NORWICH – Volunteers from around Chenango County met in Norwich Monday night, and began discussing the core values and history behind firefighting.

The meeting began at 7 p.m. on Monday, and approximately 13 volunteers from various fire departments in Chenango County met at the Fire Training Center in Norwich to begin the process of being a fire fighter.

The "Basic Exterior Firefighting Operations," course offered by Chenango County is 79 hours long, with meetings usually on Mondays and Wednesdays in the City of Norwich.

The first meeting had two instructors who are full-time Norwich Fire Department Firefighters, Robert Boellmann and Gerald Parry, breaking the ice and explaining certain realities with the volunteers during the class.