On Saturday, April 5, the Volunteer Firemen’s Association of the City of New York (VFACNY) hosted its annual Officers Installation Dinner at the Belle Harbor Yacht Club, celebrating 141 years of service.
Guests were welcomed with an address from Master of Ceremonies Chief of Department James Morton, Rockaway Point Volunteer Fire Department (RPVFD). A recruitment video followed.
The National Anthem was performed by Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department’s (BCVFD) Captain James McCabe. Father Michael Gelfant, Chaplain of the Rockaway Point and Roxbury VFDs, then gave an invocation.
A brief history of the VFACNY was presented by BCVFD Ex-Chief Ed Wilmarth III, who also serves as VFACNY Historian for the NYC Volunteer Fire Departments.
Chief Morton introduced Chief Daniel Cavanagh, Gerritsen Beach Volunteer Fire Department, who is entering his 10th term as VFACNY President. Cavanagh presented the evening’s honorees, FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker, who was represented by First Deputy Commissioner Mark Guerra, and NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola. Both were presented with a gold-leaf high-eagle helmet front modeled after the original 1884 VFACNY logo. The shields were mounted in shadow boxes, which also featured the names of all current VFACNY member departments.
Commissioner Guerra and Councilwoman Ariola each spoke about the strong family-like bond between the FDNY and NYC’s Volunteer Fire Departments, and reaffirmed their commitment to continued support. They also announced a major operational enhancement. All VFACNY departments will be receiving FDNY teleprinters, the same alert system used by FDNY firehouses and apparatus, enabling faster and more coordinated responses to alarms.
Chief Morton then introduced Hon. Judge John Ingram, Honorary FDNY Battalion Chief and Commissioner of the Point Breeze VFD, who installed the 2025 VFA officers.
President Cavanagh closed the evening by thanking the members of all NYC volunteer fire departments for their dedication and service, and expressed appreciation to the night’s distinguished guests and honorees.
