Employee Spotlight: Steve Dixon

Apr 28, 2020

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From the Desk of Public Trust Advisors, LLC

Volunteer Firefighting: A Family Affair

At Public Trust, we are fortunate to have such a hardworking and dedicated staff, both in the office and in their communities. Each quarter, we highlight one of our employees who is making a difference in their community through their charitable work. We are honored to highlight Steve Dixon, Director of Business Operations, for his work as a volunteer firefighter.  
 
Steve knew exactly how he wanted to serve his community from an early age, following in the footsteps of his father who was a member of the local volunteer fire department where Steve grew up. At the age of 16, Steve began his lifelong journey as a volunteer firefighter alongside his brother and at one point even considered becoming a career firefighter. While life took him down a different career path, Steve is still actively involved in the volunteer firefighting community to this day and his work is more important than ever. 
Steve sits on the Board of Fire Commissioners for the East Fishkill Fire District, a 100% volunteer fire district about one hour outside of New York City. On average, the District responds to nearly 2,500 alarms every year and protects 56 square miles of land. Steve’s Commissioner role includes financial and administrative responsibilities related to contracting, purchasing, repairs, and maintenance for the District as well as for the fire and EMS protection for the 36,000 residents of his community. He’s an active interior firefighter, a mentor of new firefighters, and even drives fire trucks! His son, Stephen Jr., is a college freshman and continues the family’s tradition of volunteer firefighting.

Of the roughly 1.2 million firefighters in the U.S., more than 67% are volunteer first responders. While the big cities and large suburban areas are staffed by career firefighters, the vast majority of our land is protected by volunteer firefighters.

COVID-19 and First Responders

While the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly an unprecedented situation that changed our daily lives almost immediately, first responders were well prepared and ready to jump to action for their communities in their time of need. Those on the front lines, like Steve and the rest of the volunteer firefighters, have been answering calls for help 24 hours a day. For volunteer firefighters and first responders, the call to help has been greater than ever before, with firefighters and EMS personnel providing the necessary protections to their communities. The ongoing efforts to organize, schedule, procure, protect, monitor, encourage, and support the volunteer membership remains of great importance for Steve and his department.
 
While becoming a volunteer firefighter may not be for everyone, the services provided by volunteer fire departments are essential for suburban and rural fire protection across the country. Nationwide, volunteer fire departments save municipalities and taxpayers over $140 billion per year according to the National Fire Protection Association. To Steve, the first responders, and the volunteer firefighters nationwide, we thank you for your heroic efforts during this pandemic and beyond. 
 
In honor of Steve’s volunteer efforts, Public Trust has donated $2,500 to the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) Firemen’s Home. The FASNY Firemen’s Home is a non-profit organization “dedicated to providing a home-like setting and personalized care for those volunteer firefighters who have served their communities, but can no longer care for themselves.” For more information on the FASNY Firemen’s Home, please click here.
The information presented is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a solicitation of investment advisory services.

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