Firefighter of the Year 2011 David Haller

 (Dave Haller pictured with Past Chief Serio)

Dave is a very diverse individual.  He has spent his entire life in the emergency service field - serving the public. He has over 30 years of volunteer firefighting & EMS experience. His job as a Town of  Colonie Public Safety Dispatcher for 26 years has put him at the other end of emergency situations. The phone he answers may be the house that’s on fire, or the person trapped in a motor vehicle accident or someone who is having a heart attack. His no nonsense and calm demeanor has comforted many people until help arrives.

A dedicated husband, he works long hours of overtime and as a part time baseball umpire to help support his wife and two children, one that is in college and another starting this fall.  With a full plate of work and family, he still manages to respond to calls at any given time of the day. As a commissioner, he spends countless hours on building projects to improve our already beautiful facility.

As a member of Verdoy he has established himself as a top 10 responder since he joined the department several years ago. In 2011 he responded to 141 fire calls, 37 EMS calls and 19 drills.

The old cliché, “Don’t be part of the problem…be part of the solution” - fits him to a T.  Always willing to help out on any event, work detail or on a committee, he offers new ideas and is not afraid to think outside the box… but still keeping with the fire service tradition.

When he comes to the station, he doesn’t have to go directly to the members’ room to see the point’s books to check where he stands among the other members. He sees himself as equal. He is a team player with countless energy and the person that you want with you on the first line into a fire.

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