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Emergency dispatchers have received a number of calls from people calling about the power outage in Stafford and the eastern side of Batavia.

Yes, dispatchers know about the outage. No they don't know when power will be restored.

Calls about the outage should be directed to National Grid.

Power could be out for up to 10 hours, though workers are trying to restore it much more quickly than that.

If you have an emergency, call 9-1-1.

Smoke in the basement is reported at 8309 Coniber Road. East Pembroke and Pembroke fire departments are responding.

UPDATE 7:22 p.m.: Command on scene confirms light smoke in the basement.

UPDATE 7:28 p.m.: The smoke reportedly smells like fuel oil of some sort.

UPDATE 7:40 p.m.: Fire command is speaking with the homeowner, although no one was home at the time of the call. The chimney may be the source of smoke.

UPDATE 7:51 p.m.: They are ventilating the structure.

UPDATE 7:55 p.m.: East Pembroke command says the source of the problem is a faulty furnace and the homeowner is going to take care of it. The assignment is back in service.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at Route 5 and Clipnock Road, Stafford. Stafford fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: The driver is said to be in and out of consciousness. There are wires down over the vehicle.

UPDATE 6:05 p.m.: Fire police will be shutting down traffic at Route 5 and Sanders Road.

UPDATE 6:09 p.m.: Command asked for Mercy Flight to be put on ground standby if available. Dispatch says Mercy Flight needs to be rerouted and asks if they are needed at the scene. Command says to send a second ambulance. One victim is a minor with a leg abrasion.

UPDATE 6:13 p.m.: Command calls for Mercy Flight to stand by the scene. The ship out of Batavia is available. A landing zone is being established, in case.

UPDATE 6:16 p.m.: Town of Batavia fire police are heading to the scene to assist with traffic control.

UPDATE 6:23 p.m.: Medics have not yet determined if Mercy Flight will be needed.

UPDATE 6:26 p.m.: Mercy Flight is grounded due to weather. They are going to break down the landing zone.

UPDATE 6:37 p.m.: The driver who was said to be in and out of consciousness, has diabetes and is being transported by ambulance to UMMC. National Grid is on scene, and reps for cable and Verizon wireless are requested.

UPDATE 7:06 p.m.: Red Osier's management is acutely aware of the situation and it's impacting the evening's business at the restaurant. A National Grid rep says they are going to try and isolate the area west of Route 5 to get the power on, and go from there. Verizon says it will get someone out there tomorrow.

UPDATE 8:51 p.m.: Town of Batavia's assignment to Sanders Road back in service.

UDATE 8:55 p.m.: Verizon is in route. 2 1/2 hour ETA.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at 7818 E. Main Road in Le Roy. It's between Asbury and Circular Hill roads. One person is complaining of back pain and is inside the vehicle. Le Roy Fire Department and Ambulance Service are responding.

UPDATE 6:54 p.m.: A pickup truck involved has wires and cable wrapped around it. The state DOT rep is called because of the snarl of wires involved -- telephone, cable, phone, electrical, plus a damaged pole and the need to remove a damaged fire hydrant. Monroe County Water Authority is notified of the latter necessity. People in the vicinity are without power.

A hunter is reportedly stranded in the middle of the swamp in the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. He called dispatch on his mobile phone seeking help and they used GPS to track his position. "He's obviously cold," and not injured, but possibly has hypothermia. The man, whose vehicle has out-of-state license plates, shot a deer and tracked it well into the swamp. He has fallen down in the swamp several times and is now chest-deep in icy water. Rescuers are staging at 968 Casey Road. Alabama Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding, along with reps from the Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service. Mercy Flight is on ground standby.

UPDATE 2:36 p.m.: The State Police helicopter is available if needed.

UPDATE 2:37 p.m.: The hunter has been tracked to "smack dab in the middle" of two large bodies of water between Casey and Feeder roads. An ATV is at the rescuers' disposal, too.

UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: "I have a group of guys going in there on foot," says the Alabama fire chief. A crew from Lyndonville is requested to fill in at Alabama Station #2.

UPDATE 2:48 p.m.: Command says "Do you still have phone contact with him? Ask him to fire off one round into the air so we've got a bearing." The dispatcher replies "I'll see if he's got a whistle. ... The firearm is frozen to the point that he can't even unload it."

UPDATE 2:55 p.m.: Command says "He tells dispatch he can hear something, so maybe you guys are close." They want dispatch to ask the victim "to ping his cell" -- and/or a crew member's 9-1-1 call -- so they can see if indeed they are getting close. The crew on foot has spotted fresh boot prints on the ground. The original ATV is out of commission but two more are headed to the scene. Alexander Fire Department is assembling in its hall for possible deployment of its Gator.

UPDATE 3:01 p.m.: The State Police Helicopter has been deployed and rescuers "have a visual on it." It is hovering just west of command. The foot crew of four firefighters is northward, in the woods west of the area between two ponds where they can now see the victim. Also, a family member of the victim is on scene.

UPDATE 3:15 p.m.: "We are about 80 yards away from him, we are working our way across the swamp toward him," says a member of the foot crew. Another responder asks "Is he conscious?" The reply is that he is upright. The State Police helicopter pilot says heavy lake effect show is moving in from the Northwest and he won't be able to stay in place for much longer. The visibility is very low and, besides, he could see no place to land. He provides rescuers with the exact geographic coordinates of the victim's position. A crew member reports there is solid ice around there, and they are slogging through three feet of water, and the Gator probably can't get back there. So the hovercraft from Clarence Center is called for and stand-by crews from Clarenden and Shelby.

UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: Foot crew members are going to be sent back. The State Police helicopter has gone back to the hangar. Command says they have both the pilot's coordinates and compass coordinates, but it's difficult to discern where access paths may be. A crew member said they have so far gone 300 yards in knee-deep water and doubt that ATVs could be useful in that terrain. They await the hovercraft from Clarence Center.

UPDATE 3:32 p.m.: "Command, he's 100 yards in front of us. He's in four feet of water."

UPDATE 3:35 p.m.: It's sounding as though the foot crew members may be in jeopardy. "We're depending on the hovercraft at this point." The ATVs won't be useful. The crew members are in three feet of water and the path, and others, are not clearly discernable. They want to see if they can get the State Police helicopter back to try and better pinpoint their location at this time for rescuers to be able to find the foot crew. But command says the weather, which prompted the helicopter to leave, is likely to prevent it from responding to the scene a second time.

UPDATE 3:41 p.m.: The helicopter, with zero visibility, cannot fly. A foot crew member says "We're east of (the victim). We're trying to find higher ground. We're surrounded by water." A person says to look for a path to the east and the crew member responds "We followed the path to the east all the way here," and it apparently can no longer be clearly seen. The hovercraft and the Clarence Center crew are at the ready, preparing to enter the swamp. A rescuer says the victim "is trying to work his way to us," and they are going to set up a rehab area in the vicinity.

UPDATE 3:50 p.m.: "We're on an island in the middle of water," says a foot crew member. It is announced that a patch of landing space to the west may be a possibility if Mercy Flight is needed and is able to fly. It remains on standby.

UPDATE 3:54 p.m.: Command tells the now-stranded foot crew that the hovercraft crew of four, fully suited, is going to trek in and try to retrace the tracks and locate an access point for the hovercraft.

UPDATE 4:02 p.m.: The lost hunter and members of the foot crew have met up. The hunter "has cold hands" but otherwise seems OK. They are going to remain stationary and try to stay warm. Someone has hot packs now on his feet. One of the men is going to the edge of "the island" to try and get a visual on the rescuers looking for them.

UPDATE 4:07 p.m.: Dispatch says the Forest Service is on the way, with an ETA of two hours. A responder says "Could you repeat that? The hovercraft just went zipping by."

UPDATE 4:09 p.m.: "The hovercraft is in the middle of the pond headed your way."

UPDATE 4:13 p.m.: There is some confusion. The hovercraft is said to be in the wrong pond. But someone says that its location is in sync with the coordinates provided.

UPDATE 4:16 p.m.: They have definately found a path to the stranded men. They just need "to make a plan" to get the hovercraft to them.

UPDATE 4:21 p.m.: "We're having some issues with the hovercraft. Is it possible to walk out?" "No, that's not possible. We walked through waist-deep water to get here." Several hunters are seen walking in the area, and someone asks if perhaps their location may provide an access point.

UPDATE 4:31 p.m.: It is determined that the Clarence Center hovercraft will not be able to do the job. "But we'll need a hovercraft of some kind." "Can a boat get in there?" "There's a land mass between two bodies of water."

UPDATE 4:35 p.m.: Dispatchers are contacting Erie County and the State Police, again, for aerial aid.

UPDATE 4:36 p.m.: Meanwhile, they are going to try to re-deploy the hovercraft from Clarence Center and the men are asked to listen for it. All they can do is try to stay warm and wait.

UPDATE 4:50 p.m.: The hovercraft is not going to work. "We're going to have to go with another plan." A total of five men, including the victim, need to be rescued and they are in two separate locations.

UPDATE 5:03 p.m. Concern at the scene grows as it is nearly dark and the weather is expected to get colder. A plan involving a helicopter is under way.

UPDATE 5:06 p.m.: "We're are going to send in a team for you two and then airlift the other three," command tells a stranded firefighter. "We'll sit tight," is the reply.

UPDATE 5:11 p.m.: A helicopter from Erie County is on the way with a 10-minute ETA.

UPDATE 5:14 p.m.: A water rescue team is going to attempt to extricate the pair of men in one of the locations. The helicopter and its crew will try to get the others. The pilot asks what the condition is at the scene. There's "a few flakes in the air," but otherwise it looks good.

UPDATE 5:22 p.m.: All available manpower from Alabama Fire Department is requested to the scene's command post at Lewiston and Casey roads.

UPDATE 5:27 p.m.: "Make sure a landing zone is clearly marked in case they have to land quickly."

UPDATE 5:29 p.m.: "We're hovering above but there are so many lights shining, we can't see where the victims are," says the pilot. The responders on the ground are told to shut off all lights except in the two locations were the stranded parties are.

UPDATE 5:34 p.m.: The Erie County helicopter is hovering over the ice and "will lower the basket down for the victim." A firefighter who is with the victim has a dead radio and it's not known whether they can contact him via mobile phone to let him know about the basket drop.

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: Dispatch is in phone contact with the firefighter who is with the victim and will remain in contact with him until the victim has been extricated.

UPDATE 5:44 p.m.: Dispatch is communicating now with the State Police helicopter pilot who is appearantly going to be able to return to the incident. The pilot asks about the location and is told "same spot as before but now the rescuers need rescuing." Meanwhile, the other helicopter pilot is asked whether the victim's firearm can be put aboard the helicopter with him or "will it have to be walked out?" The answer is pending.

UPDATE 5:53 p.m.: One issue has been getting wetsuits (for protecting from hypothermia) for at least two individuals needing rescue, as well as those who will be trying to get the wetsuits to them.

UPDATE 6:02 p.m.: The men who were to be led out by the water rescue team are now being told they will be airlifted out. The process in either of the victims' locations is done one person at a time, thus multiple trips by the helicopter(s).

UPDATE 6:47 p.m.: "OK we're coming out. Everyone's accounted for."

UPDATE 6:59 p.m.: "Alabama command -- all the men and equipment are accounted for. We're out."

UPDATE 7:43 p.m.: All responders are back in service. The Alabama assignment is concluded.

City police are responding to a residence on Hutchins Place after a caller reported to dispatch that a female allegedly picked a dog up by its collar and that prior to that a male allegedly "punched the dog."

A car accident with minor injuries is reported at Liberty Street just north of Ellicott Street. City police and fire are responding, along with Mercy medics.

UPDATE 5:31 p.m.: There were four vehicles involved, but a truck with dents on the right side and possibly the rear, left the scene and police are trying to locate it. The truck is described as a black Chevy, with an extended cab, possibly a 1500 made in 1995.

A larceny is reported at 16 Liberty St. and city police are responding. A favorite winter decoration, Frosty the Snowman, was allegedly stolen from the front lawn.

Responding to tragedy involving widespread disaster and death is something Randy McIntire has done on several occasions and last week he attended training with other veteran emergency responders in Albany.

He is a funeral director at H.E. Turner and former chief of the Town of Batavia Volunteer Fire Department who brought a lot of experience to share with peers taking part in the "Mass Fatality Incident Response Course" presented by the NYS Office of Emergency Management.

As a member of the New York State Funeral Directors Association's Family Assistance Commission (FAC), a nonprofit, volunteer group of licensed funeral directors, he attended the Albany workshop.

"The whole premise is to train for the dignified return of victims to their families, and to learn how different agencies work together to accomplish that goal," McIntire said.

FAC members are prepared to assist local governments in the event of a disaster occurring within their borders and they work in tandem with others tasked with the recovery, handling, identification, and return of remains following a mass fatality incident.

His extensive background in emergency training began in the mid-1970s. And he was at the scene of Egypt Air flight 990 in 1999, the World Trade Center bombing, Hurricane Katrina (made worse by Hurricane Rita), and the crash of Continental Airlines' flight 3407.

Whether the catastrophe is a plane crash or a hurricane, the process varies little. FAC members help recover the dead, protect their dignity, take them to a morgue, where a coroner conducts scientific tests for identification, and through that process the victims are returned to their families.

A myriad of skills must be employed quickly, smoothly and under intense stress -- interviewing survivors/next-of-kin, processing paperwork to assist in identifying and facilitating the release of remains to the next-of-kin or other representatives, and more -- all vital services during a time of extreme confusion and grief.

The training is not new -- McIntire took the course in 1997 -- but he says over the years the state had pretty much done away with it and is now rekindling its efforts.

"It was unique training (last Thursday and Friday) because a high number of participants were mass fatality responders," McIntire said.

Their broad experience added some boots-on-the-ground pragmatism that was useful, especially for other responders, each with different responsibilities.

“Trainings such as this allow us to ... properly care for the dead as well as the living,” said Douglas R. Brueggemann, FAC committee chair.

A rollover accident is reported off Clinton Street Road near Mill Street in Stafford. Stafford Fire Department and Mercy medics are called.

UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: All Stafford units are back in service.

Press release:

Trustees of the Genesee Community College Board got an update Monday evening on the five-year Facilities Master Plan approved a year ago, and the architect says it's right on track.

Robert Joy, managing principal of JMZ Architects and Planners, PC, reported that as part of his service to the College, he has been reviewing the Plan in context with today's priorities to ensure its continued relevance.

Against an array of important concerns -- such as the rising cost of higher education, graduation and college degree completion rates, transferability of college credits, measuring outcomes and student success -- the Master Plan is "hitting the mark perfectly," Joy said.

Revisions to the plan would be done on a pro bono basis, but it sounds like few adjustments need to be made.

"It seems eve(n) more relevant today than it did one year ago," Joy said.

In fact, the two major initiatives, a new Events Center and Student Success Center are not only excellent avenues for local economic development, but they also reinforce New York State's priorities as investments offering long-term positive return.

The Board also heard about Start-Up New York (SUNY Tax-free Areas to Revitalize and Transform Upstate NY) from William Emm, GCC's executive vice president for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness. Emm is GCC's point-person for the new, Albany-based initiative that is aiming to transform SUNY campuses into tax-free communities for new and expanding businesses.

The statewide initiative introduced by Governor Cuomo encourages potential developments on or within one mile of each of SUNY's 64 campuses. Each institution can designate up to 200,000 square feet of space for Start-Up New York projects to create new jobs that are associated with the academic curricula offered by the connected campus.

The creation of new jobs, while not hurting existing businesses, is the central objective of Start-Up NY, according to Emm. For GCC, program opportunities that support the College's mission can exist not only at or near the Batavia Campus in Genesee County, but also at or near the College's campus centers in Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties. The Dansville Campus Center featuring larger facilities with plenty of expansion space offers significant potential, Emm explained.

All Start-Up NY proposals presented to Genesee Community College will be reviewed by the College administration and also the Board of Trustees. The criteria under development that would screen proposals includes furthering the mission and goals of the College; a net increase of new jobs; positive impact on the local economy; introduction or expansion of new technology; required space allocation; workforce development opportunities and the multiplier effect of new jobs and economies related to the Start-Up NY program.

For further information about Start-Up NY go to: http://startup-ny.com/

In other business Monday, the Board of Trustees:

•    Authorized President James Sunser to designate, at some point in the future, the College's safety director to act as a peace officer.

•    Heard Kathleen Schiefen, GCC provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs report that Genesee Community College is currently reviewing all college curricula to ensure compliance with related and required accreditation standards and also with the new SUNY seamless transfer initiatives intended to encourage timely graduation rates. Sport Management, A.S. and Communication and Media Arts, A.S. are the first two programs to have been completed.

•    Heard William Emm report on the Board of Trustees Self-Assessment tool, a survey that will be individually completed by the board members early in 2014. After tabulation, a summary report will be used in July during the Board's annual planning meeting and retreat.

A controlled burn near the railroad crossing off Wilkinson Road, West Batavia, will be extinguished by East Pembroke Fire Department since it is in its district. The heavy smoke from the burn resulted in several calls to dispatch more than an hour ago. But after checking out the scene and speaking with the homeowner, who was not present at the burn, firefighters went back in service. Now the blaze requires them to put it out.

Press release:

Saturday marked the start of deer season for local hunters. An important effort is under way to ensure unwanted venison goes to families in need.

The Venison Donation Coalition has been collecting, processing and distributing venison to food banks in New York State since 1999. Last year, Foodlink received about 127,000 pounds of venison. The protein-rich, lean meat was then distributed to our network of emergency food agencies, like food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.

Genesee County residents are among the beneficiaries. This county is a part of the Rochester-area Foodlink agencies.

Foodlink is thankful for our various community partners, including the Venison Donation Coalition, who help ensure this is a season to celebrate and that no one is going to bed hungry.

Any hunter interesting in donating a deer can call 1-866-862-DEER or visit the Venison Donation Coalition’s Web site at www.venisondonation.org to find a local processor.

The BackPack Program from Foodlink provides children in need with bags of nutritious food they can discreetly take home and easily prepare on their own.

During 2012-2013, we are serving nearly 1,800 children a week in 29 school districts.

The main campus building of Genesee Community College was evacuated after a fire alarm sounded. Campus security called dispatch to report the source was burnt toast inside the main campus. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 10:54 a.m.: Firefighters report nothing showing from the outside. The burnt toast is said to be inside a second-story faculty break room.

UPDATE 10:56 a.m.: Command says responding units can continue, non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 11:23 a.m.: The town assignment is back in service.

A possible fire at a house filled with smoke in North Pembroke requires the response of all available manpower from the East Pembroke Fire Department, plus an engine mutual aid from Alabama. The address is 2334 Beckwith Road, between North Pembroke and Slusser roads.

UPDATE 7:48 p.m.: Responders think they have the fire out. Alabama is told to stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 8:14 p.m.: Alabama fire back in service.

UPDATE 8:22 p.m.: Problem solved. East Pembroke is back in service