CORTLAND — From the summer of 1987 to the end of 2021, the Hamilton Township Volunteer Fire Department had the same chief.
Donald Schnitker held the department’s highest rank, seeing many changes in firetrucks, equipment, training and requirements and responsibilities of personnel over the years. He also oversaw the construction of a new fire station.
Now, there’s a new chief in town.
At the beginning of 2022, Cody Hercamp officially took over as the leader of the Cortland-based fire department.
Schnitker, however, is still part of the crew as one of five lieutenants chosen by Hercamp.
“I’m still going to hang around up here for a few more years. I’d like to get 50 in, so I have five more to go,” said the 62-year-old, who started with the department in May 1977.
A lot of what led to his decision to step down as chief, Schnitker said, is the training and the way to fight fires was passing him by.
“I could just see that I wasn’t being an effective chief anymore, so I saw the time to step down,” he said.
In December 2020, he announced he would be retiring in December 2021 and asked the other members of the department to pick their next chief by March 2021 so he could spend the rest of the year mentoring them.
They chose Hercamp, 39.
“I saw a lot of me in the way he was being active and interested, and he became the logical choice,” Schnitker said. “He’s young. He’s got a lot of years. He can do this.”
Hercamp has been with the department since 2001. His most recent title was deputy chief, which he had held since 2018.
“It’s an honor. It’s a privilege that they saw that in me, but it’s also a heavy weight,” he said.
“We always hear Don talk about ‘The most time I worry about you guys is when the call comes out and you’re going to a scene’ because going to a scene and coming back is probably the most dangerous time,” he said. “It is the buck stops here and trying to teach the younger guys that we’re no good if we don’t get there, we can’t help the person who called 911 if we become the emergency ourselves.”
Hercamp said he didn’t understand that until he became an officer with more responsibilities. Now as chief, he will carry on the safety measures for the firefighters and also handle personnel issues and answer questions.
“Just because there’s a new chief, it doesn’t mean that I’m it,” Hercamp said. “I consider my leadership style servant leadership. There are times when I’m going to have to say, ‘No, this is my decision’ but always trying to get our guys what they need, the best equipment. I’m going to carry that on. If they come to me and say, ‘Hey, we want this,’ ‘OK, why? Explain to me why,’ and if there’s valid reasoning for it or we really need to look at this, I’ll do it.”
Hercamp also said he’s still going to rely on Schnitker and the other officers for advice.
That’s a good move because Schnitker has been with the department for nearly as long as it has been established. It was organized in 1971, and the first truck was placed in service a couple of years later.
“My dad was on there, and I would go to some runs with him, and so right when I graduated high school, I joined up here,” Schnitker said. “Then I really took an interest in it and enjoyed it.”
The truck was stored in a garage at a resident’s home, and Schnitker said the department only had about 10 runs a year.
Then a second truck was purchased, followed by another one when a fire station was built in 1976 at 6843 N. County Road 400E.
“We ended up with Seymour’s first Engine 12, which was a 1942 Ford,” Schnitker said. “They got it from Freeman Field when the Army was out there, and it was the firetruck for the base, so we ended up with that truck and we used it awhile.”
Once it didn’t pump water anymore, the truck was returned to the city and since then has been painted back to the Army green color. It is on display at the Freeman Army Airfield Museum and has been featured in local parades.
When Schnitker became chief, he named Scott Thompson assistant chief. Schnitker said it never was his goal to reach that rank.
“A lot of it was because I was active in (the department), I cared about it and it was just if the chief is going to be chief, he needs to lead and do those things. Maybe a lot of it was just ‘I don’t want to do it, let him do it,’” Schnitker said, smiling.
Being chosen chief year after year, Schnitker said he didn’t take it for granted and was always appreciative of the confidence his fellow men and women had in him.
“One of the things I always told people, I would never ask them to do anything I wouldn’t do, except climb a ladder,” he said, smiling. “If I wouldn’t go into that house that’s burning, I would never ask them to go into that house. I would know what was safe and what was not safe. You have to have the respect of your firefighters that they will listen and you know what they’ll do on a fire scene. … You have to trust that they’ll do what they’ve been trained.”
When the fire department outgrew its station, a new one was built on the same property in 2001. It’s the same one in use today.
“Truck were getting bigger. We were having the need for more, better trucks, and we just flat outgrew that station, so we built this one and put a lot of time, a couple years planning into it and it has been functional until now,” Schnitker said.
After a fire district was established in Hamilton Township in 2010, the department was able to expand its fleet and replace trucks every five years. Some were bought with fire district money, while one was purchased through a grant. Now, a sixth truck is on order and should arrive soon.
One of the trucks has been used for medical runs after Hercamp approached Schnitker about the department offering that service. Hercamp worked for Jackson County Emergency Medical Services for 12 years and has been a firefighter/paramedic for the Columbus Fire Department for seven years.
The move by the department was smart because of the 151 runs in 2021, nearly 60% were medical.
With the types of materials on and in homes changing over the years, including paneling, plastics, vinyl siding and carpeting, Schnitker said it became more dangerous for the firefighters because the carcinogens and chemicals were sticking to their turnout gear. That facilitated a need to buy an extractor machine to wash the gear.
“In all my years up here, everything is for the firefighter first, safety,” Schnitker said. “Even though we were short on money, we never skimped on buying fire gear, always bought the best that was available. Even though it meant maybe not buying something else, I always wanted the best for the firefighters.”
Training has advanced over the years, too, going from voluntary to mandatory. Schnitker said it’s important to note the firefighters — who are volunteers for the department but have part- or full-time jobs — spend a lot of time throughout the year attending classes on various topics.
Hamilton Township’s current roster is at 28, including three women. One benefit of having a high number of volunteers is they can provide mutual aid.
Since they attend training with other departments around the county, Schnitker said they know each other’s names, personnel and abilities when they respond to mutual aid calls.
In 2021, Hamilton Township received mutual aid 26 times and provided it 24 times.
“We knew what the other person was going to do because we were all trained the same, and that has been a real blessing to the whole county,” Schnitker said. “We’ve come to lean on each other. We help you, you help us.”
While a focus has been placed on gear, equipment and trucks over the years, it’s now time for Hamilton Township to expand its fire station. Hercamp said they had been looking for land to build a second station, but since that didn’t pan out, they are in the beginning phase of plans to expand their current station, which sits on 3 acres.
By the middle of the year, Hercamp said the plans will be presented to the fire district, and the hope is to build next year.
At a glance
Hamilton Township Volunteer Fire Department officers for 2022
Chief: Cody Hercamp
Deputy chief: Travis Quillen and Tyler Wayt
Lieutenant: David Thompson, Robert Runge, Donald Schnitker, Scott Thompson and Tyler Wetzel
Safety officer: Ed Flynn