Trumansburg’s Jack Fulton honored for firefighter service

Jack Fulton of the Trumansburg Fire Department has received a lifetime dedication award from the Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response to commemorate his 55 years of dedication and mentorship to firefighters and the Trumansburg community.  

Fulton’s award is named after Brian H. Wilbur, a longtime City of Ithaca fire chief and member of the Department of Emergency Response, whom Fulton calls “outstanding” and says was a good friend. He’s happy to be honored on his behalf. 

Fulton had his mind set on being a firefighter since he was a young boy and lived in the middle of the village, with the fire station right across the street from his home. It gave him a front-row seat to the service of dedicated firefighters, sparking an interest.

“It would wake me up in the middle of the night,” Fulton said of the sounding alarms at the fire station. “I would get up and watch, and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do that one day.'”

Throughout his time serving Trumansburg, Fulton has seen and done it all, having a total involvement in the department, including serving as fire chief.

As for the community, he knows countless people on a first-name basis. 

“There’s a lot of new people moving in, but there’s a lot of people that have been here for years and years and years that I’ve known since I was a kid,” said Fulton.

Now a departmental safety officer, Fulton’s mission is simple: “Keeping the safety department up so nobody gets hurt, everybody goes home,” he said. “That’s a new phrase: everybody goes home.”

While Fulton has many memories to recall, one stands out in particular from April 1999, when Richard’s Restaurant and Tri-County Lanes went up in flames on Route 96.

The bowling facility was built in 1958 by his parents, Charles and Marge Fulton.

“As soon as the tones went off, everybody just flew out of bed,” said Fulton, remembering the incident in the wee hours of the morning.

Despite the challenges of being a firefighter, it’s a field that Fulton speaks of fondly. He’s seen numerous changes over the years regarding fire gear and protocol. 

“It’s an exciting field, and you’re well taken care of,” he said. His son is also a firefighter for the City of Ithaca.

“We’re lucky enough that we’ve got a pretty good crew,” he added, although he is hopeful that the local departments can attract more assistance. It’s a common issue nationwide — a growing shortage of volunteer firefighters. 

“Fire service all around, all over the country, has changed so much in the last 40 years,” said Fulton. “From the equipment you used to wear to what you have to wear now, the trucks. There’s been a lot of changes.”

He commonly sees those in his age bracket who are still “out there, fighting fire,” and he’d like the county to devise a way to recognize those still on the front lines and incentivize younger people to join. He’s also willing to help in those efforts.

“If anybody wants to volunteer, I’ll be the first one to show them around and help and everything else if they need it,” said Fulton. 

As for his hobbies in his spare time, Fulton enjoys “throwing the fishin’ pole,” as he puts it. 

“Being on Cayuga Lake is my hobby,” he added. “The DEC has done a good job getting this lake stocked up with fish.”

With the holidays approaching and colder weather looming, Fulton reminds community members to remain careful, especially with candles and slippery roads.

“Just remember that when you’re driving, that the roads are slippery. Four-wheel drive doesn’t make you stop any faster,” he said. 

Trumansburg Connection appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com or courtney.rehfeldt@gmail.com.

In brief:

Trumansburg Community Forum

Dr. Ross Brann, Professor of Judeo-Islamic Studies at Cornell, will speak at the Trumansburg Community Forum at 69 E. Main St. Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at Fellowship Hall.

Dr. Brann teaches many courses, among them a course on the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The topic will include an objective analysis of the current situation, the origins and ramifications of the crisis. 

Questions are welcome.

Jacksonville Methodist Church annual holiday bazaar

Come attend the Jacksonville Methodist Church’s annual holiday bazaar. 

The shopping event will include The Attic Shop, Santa’s Lunch Shoppe, Craft Shoppe, local vendors and the songs of The Harmony Falls Chorus.

Support area vendors by buying local on Nov. 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1869 Rte. 96. in Trumansburg.