A Broad Channel volunteer firefighter celebrates 50 years of dedicating his life to saving others. NY1's Leisha Majtan introduces us to our latest Queens Person of the Week.

Running toward disaster. It's second nature to Broad Channel volunteer firefighter Edwin Wilmarth Jr.

"It's what you signed up for, and you take the good with the bad," said Wilmarth.

Wilmarth is a sixth-generation firefighter.

He was just 19 when he first stepped foot into this now 109-year-old firehouse.

"Everybody was going off to Vietnam and I had a deferment -- I was the sole supporter of my mother and the sole surviving son, and I felt like I wasn't doing my job, " said Wilmarth.

50 years later and Wilmarth hasn't looked back. He's responded to thousands of calls over the years -- from fires to car accidents to 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, all without pay.

"We're in the City of New York and we respond to whatever they need, whatever the people need, whatever the people in the town need, and whatever the City of New York needs -- we'll be there for them," said Wilmarth.

Not only is Wilmarth serving his City, he's inspiring the next generation of first responders.

All three of his children volunteer with the department.

"There was really no better confidence that you had when you are pulling out of the firehouse and roaring off to something that was potentially serious and you saw who was in the seat next to you, you felt much better, "said Wilmarth.

Wilmarth has held almost every rank within the department during his time.

Today, he is chief engineer.

He's in charge of vehicle maintenance and trains new volunteers how to use the trucks.

Wilmarth still responds to alarms and says he'll continue to do so until his body won't let him.

"A car accident,  you save someone's life, you feel good. You see the kids going into the World Trade Center and almost getting killed, it's not necessarily for this town but the whole country. It's a pride that this whole nation knows."

And so for dedicating his life to save others' lives, Edwin Wilmarth, Jr. is our Queens Person of the Week.