevity and commitment to the Stevenson volunteer fire service has been above and beyond even long term altruism in town.”

“I thank you for your service, commitment and decades of care for our town and people,” Rooney said. “The volunteers and career public safety professionals have provided a feeling of comfort to the citizens of Monroe, as they know emergency service personnel will always be there.”

“Mr. York and the Wileys are not just an inspiration, they are a road map to what giving back to a community means,” Rooney continued. “Maybe it’s time to take a great quote from John F. Kennedy and make it local. It’s not what your town can do for you, but what you can do for your town.”

Red rubber gloves

York and the Wileys sat in comfy chairs at the fire station one recent Thursday afternoon and talked about how much firefighting has changed since they first became involved, with hundreds of hours of required training, bigger trucks and advancements in protective equipment.

“We had red rubber gloves, which was a hazard,” York said of the 1970s. “There was no heat resistance. We thought it was state-of-the-art.”

“We had no breathing apparatus either,” Geralyn said. “Training in Derby, our team had to drag a hose, while crawling inside a brick building in the dark, find a fire, put it out, and then come back.”

“The ridge on the rim of your helmet, you would scrape it on the floor and that was the best air you had,” York said.

Giordano said the town pays for the firehouses, budget and capital expenses, while volunteer firefighters provide free labor. York recalled a financial survey years ago showing how town taxpayers would have to pay millions of dollars more to fund a paid fire service.

Though the town’s firefighters are volunteers, York expressed his appreciation to the town for the tax abatement it gives firefighters for their longevity of service.

“It’s a nice recognition by the town of our service,” York said.

Leaving party guests behind

“It sounded exciting,” Willy said of becoming a firefighter. “I guess it was the excitement and knowing what’s going on in the community with emergencies. I can’t say I always enjoyed going out late at night when I was young.”

“Especially in the winter,” Geralyn added, turning toward her husband, “we used to have a lot of brush fires and I would say to him, “come on! Let’s go!'”

Willy remembers a big brush fire at Webb Mountain Park in the 1990s. “It was a multi-day event,” he said.

Other incidents that stand out was a hay fire in a barn basement at a property on Webb Circle in 1981. “It kept smoldering and flaring up again,” Willy said. “We needed an excavator to take hay out.”

Sometimes emergency calls pulled the Wileys away from social gatherings.

Geralyn remembers when she and Willy hosted a Christmas party at their home one year, the same night when many other Stevenson firefighters were away at a wedding for one of their own. A call came in for a house fire and the Wileys had to run out.

“We left the guests and the food,” Geralyn said. “We were the first to get there, because other members were at the wedding. Other companies in Monroe helped us.”

By the time the couple got back home, their guests were leaving.

Willy said he is happy to see the positive changes in equipment for firefighters’ protection and health over the years, as well as being able to say that he never saw one of his colleagues suffer permanent injuries in his decades of fire fighting.

“The only thing I’m sorry to see is we don’t have sirens working at the station anymore,” he said of the blaring signal for firefighters to come to the firehouse for a call. “If a firefighter gets up at two in the morning, people in town should be aware that volunteers are being called out to protect them at all hours.”

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