Massena Fire Department

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The Massena Fire Department has been an integral part of the Massena community for over 120 years. The Department is led by Chief Patrick O’Brien, Assistant Chief Thomas Miller, Assistant Chief Corey Debien, and Career Staff Foreman Aaron Hardy. These officers along with three captains and three lieutenants lead a combination career/volunteer fire department of 50 volunteer firefighters and 9 career firefighter/EMTs. The Massena fire station is located at 34 Andrews Street and is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by career firefighters.

Volunteer firefighters complete nearly 150 hours of outreach training provided by the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control to be initially qualified. Career firefighters are all graduates of the New York State Academy of Fire Science. The volunteer firefighters of the department comprise the Massena Fire Department, Incorporated, a 501c3 not-for-profit. The career staff is represented by the Massena Permanent Firefighters, Local #2220, an affiliate member of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

Career firefighters also perform Code Enforcement in the Village and Town of Massena. This allows both the Town and Village to have a professional yet cost-saving approach to Code Enforcement. The career staff provides Code Enforcement Officers and Building Safety Inspectors, Monday through Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm.

The Massena Fire Department achieved an ISO rating(PPC) of 4. The only other department in St. Lawrence County to receive this high a rating was Ogdensburg Fire. Only 12% of fire departments in the United States have a higher class rating than Massena Fire. The ISO rates municipalities on a scale of 1 to 10. An ISO Class 10 rating is considered the least effective fire defense while an ISO class 1 rating is the most effective fire defense system. Most of the largest U.S. insurers use these ratings as part of their decision-making when deciding what coverage to offer, and what prices to charge for personal and commercial property insurance. According to the ISO the price of fire insurance in a community with a good Public Protection Classification(PPC) grade is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC grade”.

The Massena Fire Department provides fire and emergency protection to approximately 12,900 citizens in both the Town and Village of Massena. Massena Fire also provides mutual aid to surrounding communities. The Massena Fire Departments protection area consists of approximately 68 square miles, 7,500 housing units, as well as 14 Churches, the St. Lawrence Center Mall, the Harte Haven shopping center, and other local businesses, Massena Arena, and other civic complexes. The Massena Fire Department is also responsible for protecting critical infrastructure located within the protection area. This infrastructure includes: