Steve Foote honored for 50 years of service to the McLean Fire Department

Until his junior year of high school in 1973, Steve Foote and his five siblings were raised in Virgil, New York by their parents, Jack and Bonnie Foote, but the family then moved to McLean. Thus, Steve is a 1974 alumnus of Dryden High School.

Steve has made McLean his home ever since, and he has been a member of the McLean Fire Department since 1975. At its annual banquet in December, Steve was honored for serving in the department for 50 years and given a plaque to mark the occasion.

“As a teen in 1972, I started watching ‘Rescue 911’ on TV,” Steve explained. “I fell in love with EMS [emergency medical services] because of that show. I took my first EMT [Emergency medical technician] course at [Tompkins Cortland Community College] in 1975, became a certified EMT and became a firefighter for the McLean Fire Department right away.”

Beyond the fire department

Throughout his youth, Steve was heavily involved in 4-H: raising horses, riding in rodeos and even gaining some experience with bull riding. Just after his graduation from high school, Steve met Linda, the best friend of his sister, Kathy. Steve and Linda married in July 1978.

Linda’s family — primarily her parents, Charles and the late Barbara — owned the CHFLOKIE Farm. At the time, it was a 100-head dairy farm. Steve also  helped out with the farm — easy enough for him, given his 4-H experience. Today, the farm is operated by two other local farms, but Steve, Linda and 95-year-old Charles are still active owners who all mow and do maintenance.

In the meantime, Steve and Linda raised their daughters, Brittany (now Heagerty, married to Sean) and Lacey (now Barber, married to Dylan) and their acquired daughter, Lacey’s high school friend, Shayanne (married to Ryan) Drake.

Steve’s career path

Following high school, Steve’s first job was caring for post-surgery animals at the large animal clinic in the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, which he did for four years. His next four years were spent traveling central New York, testing cows for mastitis with the New York State Mastitis Research Group. After that, Steve was busy with the family farm, as well as working as an advanced EMT for Dryden Ambulance since 1976.

“We sold the cows from the farm in 2004,” Steve said. “So, I worked for Animal Medic Mobile Veterinary Supplies for two years, and then Empire Tractor until 2021, when I became the assistant director of operations full-time for Dryden Ambulance.”

In addition to his day jobs and continued service with Dryden Ambulance, Steve has been unwavering in his commitment to the McLean Fire Department — mainly in EMS.

“In the winter of 1975-76, Mike Totman, Joe Graham, Richard Tanner and I started McLean’s first-ever rescue unit,” Steve said. “I became fourth chief of McLean Fire Department in 1982 and worked my way up to become chief for 12 years, but EMS has always been what I did the most.”

Steve’s personal reflections

Receiving the 50-year plaque was a complete surprise to Steve. He said his first thought was, “Where did the time fly by?” That question was followed by wondering how many patients he has seen over the years and how many lives he may have saved. He said he “was very pleased to receive [the plaque].”

“Teaching the younger ones coming into the fire department the skills they need to use in their field assessments is one of my favorite things,” Steve said. “I try to make it fun and interesting for them and keep them up to date on new programs. The most satisfying thing is completing a call and being able to say we covered all the bases and did everything we could to save the patient.”

In addition to his service to the fire department, Steve recently became chairman of the McLean Cemetery. He has also been a member of the McLean Community Church since he moved here. As a mission of the church, Steve initiated MCHELP (McLean Church Health Equipment Lending Program) 10 years ago. That program will be the subject of a future column, so keep an eye out for it!

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas toeditorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922. 

In brief:

Chicken barbecue

The Groton American Legion Post 800 will offer its famous chicken barbecue Saturday, Jan. 10 beginning at 10 a.m. Cost is $9 per half or $13 for a dinner that includes salt potatoes, baked beans, cornbread and brownie. To reserve, call 607-898-3837.

Village tree grinding

Village of Groton employees began grinding Christmas trees on Jan. 5. Please bring your tree to the curb for pickup. Mulch is available to village of Groton residents free of charge at the wastewater treatment plant.

Chicken and biscuits

McLean Community Church, 50 Church St., will offer a chicken and biscuits dinner from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17. The $15 dinner also includes mashed potatoes, gravy, peas & carrots, beverage. and dessert. Eat in or take out.