Massena Volunteer Fire Department

IT’S BACK!! The Massena Volunteer Fire Department is happy to announce our next Chicken BBQ will be Saturday February 12th at 11am. This will be drive thru with limited deliveries. Meals are $10 and come with a delicious 1/2 Chicken with our homemade BBQ Sauce, Baked Beans, Homemade Mac Salad and a roll. Come on down and help support a great cause. For delivery, phones will open at 11am Saturday Feb 12. 315-769-3408 We can’t wait to see you there!!

Earlier today, at 1019 hours, your Massena Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire off of Lawrence Street in the Village. Within minutes, yo...ur career and volunteer firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the rear of a house. Crews immediately went to work extinguishing the fire and overhauling to make sure it was out and to prevent any spread. Massena operated for nearly two hours with Engine 31, Tower 3 and Rescue 77 before returning to service. A special thank you to our Village DPW for clearing out a fire hydrant buried in a snow bank near the fire scene while we operated.

Massena Fire recently held their election of officers, and we would like to take the time to congratulate them. Chief - Paul Brownell 1st Assistant Chief - Pat O’Brien 2nd Assistant Chief - Tom Miller... Captain Hose One - James Debien Captain Hose Two - Mike Macaulay Captain Hook and Ladder - Corey Debien Lieutenant Hose One - Shawn Hartford Lieutenant Hose Two - Carlos Holcomb Lieutenant Hook and Ladder-Connor Terrance Treasurer - Tom Macaulay Secretary - Mike Macaulay Trustee - Josh Miller Best of luck to our new officers, and thank you to our outgoing officers for a job well done!

Keep this in mind. Check your appliance vents after each significant snowfall.

We are already looking forward to our next Chicken Barbecues, so we thought we would share the dates. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for February 12, and March 26 for our next BBQs! More info to come.

After a heavy snowfall, it’s always a good idea to clean out about 3 feet around nearby fire hydrants. The quicker we can get to water, the quicker we can put the fire out. This is Ryan Holcomb, son of Lieutenant Carlos Holcomb, Massena Fire, and Katelyn Holcomb. Ryan did a great job making sure we can do our job safely. We are proud to have him as part of our Fire Family!

2021 was a record year for emergency incidents and code enforcement for our department.

WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST THISAFTERNOON... ...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT... * WHAT...For the Wind Chill Warning, dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 30 to 45 below zero. For the Winter Storm Watch, heavy snow possible. Snow may mix with sleet, freezing rain, or rain at times. Total snow accumulations of 7 to 12 inches possible across northern New York and portions of... south- central Vermont, with 4 to 8 inches across the Champlain Valley and northern Vermont. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph, especially in Rutland County. * WHERE...All of northern New York and Vermont. * WHEN...For the Wind Chill Warning, from 7 PM this evening to 4 PM EST Saturday. For the Winter Storm Watch, from late Sunday night through late Monday night. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. For late Sunday night through Monday night, travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning and evening commutes on Monday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Lowest wind chills will be occur through 11 AM Saturday. Regarding the snow storm expected late Sunday night through Monday, the greatest snow accumulations are expected across northern New York and portions of south- central Vermont, especially along the Green Mountains. A brief period of sleet or a mix of snow, sleet, and rain is possible on Monday, mainly in Vermont. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. Monitor the latest forecasts for updates regarding the snow storm late Sunday night through Monday. &&

The Massena Fire Family would like to express our sincere condolences to the friends and family of past member Ricky LaShomb. During Ricky’s membership you could always find him helping out at our BBQs, Car Shows, Back the Packs, and Smoke Detector Installs. He will be greatly missed. We are sharing the Go Fund Me set up by his family to help with funeral expenses. https://gofund.me/1bc29ff1

With the temperature dropping, and severe wind chills on the way, we would like to remind everyone to make sure you have a safe, reliable heat source. Wind Chill Warning issued January 09 at 2:47PM EST until January 11 at 3:00PM EST by NWS Burlington ...WIND CHILL WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM MONDAY TO 3 PM EST TUESDAY...... * WHAT...Dangerously cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 35 below zero. * WHERE...Portions of northern, central and northeast Vermont and Saint Lawrence Valley in northern New York. * WHEN...From 7 PM Monday to 3 PM EST Tuesday. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The coldest wind chill values will occur between 2 AM and 11 AM on Tuesday. See more

2021 was the departments busiest ever. We ran 665 fire calls, 10% higher than our previous high. The call breakdown is as follows: 23 Structure Fires (9 Mutual... Aid Structure fires to neighboring depts.) 25 Cooking/Electrical Fires 74 Motor Vehicle Accidents 12 Vehicle Fires 246 EMS Assists 139 Commercial Alarm Activations 41 Residential Alarm Activations 41 Outside Fires 21 Trees/Wires/Poles down 20 Service calls 15 Smoke Investigations 3 Wildland fires 3 Water Rescue calls 2 Fire Police calls Our Code Enforcement Officers and Building Safety Inspectors handled over 2,000 responses. Building inspections, code complaints, building permits, plan reviews, etc. Our Car Seat Technicians also gave out, installed and inspected over 30 car seats for local families and children in need this past year. We are proud to serve this community. We will always be there whenever you need us. We hope you all have a happy, healthy, and safe 2022.

Here, our latest group of vehicle extrication trained firefighters completes the Vehicle Rescue: Operations Level state certification process with Municipal Fire Instructors Mulvenna and O’Brien. This training helps us to better serve you, the citizen, and positions us to be a better resource to our neighboring agency’s. This class brings the total number of extrication members of our department, volunteer and career, to nearly 45. The Municipal Training Program allows our department, using state fire instructors dual qualified as municipal fire instructors, to offer in-house training. This fascilitates better access to classes for our members without requiring additional time for travel. And it enables us to earn state certification at zero cost to the taxpayer.

As we reflect on the year gone by, and focus on the new year ahead, The Massena Volunteer Fire Department would like to wish everyone a Safe and Happy New Year! A special Thank You to our volunteers and career firefighters Village of Massena Permanent Firefighters IAFF Local 2220 for all they do for this community.

For anyone that did not hear the announcement from St. Lawrence County Dispatch.

May 4th is International Firefighters Day. Today we thank our Brothers and Sisters in the fire service, past and present, for everything they do. A special thanks to Village of Massena Permanent Firefighters IAFF Local 2220

Yesterday morning your Massena Volunteer and Career Firefighters gathered at a private plot of land to train on their Wildland Search and Rescue skills. With multiple members having taken the state Wildland Rescue course, the group thought it would be a great idea to utilize that training, and pass it on to the rest of our team. Your Volunteers searched a wooded lot, finding multiple items of staged clothing, and a victim. With an earlier classroom training of radio communi...cation this month, the members put that to use showing great communication skills while searching, and rescuing. We were also privileged to receive a demonstration from a local agency on their search and rescue drone technology. Massena Fire is proud of their members for the skill and dedication they put forth in their training efforts, and all they do! (Photos courtesy of Bob Beckstead) See more

To register, go to: https://forms.gle/JTNSKJ6tvecx9Ahc7 Or, contact Kristin at 315-764-3710 x 3621

Attention Massena and surrounding communities. We have received notification that people are getting mailers asking for donations for their local volunteer fire department. We would like to stress that this is not Massena Volunteer Fire Departments mailer, and these donations will not go to us. Massena Fire appreciates all that our community does for us, and if we do solicit for donations, we will always be clear that it is our organization asking, and that the donations stay local. Always use caution donating to any organizations if you are unsure of their origin or validity. Thank you!

Please make sure you refrain from burning during the New York State Burning Ban. Today’s weather conditions are creating a perfect storm for fire weather.

With the forecast showing rain, please make sure those sump pumps are working!

Mutual Aid Call: Shortly after 4:00 p.m. Massena Fire was requested mutual aid for manpower. Tower 3 along with 23-1, 23-2, and 23-3 responded to assist Santa Claus in delivering a few early Christmas presents to children.

Thank You to Santa and Mrs Claus for coming to the Fire Station to do a zoom meeting with our Fire Department Families. Mrs Claus read them a story and then Santa listened to their wish lists.

To ALL who have served, with a special Thank You to our Veteran members in the department...Massena Volunteer Fire Thanks you for your service!

However you celebrate the holiday this year, remember to be safe and responsible when cooking those turkeys. Massena Volunteer Fire wishes you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Massena Volunteer Fire Department purchased a new digital sign for the front of our fire station. This sign has a plaque on it for the dedication of Henry M. Ledger and Howard A. Brouse. This plaque has been on the sign since 1998. Hopefully people will enjoy our new sign. Thanks to Bob Fowler and John Ledger for spearheading this operation.

Today is Election Day, don’t forget to make your way out and vote!

Don’t forget to set those clocks back, and change the batteries in your smoke detectors. If you have the detectors with lithium batteries, make sure you give them a test!

Massena Volunteer Fire hopes everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween! PLEASE make sure all the little ghosts, goblins and ghouls are social distancing, wearing masks, and following CDC guidelines. Stay Safe Massena!!

From The Family of Jason Horan, Amanda Kenny, and Parker. On September 25th Amanda, our son Parker and I lost our home and nearly everything we had to a fire. Losing our home, which was Amanda’s childhood home, was devastating. The very next day we witnessed so many people coming together to support us. Our brothers and sisters at The Massena Volunteer Fire Department mobilized and held a bottle/can drive, and a Chicken BBQ. ... Kyle Kressler, the owner of Cedar View Golf Course and now a good friend put together a golf tournament in less than a weeks time. Family, friends and people we have never met donated shoes, clothes, money, and offered us a place to stay. As difficult as this fire was to us, our hearts are full of warmth and love because of the support this community and surrounding area showed our family. We regret that we cannot personally thank every single person who helped us, but know you have made this horrible event easier to deal with. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so very much for the incredible support. Truly amazing! Sincerely, Amanda, Parker, and Jason

FAKE NEWS ALERT: Massena Central Schools have advised that a fake e-mail reportedly announcing a positive COVID case at Madison Elementary school was sent to parents. "It is unfortunate that with the level of anxiety we are all living under with the coronavirus, that someone would alarm our community by knowingly spread such disturbingly false information. Our staff are working hard everyday to keep all of our students safe and the doors of our schools open. If we do have ...positive cases, we will confer with Public Health and make decisions accordingly. These decisions will be communicated by official channels as we have done in the past. We ask that all parents continue to screen their children each morning and keep them home if they are ill. Please continue to stay safe by taking precautions such as mask-wearing and social distancing." - Statement from Massena Central Schools

As we get ready to close out Fire Prevention Week, we want to make one thing stand out above all else. One week isn’t enough for Fire Prevention, it has to be every day. Be vigilant about candles, electronics, heaters, or anything else that could be a risk. Take pride in preventative measures such as detectors, extinguishers, and escape plans. Teach our kids that they can make a difference by practicing fire safety. Being prepared is half the battle!

During Fire Prevention Week, we ask that you do a tour of your own house. Make sure all your Smoke Alarms, and Carbon Monoxide Alarms are tested and functional. Also check your Fire Extinguishers. Make sure they are charged and ready to go. We often take for granted that a few dollars spent on quality preventive items could save you a lot in the event of an emergency. Make sure you and your family are prepared!

Massena Volunteer Fire wants to give you some homework! After the kids are done school today, take a few minutes to create your escape plan, and give it a try! Here are some tips...

Since we can’t be in school today, please take a few minutes and show your child these tips. Let them ask questions, and make sure they understand the importance of fire safety!

This week, October 4th-10th is Fire Prevention Week. Every year our Volunteer Firefighters take time off of work to go into every school in the area and teach Fire Safety. Although this year will be a little different due to COVID, the message is still the same. This year we need YOUR help to get our message out to the kids. Please take time to talk about having an escape plan in case of a fire, knowing how to call 911, knowing your address and phone number, and remembering to check your smoke detectors. We will have a few posts with tips this week, and a few pictures from previous Fire Prevention weeks. Always remember to be fire safe, and pass the message along!

After an overwhelming response to our Bottle Drive, Golf Tournament, and Chicken BBQ, the Massena Volunteer Fire Department would like to thank our sponsers, our supporters, and our volunteers for everything they did this weekend. This was a true showing of a community standing behind those who do their all to protect it. On behalf of Massena Volunteer Fire and Jason, Amanda and Parker, we are thankful beyond words. THANK YOU!!

We are getting such an overwhelming response for this benefit! Due to large delivery orders to businesses and individuals we are already close to what our normal BBQ sells at. At double our normal numbers, we are going to switch and close the phones and sell the rest in our drive thru. We are sorry for the inconvenience, but happy YOU are supporting our member. Please come at 11 and get a meal!

The chicken is on! Massena Fire has had a very busy week, and have seen a lot of love and support for our Brother Jason Horan and Amanda Kenny. Today is the final push with our BBQ fundraiser starting at 11am. All proceeds benefit the family. Meals are $10. This is drive thru or delivery only. The number for delivery is 315-769-3408. Phones open at 9am. Please follow the traffic pattern on our recent post. Also today is our last day for bottle collection. If the trailer in our front parking lot is gone, we are done collecting. As always, thank you for your generosity and support. We hope to see you today!