Saranac Lake Fire Department


2024 Incidents
Jan 20
Feb 39
Mar 27
Apr 23
May 35
Jun 44
Jul 27
Aug 46
Sep 29
Oct 35
Nov 0
Dec 0
Total 325

Past Incidents
2023 387
2022 434
2021 342
2020 260
2019 354
2018 389
2017 342
2016 293
2015 290
2014 331
2013 358
2012 281
2011 322
2010 259
2009 174

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April 20, 2010
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Nov 09, 2024
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Webmaster Note 4/5/2010:  This page will be a long term work in progress... The Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department has a very long and proud history.  This page is an attempt to chronicle our history.  Updating this page will be ongoing, check back often and enjoy the updates.  We encourage current members, past members, and members of the community to contribute their knowledge of events, corrections, and items of interest via email to info@saranaclakefire.com .

 
 Response in Saranac Lake    First Bay Saranac Lake Firehouse
     
 
SLFD Apparatus, notice hose line stretched "bottom Left"    Dress Photo in Front of Saranac Lake Firehouse
     
 
 Initial's SLFD on side of Apparatus    First Bay Saranac Lake Firehouse

Click Here to see a video history of the SLVFD created for our 125th anniversary celebration in 2016

1891 The Woodruff and Miller Hose Companies join to form the Woodruff Miller Hose Company and officially establish the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

1891-1899

Chiefs of the Decade
 Established 1891 1891 Eugene Woodruff 1892 Eugene Woodruff 1893 Milo Miller 1894 A.S. Branch
1895 A.S. Branch 1896 B.E. Woodruff 1897 D.L.F. Bullis 1898 D.L.F. Bullis 1899 J.R. Hogan

1900-1909

Chiefs of the Decade
 1900 E.E. Lobdell  1901 E.E. Lobdell  1902 John A. Morgan  1903 John A. Morgan 1904 E.W. Harrison 
 1905 E.W. Harrison  1906 Cliff B. Havens  1907 Cliff B. Havens  1908 Cliff B. Havens  1909 J.R. Hogan

 

1910-1919

Chiefs of the Decade
 1910 J.R. Hogan 1911 J.R. Hogan   1912 Frank Sheldon 1913 Frank Sheldon  1914 William Munn
 1915 William Munn   1916 Tim Hasselton  1917 Tim Hasselton  1918 J.J. Duquette  1919 J.J. Duquette

March 9, 1914 Founder of the Woodruff Hose Company and First Chief of the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department Eugene Woodruff passes away. Click Here to Read Story.

September 8, 1917 Founder of the Miller Hose Company and Second Chief of the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department Milo B. Miller passes away.  Click here to read history

1920-1929

Chiefs of the Decade
 1920 Jasper Avery  1921  Jasper Avery  1922 Harry Danforth  1923 Harry Danforth  1924 E.W. Harrison
 1925 E.W. Harrison  1926 John C. Morgan  1927 Michael J. Curran  1928 William Stringham  1929 William Stringham

January 1925 Two spectacular fires destroy Saranac Lake business district:

Click her to read about the first of two fires in Howard Riley's column "You Know What" in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

Click here  to read  about the second of two fires contributed in Howard Riley's column "You Know What" in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise. 

1930-1939

Chiefs of the Decade
 1930 Frank Fortune  1931 Frank Fortune  1932 Leon Moody  1933 Leon Moody  1934 Fred Conrad
 1935 Gene Brittell  1936 Hugh McKillip  1937 Hugh McKillip  1938 Edmond Winch  1939 John J. Mooney

1940-1949

Chiefs of the Decade
 1940 Ed Boon  1941 Ed Boon  1942 James Fortune  1943 Ray Bell  1944 Ray Bell
 1945 Richard Harrington  1946 Richard Ormsby  1947 Richard Ormsby  1948 Willis Currier  1949 Willis Currier

During the tenure of Chief Ed Boon a 1942 GMC fire truck was purchased.  This truck is no longer in active service but it still currently used for parades, funerals, and other ceremonies.  It is still designated as Franklin County ETA-142.  This truck was the last fire truck produced by GMC prior to shutting down manufacturing for public fire departments due to the onset of World War II.

1950-1959

Chiefs of the Decade
 1950 Carl Smith  1951 Carl Smith  1952 Carl Smith  1953 Carl Smith  1954 Carl Smith
 1955 Vern Wamsganz  1956 Vern Wamsganz  1957 William Davis  1958 William Davis  1959 William Davis

Prior to this time ambulance service in Saranac Lake was provided in a converted hearse operated by the Keough Funeral Home.  In 1955 Eugene Keough turned over the converted hearse and ambulance duty to the SLVFD officially establishing the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Rescue Squad. 

1960-1969

Chiefs of the Decade
 1960 Francis Gladd  1961 Richard Burman  1962 Richard A. Yorkey  1963 Richard A. Yorkey 1964 Richard A. Yorkey 
 1965 Richard A. Yorkey  1966 Preston Burl  1967 Preston Burl  1968 Preston Burl  1969 Harry "Ed" Duso

The Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department Dive Rescue, and Recovery Team was first started in 1960 by Chester Fobare. Mr. Fobare received his dive certification and then his instructors' certification. He then trained a few interested members in becoming certified divers for the department.

January 2nd 1964, The St. Regis hotel formerly on the corner of Broadway and Bloomingdale avenue burns landing the SLVFD on the April 1964 cover of Fire Engineering magazine. Take some time to read the article to learn about some spectacular and heroic rescues.

"Click the Cover of the Fire Engineering Magazine For More"

 

 

1970-1979

Chiefs of the Decade
 1970 Mike Brady 1971 Donn Garwood 1972 Donn Garwood 1973 Donn Garwood 1974 Donn Garwood 
 1975 Donn Garwood  1976 Robert Nadon Sr.  1977 Robert Nadon Sr.  1978 John Bombard  1979 John Bombard

1980-1989

Chiefs of the Decade
 1980 John Bombard  1981 John Wamsganz 1982 John Wamsganz  1983 Don Duso   1984 Don Duso
 1985 Don Duso 1986 Robert Finn   1987 Harrison Kent  1988 Don Duso  1989 Don Duso


The 1981 Berkley Hotel fire lands the SLVFD on the January 1982 cover of "Firehouse Magazine" the cover photo is credited to local photographer James (Rudy) Snyder.  2 Members of the SLVFD, Kent Robinson and Kevin Tuthill are recognized as "Firemen Of The Year" by the Northern NY Volunteer Firefighter's Association for rescuing 7 people from that blaze.  This is the first time that this award is given to two firefighters as a team instead of a single individual. This fire permanently changed the look of downtown Saranac Lake in the area referred to as Berkley Square.

 

1987:  Mary Stunzi becomes the first woman to ever be elected to membership with the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

1990-1999

Chiefs of the Decade
 1990 Don Duso  1991 Edmund Woodard  1992 Edmund Woodard  1993 Robert Girard 1994 Robert Girard 
 1995 Harrison Kent  1996 Andy McGill  1997 Andy McGill  1998 Edmund Woodard  1999 Edmund Woodard

Members of the SLVFD provide fire coverage at the Adirondack Airport in Lake Clear for an Air Force One landing when President Bill Clinton and wife Hillary visit the Saranac Lake area.

SLVFD and surrounding departments respond to the Adirondack Airport in Lake Clear when a United Arab Emerites military C-130 Hercules traveling from the United States back to the UAE made an emergency landing and skidded off the runway.  A prop on an inboard engine dislodged and sliced through one side of the fuselage with an incision and blasted out the other side of the fuselage leaving a gaping hole and wrecking both engines on the other side.  The crew jettisoned it's fuel and much of it's heavy cargo enroute to the airport.  They were able to land with the one remaining engine but were unable to stop due to the lack of engine power before reaching the end of the runway.  Remarkably no one was injured in the incident.

1997:  The Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department launches its first website.  This early website provides basic information to the community.  The site is taken down in 2010 to facilitate the site you are viewing today.

2000-2009

Chiefs of the Decade
2000 Edmund Woodward 2001 Edmund Woodward 2002 Edmund Woodard 2003 Don Duso 2004 Don Duso
2005 Robert Girard 2006 Vacant 2007 Don Duso 2008 Don Duso 2009 Don Duso/Chuck Dobson

September 2001- following the attacks of 9/11 several members of the SLVFD are dispatched with R-148 to provide EMS coverage in a mutual aid capacity to a staging area in New York City.  They are eventually moved forward and assist in providing EMS coverage at Ground Zero.

Members of the SLVFD provide fire coverage at the Adirondack Airport in Lake Clear for an Air Force One landing when President George W. Bush visited the Saranac Lake area.

2009 Following a call from the telivison network "Animal Planet" SLVFD's mascot and members of the SLVFD are featured internationally on "Dog's 101" in an episode featuring dalmatians.  Click here to view episode on youtube.

2010 - 2019

Chiefs of the Decade
2010 Brendan Keough  2011 Brendan Keough  2012 Brendan Keough  2013 Brendan Keough 2014 Brendan Keough 
 2015 Brendan Keough  2016 Brendan Keough  2017 Brendan Keough  2018 Brendan Keough 2019 Brendan Keough

2010 SLVFD launches new website replacing the basic site originally launched in 1997.  In addition to enhanced graphics and information enjoyed by the public, this new website provides enhanced efficiency to members with a secure non-public area utilized to provide up to date announcements, calendar, information sharing, and documentation library.

2010 Chelsea Tremblay is elected to membership with the SLVFD.  Chelsea's mother Mary was the first woman ever elected to membership in 1987.  Chelsea's membership marks a complete generation of woman firefighters in the SLVFD and the first Mother/Daughter membership.

At noon on November 8, 2010 The newly formed Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad Inc.  Officially begins operations.  Under the auspices of this new corporate entity; The "SLVRS" is able to fund full time paid coverage  during the business day while the volunteers are away at their regular employment. This is necessitated by virtue of the fact that since the inception of the rescue squad in the 1950's rescue call volumes have increased to numbers approaching 1000 calls per year. James Bankich becomes the first paid Emergency Medical Technician of the SLVRS. 

The SLVFD "Challenge Coin" was officially unveiled at a ceremony during the SLVFD's annual banquet held at the Red Fox restaurant in Saranac Lake on 5/18/2012.  Click Here to see and learn more about the SLVFD Challenge Coin.

October 30-November 2, 2012 Crews from the SLVFD, Tupper Lake VFD, and from throughout Franklin County are deployed to the New York City area in the wake of "Superstorm Sandy".  The Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake members provide relief by manning the station and responses of Engine Company 214 of the Freeport Long Island fire department whose members suffered damage and destruction of their personal homes.  This is the third time in about 11 years that the SLVFD has responded in a mutual aid capacity to the New York City area.  In the recent past SLVFD has responded to a major blizard and following the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  Full story can be read at http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/533761/Help-heads-downstate.html?nav=5247
and
http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/533834/Locals-help-on-Sandy-soaked-Long-Island.html?nav=5247

2020-2029

Chiefs of the Decade

2020 Brendan Keough

2021 Brendan Keough

2022 Brendan Keough 2023 Brendan Keough 2024 Michael Knapp
2025 2026 2027 2028 2029

 

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Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department
100 Broadway
PO Box 509
Saranac Lake NY 12983


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Non-Emergency: 518-891-2333
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