Jeff Galm is the chief of the Milan Fire Department, which he initially joined when he was 16 years old. “I had some older friends who were members of the department and my dad had been a volunteer firefighter, so I was raised with the concept of helping others.”
Being a part of the fire department for over 40 years has certainly been quite the time commitment. “It’s not only impacted me, but also my entire family,” he says. “All my years in the fire department, I have held one officer position or another, with over half of my time as assistant chief or chief. When volunteering, you learn to be good with time management.”
Jeff has countless memorable moments during his time volunteering, and says that being able to make a difference at any level is what makes it all worthwhile. “Being able to help someone who’s having a bad day and turn the situation around, that’s what it’s all about.”
Like many others, Jeff echoes the dire need for volunteers. “There’s nobody else coming in the door to take over. The need for new members has never been stronger, and that’s statewide with both fire and EMS.”
Jeff has had quite the decorated history in public service. He was a police officer for 24 years, starting with the Town of Pine Plains Police, before moving to State Park Police, and finally working as a NYS Trooper for 19 years. He’s also served as part of the ski patrol at Ski Butternut for 38 years, and for the past four years, has been part of the Catamount Ski Patrol.
Outside of his work, he also served two terms on the Gallatin Town Board, has organized a polar sled run fundraiser over the past few years in honor of the special olympics, and has spearheaded the ski boards & badges fundraiser to benefit the National MS Society for the past 25 years.
To learn more about the Milan Volunteer Fire Department, visit their website here.
Milan Volunteer Fire Department
900 Route 199, Milan, NY
(845) 758-9911