BOVINA - Love and bravery often go hand in hand, but for Bovina’s Tim and Kristin Schneider, their bond is forged in both romance and fire. As volunteers of the Bovina Fire Department, they don’t just share a home and life together — they share the call to serve and to protect their community. The Schneiders’ story is a testament to love built on trust, teamwork, and the unshakable commitment to each other — both in their marriage and on the front lines.
Tim and Kristin met in college, through another shared passion of the outdoors. They were both members of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Woodsmens team. The two were married in 2010 while living in Delhi. They had two sons, Colton and Abram, before moving to Bovina in 2016.
“When we moved to Bovina, members of the fire department started working on Tim immediately,” Kristin said.
Tim considered volunteering for the Delhi Fire Department when living in Delhi, but felt he did not have the time to fully commit and provide the department with what they needed while working as a lineman for NYSEG and raising two kids.
He resisted joining the Bovina Fire Department as well at first, as his work schedule was unpredictable, Kristin was working full-time, and they had two young children.
“How could he possibly contribute what the fire department needed of him?” Kristin asked rhetorically.
The department’s assistant chief ensured Tim that contributing what effort he could, when he could, was perfectly fine, Kristin said, which ultimately swayed him to join the team.
When Tim joined and began trainings, “It wasn’t always easy,” Kristin said. “We leaned heavily on babysitters and other couples in the fire department to help us juggle work, Tim’s trainings, and the kids. It was a huge relief when Tim finally received his interior firefighting certification - but of course the training is never over.”
At first, Kristin said she “held down the fort” at home while Tim attended training and responded to emergency calls with the department - but by the end of 2019, Kristin was enrolled in a basic exterior firefighting operations training course as well.
Today, Tim serves as an interior firefighter and second assistant fire chief, and Kristin is an exterior firefighter and often drives/operates the department’s vehicles.
“Once I joined the department, we’d alternate unless there was a clear need for interior firefighting personnel,” Kristin said. As their children got older, they began bringing their children with them to meetings and trainings, and neighbors would volunteer to watch their kids if both she and Tim were needed to respond to calls.
“We don’t often get to respond together, but it’s a treat when we do.”
Kristin jokes that as a firefighter and a NYSEG lineman, Tim is a “double first responder.” His schedule for work is often very demanding, she said, “And there are plenty of times that he isn’t home for dinner, or weekends, or holidays. Between his job and raising active kids, it can seem like Tim and I are always heading in different directions.”
Volunteering with the fire department has given Kristin and Tim common ground to share together when everything else seems hectic, she said.
“We might not drop everything to have a conservation on a ‘normal’ day, but we always sit down and chat when one or both of us has responded to something with the fire department - even if it’s just a car stuck in the ditch.”
They are also constantly learning new information about equipment operation, pump operation, traffic control, radio protocol, and other facets of firefighting, they said, and talking through the things they’re still trying to figure out is a good bonding experience.
While time has proven to be the largest challenge with both Kristin and Tim volunteering with the fire department, volunteering together has fostered strong communication between them, Kristin said, and the challenges they’ve encountered together have given them both an opportunity to grow beyond what they were before.
“It’s good for spouses to witness each other gaining new skills and becoming more confident,” she said.
Luckily, Kristin and Tim said, they generally do not feel stressed by the demands of the fire department on their time together or as a whole with family, as they live in a fire district with a relatively low call volume.
To any couples considering volunteering together, Tim and Kristin would encourage them to do it.
“You’d be surprised what you’re capable of,” Kristin said. “If we can make it work, almost anyone can.”
