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County Employees Thanked For Extinguishing Fire At Dunkirk Airport

Pictured from left are DPF employees Bryan Woleben and Joe Majkut, and County Executive PJ Wendel. Absent are Chris Fred and Garrett Storer. The four county employees were issued a commendation for extinguishing a fire at the Dunkirk airport. Photo by Gregory Bacon

Four employees of the Chautauqua County Department of Public Facilities were honored by local officials for their heroic work at the county airport in Dunkirk.

During the county legislature meeting, Joe Majkut, Chris Fred, Garrett Storer and Bryan Woleben were all issued a commendation by County Executive PJ Wendel.

According to county DPF Director Brad Bentley, one day last month, the employees had just finished mowing at the Dunkirk airport and parked the tractor next to one of the buildings. As they walked away, they noticed it caught fire. “They actually went into quick action, went through about eight or nine fire extinguishers and because they caught it early, it didn’t spread to the building or anything else,” he said.

Bentley noted that had the building caught fire, the fuel system for the airplanes is nearby and that could have easily followed. “Their quick action prevented an additional fire. … It was pretty significant,” he said.

Wendel thanked the four individuals for their actions, as he read the commendation. “In recognition of your decisive and professional response on June 16, 2021, to contain and extinguish an equipment fire that posed an immediate threat to county property and personal safety, when flames rapidly engulfed the county airport utility tractor, you rendered immediate assistance and in a coordinated effort with county colleagues attacked and successfully extinguished the fuel-fed fire before it spread to an adjacent building and a fuel storage facility. Your actions, working in coordination with your colleagues succeeded in limiting damage to county property,” he said.

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