“Let’s go way back,” Nelson Delameter says when you ask how long he’s served. It’s been more than half a lifetime, 46 years. The jobs he’s done have been at the pinnacle of emergency services in the county and the state. He did the fire training for the county back in the 70s and then became the county’s first full-time fire coordinator, helping run emergency management and planning for the worst. Over that time, the worst did come: floods and other disasters. Next: he served in the state’s office of emergencey management. But, he left, retired officially, because he realized he could have more impact in the community where he lived, where he knew everyone, and he came to the Margaretville Fire Department because of the size of the district (big). “It had more calls, more activity, a bigger range and demographic,” as he puts it. Also: excellent interior firefighting.

Serving with him, knowing that he has been at the forefront of emergency services, you know that he takes safety seriously. “There are a lot of people around,” he says, “they’ve been around a long time and they scoff at change.” Not Nelson. Because of his background, he is always interested in progress and training and how to improve the department. “But now,” he says and his voice dips, “The biggest issue? No people. Point blank that is it.”