The town of Ira is fortunate to have two fire departments within its boundaries, Ira and Cato. Both of these departments were formed after big disastrous fires: Cato, in 1918, which burned the north side of the business district in the center of the village and Ira, in 1943, after the former Wiggins store and house, located on the northwest corner, in the hamlet of Ira burned.

We need to honor these fire department members for they are the folks we call on in emergencies, such as fires, when cellar pumps go out, when injuries occur, to help clean off snow from roofs, etc. Another job members do is direct traffic at fires or other emergencies.

Without asking him to help during the snow storm aftermath of last month, a local fireman came to our property with his tractor and loader to dig out the snow at the end of our driveway. He told us, “You never know when you will need help or an ambulance.”

These departments also put on chicken barbecues, fish dinners, dinners for families after funerals and whatever else is needed in the community. And the auxiliaries keep the firefighters in hot or cold drinks, sandwiches, etc. at fire scenes.

I have received phone calls asking for help in determining who are the deceased members of the two departments and where they are buried.

Last year's call asked about Ira's deceased members. Through news articles and the fire department's records, a list of names has been compiled. Now the job is to find out where they are buried. If you can help determine where a former member of the Ira department is buried, especially someone that is not buried in our local cemeteries, please write Tony and Judy Rodriquez, 3395 Baldwin Road, Cato, N.Y. 13033.

The second call came from the Cato Fire Department. Jim Begely, son of one of its members, is working on earning an Eagle Scout badge.

He is a member of Troop No. 50 with Dave Barnello as scoutmaster. Jim is trying to come up with a complete list of deceased members of the Cato Fire Department. From this list, place of burial will be needed. If anyone has a deceased family member that was a member of this department, please contact Jim Begley, c/o Cato Fire Department, PO Box 252, Cato, N.Y. 13033-0252, to tell him what cemetery this person is buried in. He will appreciate it very much.

Jim will have his fellow Boy Scout members help place the plaques on the graves of deceased members in our local cemeteries. He will travel to other cemeteries if necessary to place plaques on the graves of members.

These two fire departments will be purchasing the plaques to be put on the graves of their deceased members. A plaque from each respective department will be placed on deceased member graves in the future.

This plaque honors the firefighters for their volunteerism to their own departments and community. Let's all help Jim Begley and the Rodriquez couple with this project.

Dorothy Southard is the

town of Ira historian