Halfmoon-Waterford Fire Department in Saratoga County talks new safety equipment

A local fire department has received upgraded safety equipment. The Halfmoon-Waterford Fire Department was awarded around $300,000 in federal funding to buy new self-contained breathing apparatuses, also known as air packs. The new equipment has an alarm that makes it easier for firefighters to find someone who may have been hurt while responding to an emergency. They also have new masks, which are easier to see through. Asst. Fire Chief Chris Putnam said the new equipment has both physical and mental benefits for firefighters. “Being able to be confident that the pack that you’ve got on your back, that it’s giving you the air that you’re breathing when you’re going into that building, to know that that’s reliable, that you’re as safe as you can be while you’re doing your job is really important,” he said.
WHEC-TV NBC 10 Rochester

Two kayakers rescued on Yellow Lake near Gouverneur

Members of the Gouverneur Fire Department rescued two kayakers on Yellow Lake Wednesday afternoon. Volunteers were called to the lake at 3:22 p.m. for a report that two people on the shore had been exposed to cold water after a “kayaking incident.” Three firefighters and two emergency medical service providers traveled by boat to rescue the pair. The people were taken by ambulance to Gouverneur Hospital for treatment of possible hypothermia, officials said. Fire crews said they recovered one kayak and that a second one sank. “We would like to remind everyone that you should have a life jacket on while enjoying time on the water. The water temps are very cold in the spring and will cause hypothermia,” the fire department said on its Facebook page.
WWNY-TV CBS 7 Carthage

Prep school in Brooklyn honors fallen FDNY firefighter Steven Pollard with memorial scholarship

A Sheepshead Bay high school is honoring the legacy of a graduate who died in the line of duty with a new scholarship for students dedicated to service. Earlier this month, St. Edmund Preparatory High School announced the launch of the inaugural Steven H. Pollard ’06 Memorial Scholarship. Offered in partnership with the Steven H. Pollard Foundation, the award will go to two junior students each year — one male and one female — who administrators said will be selected on the basis of good character, demonstrated community service, academic effort, and financial need. The half-tuition scholarship will be given in memory of Pollard, a firefighter and graduate of St. Edmund’s Class of 2006. Pollard served as a member of Ladder Company 170 in Canarsie and was just 30 years old when he died responding to a motor vehicle accident on the Mill Basin Bridge on Jan. 6, 2019.
Brooklyn Paper

FDNY participates in National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

FDNY employees took part in National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on Thursday, April 25, at FDNY Headquarters. The young visitors were treated to fire and life safety lessons, a tour of department apparatus and interacted with department members, including firefighters and EMS personnel. "It was a wonderful day meeting with the children of staff at Headquarters," Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said. "Educating children on fire and life safety is important, and it's always special when we get to show them what their parents do every day to keep us safe." The national day takes place annually on the fourth Thursday in April and encourages parents to bring their children to work for the day.
City of New York Fire Department

FDNY rescues two residents from three-alarm house fire in Richmond Hill

PHOTOS: The FDNY had a massive response to a three-alarm house fire in Richmond Hill on Wednesday morning. After receiving a call at 10:22 a.m. reporting a fire on the second floor of a two-story private home at 87-35 126th St., firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke billowing from the wood-frame building. The FDNY transmitted a second alarm at 10:33 a.m. after the fire extended to a brick two-story home next door. The blaze went to a third alarm at 10:59 a.m. bringing a total of 33 units and 138 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene. Firefighters rescued two trapped civilians from the second floor and EMS transported the man and woman to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition with minor injuries. Firefighters cut numerous holes in the roof and knocked down the main body of the blaze.
QNS

Watertown Fire Department looks to replace educational trailer

VIDEO: The Watertown Fire Department has its sights set on a new trailer. The department’s current trailer has been in service since 2006, mainly serving as a mobile fire safety education house. Chief Matt Timerman says it’s going to need to be replaced before it becomes completely unusable. Earlier this month, the department submitted a grant application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. If accepted, the grant will cover the bulk of the new trailer’s $235,000 price tag. “If we don’t replace this trailer, our existing trailer is probably going to run into trouble soon and we won’t be able to use it anymore. We think eventually we’ll have damage to the roof and we’ll have more water intrusion. Once we lose that valuable tool, that’ll make it very difficult to reach out to the school-age children,” said Timerman.
WWNY-TV CBS 7 Carthage

Firefighters find working smoke detectors inside 12-unit Oswego apartment after fire

After a 12-unit apartment building caught on fire on Tuesday night, April 23, the Scriba Fire Department found there were working smoke detectors inside. The department responded to the fire at 38 Birch Lane in Oswego around 5:04 p.m. and found the building engulfed in flames. Over 60 firefighters from Oswego City, Minetto, Novelis, Volney and New Haven responded and Mexico and Oswego Town VFD provided extra coverage for the surrounding areas. Additional support from Menter Ambulance, Oswego PD, Oswego County Sheriff’s, Oswego County Fire Coordinators and Oswego County 911 was provided. The Oswego County Drone team was also requested to provide aerial views of the scene to better direct crews during operations. All the apartments were occupied at the time of the fire and evacuated before fire personnel arrived.
WSYR-TV ABC 9 Syracuse

Sullivan County provides training for new fire commissioners

The Sullivan County Emergency Services Training Center recently held a commissioner training class presented by Greg Serio from the Association of Fire Districts of the State of New York. Over 50 local fire commissioners, several secretaries and treasurers, and a few chiefs from Sullivan County – plus a number from outside the County – attended the class. “This training is absolutely critical for fire commissioners to understand and perform their role,” noted Sullivan County Fire Coordinator John Hauschild. “Their job is distinct from that of a firefighter’s or even a fire chief, but it’s no less important to the people and communities we serve. I’m glad the Bureau of Fire and the Emergency Services Training Center can provide the space and instructor for this valuable and necessary class.”
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