Bill Williams is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media while volunteer fire departments statewide struggle to recruit new members, the Chatham Fire Department increased its membership by 20 percent during the past two years. The increase in the number of new volunteers is attributed to an award-winning recruitment campaign that featured fire department members portrayed as “neighbors, friends and relatives.” The Fireman’s Association of the State of New York September 2, presented the Chatham Fire Department with the Recruitment and Retention Award in recognition of the department’s recruitment campaign as the best in the state. “The Chatham Fire Department’s recruitment success is greatly attributed to their thoughtful approach to raising awareness and welcoming new members to the service,” FASNY President John Farrell Jr. said. “Their growth over the past two years has been consistent, despite hardships presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Recruitment Coordinator David Levow worked with photographer Peter Zander and artist Doug Welch to create the campaign. Levow accepted the award presented by FASNY Recruitment Chairman David Glenn. The Chatham department serves the village of Chatham as well as parts of the towns of Ghent, Kinderhook, Austerlitz and the town of Chatham. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.