A New Chief in Town
Photos: Andrea Ceraso
THERE’S A NEW FIRE CHIEF IN TOWN…GRAHAM GLAUBER
“I was 11 when 9/11 happened - old enough to feel the shock and understand the tragedy. Kelsey Morell, whose father George passed at the World Trade Center and who the stadium at Fox Lane is now named after, was in my class at Fox Lane Middle School at the time. My dad had his own agency for graphic artists in the City, and was stuck in the chaos as many others were that day. Within a couple of years following the tragic event, he sold his business in Manhattan and started a second career as a high school English teacher in Harrison. I was completely engrossed in everything about the emergency response and absolutely impressed, in particular, with the duty and honor of those who responded on 9/11 and in its aftermath. I kind of committed to myself then that I was going to work in emergency services.”
“I was born in 1990 and have a twin brother, Zane. When we were babies we lived across the street from New York Hospital, where my mom was a physician, and my mom always says that from the time I could toddle, I was glued to the window sill of our apartment, directly facing the emergency bays, and that I was more than a little bit captivated by the sirens and the sight of any ambulance or fire or emergency trucks. We moved to Bedford when I was three, and quite a few of my childhood pictures are of me at the age of 4, 5, 6, etc., at the Bedford Fireman’s Parade, or standing in front of a Bedford Fire Truck at the Bedford Fire House. And I’ve always liked playing with big toys and equipment and have never grown out of it. So I guess you could say I bring a youthful enthusiasm to work at the Bedford Fire Department,” Glauber declares.
Of course, being only 33, just about everything about Graham Glauber screams youthful enthusiasm like a fire engine’s siren. He’s the ‘Doogie Howser M.D.’ of the new Bedford Fire House. And he’s a hometown hero, who’s a real life advertisement for the virtue of being a volunteer.
“I filed my application for the Bedford Fire Department’s Junior Corp before becoming eligible at the age of 15, and was, somewhat ironically, inducted into the Junior Corp on 9/11 in 2005. I can’t believe it’s been 18 years,” Graham says, never quite sounding or appearing as senior and qualified as he actually is. In point of fact, Graham rose to the level of Junior Corp Lieutenant before graduating at age 18, and has served in almost every position and rank there is to fill as a Member of the Bedford Fire Department - the first person to rise from Junior Corp to Chief in the Department’s history. “I understand that I look young…and I just smile when a homeowner starts talking to someone older, who they believe is the Chief, and just politely wait for my crew to point them in my direction. But deep down I’m really an old soul, and I’ve always been pretty mature for my age. I’m comfortable being thrown into the most serious situation, and I’ve had a lot of experience dealing with people on what is frequently one of the worst days of their life.”
“I think maybe the one thing that’s different around here because of my age, is the level of responsibility I feel for the Recruit Program. Right now we have 20 Recruits” Graham says. “Otherwise, I’m like any other Chief …and this is a big Fire Department! We serve about 6,000 residents. We have about 60 active Members who respond regularly to calls and attend our meetings and trainings, and about 10 Associate Members who help the Department doing things like assisting with social and public events. With 2 fully equipped Ambulances, we are one of only a handful of the 70 or so Departments in Westchester that run both EMS and fire calls, with many members cross trained as NYS Firefighters and NYS EMT-B, and roughly half of our 800-or-so calls each year being for EMS. And I’m proud to say that we have a really healthy mix of blue collar and white collar Members, and that a large number of our Members are female. We’re the busiest of the three Departments in the Town of Bedford, and the only one that runs ambulances.”
Graham was elected by the Department to serve a one year term as Chief, but most Chiefs end up serving at least two years, and there are no term limits.
*I first became an Assistant Chief at 24 years old, and served for several years as First and Second Assistant Chief before making the run for Chief of Department. While I see myself as a steward of a 101-year-old Department, and charged with all the regular and ongoing duties, I am personally committed to a few key efforts where I’d like to really move the needle while I’m Chief,” Graham sets out. “First and foremost, we need a tanker. We don’t have a tanker in the fleet now and, with limited pressurized hydrants, we’re presently dependent on open water sources, such as ponds and pools, and tankers from neighboring Departments. Our old building did not have the space for a tanker. It will cost roughly $1 million to build. More generally, I want to continue to better our service to the community, work to reduce response times, and curb errant or false alarms.
As just one example of a way we can use the tremendous resource of data and experience that we have, we have a record of all vehicle accidents, and are keenly aware of the most dangerous stretch of road on Old Post Road as it winds past the Bedford Post and the Heron Rookery toward the intersection with Pea Pond, and we hope to work with various agencies to do what we can to make that roadway safer.” “...And we’re all 100% volunteers!,” Graham reminds. “Even though serving as Chief is the equivalent of having a full-time job - and a demanding one at that - I also have a real job, and a life! I’ve always been an outdoorsy plant person, and majored in Landscape Horticulture at the University of Vermont. I work as an Estate Manager in Cross River, and also assist select private clients, companies and municipalities as a consultant on various specialty horticulture projects. I also run the Instagram @plantsofinstagraham, sit as an advisory member of Bedford’s Tree Advisory Board, and have served on the faculty of the New York Botanical Gardens. I started my own annual scholarship at Fox Lane High School, with a focus on students interested in joining Green Industry, and am also a Charter Member of the Advisory Board for the FDNY Foundation, assisting the FDNY and the City in fire prevention, equipment procurement, training aids, and so on. …And, oh yeah, I’m the loving and devoted divorced father of a two-and-a-half year old son named Owen! …And if I ever find a minute, my hobby is old trucks and equipment. I have an all-original, fire engine red, 1970 International 1100 pick-up truck, with 58,000 true miles, that I’m working on restoring. It was a working pick-up on a potato farm in Presque Isle, Maine…and I have vanity plates that say TATER on it!”
“I’ve always gravitated toward structure, discipline, and high standards, and this Department - like many - runs with a chain of control, with everything that goes on strictly dictated by an elaborate set of Bylaws, with training frequent enough to build muscle memory, and with standards that start-out with a minimum grade point average and a curfew for the Recruits. The Department feels like a family, and everyone has the other’s back. I’ve learned lots of life skills, including critical decision making and handling difficult circumstances. And it’s changed the way I interact with people - for the better, I hope!”
“Working for the Department for 18 years has been a reward to me!” Graham elaborates.
With a smile of satisfaction Graham proclaims, “I’m proud to wear the BFD Maltese and take great pride in what I do here! I have tremendous respect for the history and tradition of fire service. …And that moment at every parade when the 4 year old looks up at us driving the shiny red fire truck…makes it all worth it! …Who knows, that kid could be our next Recruit, and might someday become Chief. …We’re always looking for volunteers!”
