bill schutt

On the Sunday before Thanksgiving in 2013, William ("Bill") Schutt wound up with lots of other emergency personnel at an icy Alabama swamp trying desperately to rescue a lone deer hunter who became stranded. Sometime after 2:30 that afternoon and into the cold of night, Alabama's assistant fire chief fretted and planned and coordinated as dozens of volunteers risked their lives, tempted frostbite, and went through plans A, B and C to haul Vermont visitor Colin Phillips to safety.

At 6:59 p.m., this was relayed over the scanner, "Alabama command -- all the men and equipment are accounted for. We're out." A grateful Phillips, Schutt and the other exhausted emergency responders could look forward to the holiday and leave what could easily have been a tragedy behind them.

As Schutt would later say, "This is what we do."

He has been handling emergency situations with quiet aplomb for more than two decades and is one of two people chosen as Geneseean of the Year for 2014 by the Chamber of Commerce. (The other is Margaret "Peggy" Lamb.)

"Howard (publisher of The Batavian) kind of summed it up when he said it's nice to see a volunteer firefighter is getting the award," Schutt said. "I'm not getting out of bed at 3 in the morning because I might win an award some day. I feel like this award is for all the volunteer firefighters and emergency responders."

The 52-year-old native of West Seneca has lived in the Town of Alabama for about 25 years. He's married and has a son, a daughter and a baby granddaughter ("She's got me in training," he said of the little one.)

He serves as the West Battalion coordinator for the Genesee County Emergency Management Office and is employed full-time as general manager of Mercy EMS, where he manages a staff of more than 60 and its fleet of vehicles.

What kind of person donates more than 25 years to a volunteer fire department -- chairing committees, recruiting members, serving as chief, assistant chief (his current rank), captain and lieutenant? What type of guy spends countless hours on training and offers to do both menial and heroic tasks for free, and does them with equanimity?

Not your average citizen, that's for sure.

"Bill manages to help people everywhere directly and indirectly, from rescuing them from a fire, to transporting them safely and quickly to a hospital," wrote nominator Wendy Allen-Thompson in a letter to the chamber. "Bill is a true hero every day."

Lynn O'Donnell, Mercy's local outreach coordinator, agrees wholeheartedly.

"When everyone else is running out of a burning building, you're running in," O'Donnell says of firefighting volunteers, which includes herself. "Nights of planned dinners, family functions, quiet evenings ruined by the sound of a fire pager telling you of some soul's plight. ... We have to be on our best game when those who call us are having their worst day."

Like Colin Phillips had a couple of years ago in that swamp.

After the incident, Phillips said of his rescuers -- volunteers from fire departments in four counties, "I owe them my life. If they didn't come out and get me, I'd be dead tonight. I appreciate every second of it. They're great people."

Asked by a reporter, what can you say to that? Schutt said the most you can say, really, is "Thank you."

He continued "These guys are out here in the cold for hours, but it's something you do for your community. When you're part of a volunteer fire department, somebody calls for help, it's not something you complain about. None of these guys are going to complain about being out here in the cold and away from home for hours."

Least of all, Bill Schutt. Thank you.