Like many other people in the town of Wawayanda, New York and across the country, we are praying for those affected by the accident on I-84. For the lives that were lost, the people fighting for their lives, the people recovering, all of their families, and the Farmingdale community as a whole. The State Police, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, County Emergency Management and all local EMS units and fire departments that assisted yesterday deserve such gratitude for the incredible work they do every day. I especially want to acknowledge our hometown heroes in the Slate Hill Fire Department and the New Hampton Fire Department. This tragedy has garnered national media attention. In all of the coverage there has been nothing but praise for the first responders and their swift action. Wawayanda may be a small town but the training, readiness, and professionalism of our fire departments is second to none. It is worth noting that when responding to accidents on 1-84, the Slate Hill Fire Department must leave their zone to get onto the highway, and then travel along the highway back into their zone. If that sounds like it doesn’t make sense, it’s because it doesn’t— and it’s not their fault. They have been asking for a path to be built in their zone with a crash gate to the highway for years now. Yesterday’s accident shows just how important and necessary that crash gate is to their highway operations. Emergency response is always a matter of minutes with every minute being crucial. A crash gate would save precious minutes every time there is an accident on I-84. I ask everyone who reads this to reach out to their local state assemblyman and senators to ask that the Slate Hill Fire Department’s request is fulfilled. It’s the least we can do for them after all they did today and every day.
Denise Quinn
Supervisor
Wawayanda