Town of Batavia Fire

The Town of Batavia Fire's banquet Saturday at Terry Hills was more than awards and installation of officers; it was also a celebration of the department's 75th anniversary.

Chief Christopher Strathearn, being sworn in above, began his second term as chief and, in his annual report, said that the department responded to 409 calls in 2022 with 3,309 member responses to those calls for a total of 2,402 manhours by volunteers out on calls.

The department currently has 48 active members.

The 2023 officers are:

• Chris Strathearn, chief
• Robert Hunt, deputy chief
• Paul Dibble, first assistant
• Joshua Boyle, second assistant
• Bryan Mosciki, captain
• Lieutenant, Clayton Gorski
• Paul Barrett, safety officer
• Scott Garlock, president
• Tom Cunningham, vice president, Steve Coburn, secretary
• Don Koziol, treasurer
• Directors: Tim Yaeger, Dan Jacques, Paul Bareet, Gary Diegelman, and William Allen.

Dwayne Fonda Jr., flanked by Strathearn and Garlock, was named Firefighter of the Year.

Tom Garlock, who joined the department 10 years ago, received the president's award.  His father, Scott Garlock, presented the award and talked about the night he and his wife first met; the first hour they met.  They were in the GCC parking lot, and a fire truck went by on its way to a garage fire. Garlock told Lynn, "Let's go," and they followed the truck to the fire. Garlock wasn't even a volunteer yet.

"I think she knew what she was in for," he said.

Both of their sons joined the department, and it seemed like destiny.

"My President's Award this year goes to that little boy who, in first grade, his teacher came up to me and said, Mr. Garlock, your son seems to know an awful lot about fire, the fire department, and fire trucks," Garlock said. "I said, 'how so.' She said, 'Whenever I read stories, and there's a fire truck in the story, your son always corrects me and says, 'no that's an engine,' or 'that's a ladder truck.'"

Tyler Stewart went out on 205 calls, making him the department's top responder for 2022.

Past chief Frank Riccobono was recognized for his 40 years of service to the department.

Dan Coffey became a line officer in 2005.  He served as chief from 2017 to 2021. He wasn't able to attend last year's dinner so his service was recognized on Saturday night.

Town of Batavia Fire volunteers.

Photos by Howard Owens.

Town of Batavia Fire Department held its annual awards banquet and installation of officers at Terry Hills on Saturday night. 

Bryan Moscicki was named Firefighter of the Year (top photo).

Tim Yaeger, a past chief and current board member, received the President's Award.

Jim Bouton responded to the most calls in 2019: 284.

Paul Barrett, a past chief, received his 35-year pin.

Joseph DeMarco, cofounder of Wings Flights of Hope, was on hand to accept a $1,000 donation from the department.

The 2020 Line Officers: Daniel Coffey, chief; James Bouton, deputy chief; Thomas Garlock, first assistant chief; Christopher Strathearn, second assistant chief; Conor Wilkes, captain; Russell Borden, lieutenant; Paul Barrett, safety officer.

Corporate Officers for 2020: Scott Garlock, president; Ian Sanfratello, vice president; Steve Coburn, secretary; Donal Koziol, treasurer; and directors -- Timothy Yaeger, Robert Tripp, Paul Barrett, Gary Giegelman and Daniel Jacques.

Second video, Town of Batavia fire's 2019 in Review, produced by Clayton Gorski.

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In 2018, the volunteers of the Town of Batavia Fire Department answered 377 calls for service, Chief Dan Coffey said Saturday night at the department's annual awards and installation banquet at Terry Hills.

Thirteen of those calls were for structure fires and 28 were motor-vehicle accidents. The town also responded to 168 false alarms. 

The department responded 51 times as a mutual aid company and needed the assistance of mutual aid companies seven times.

The top responder for the year was Tyler Stewart, who showed up for 264 calls. James Bouton responded to 241 calls and Clayton Gorski responded to 202 calls.

Clayton Groski was named 2018 Firefighter of the Year. 

Paul Barrett received the President's Award.

The 2019 officers:

• Chief Dan Coffey
• Deputy Chief Jim Bouton
• Assistant Chief Paul Dibble
• Assistant Chief Tom Garlock
• Captain Conor Wilkes
• Lieutenant Dave Tran 

2019 Corporate Board:

• President Scott Garlock
• Vice President Nate Fix
• Treasurer Don Koziol
• Secretary Steve Coburn
• Director Tim Yaeger
• Director Gary Diegelman
• Director Bob Mullen
• Director Bob Tripp
• Director Paul Barrett

To find out how you can serve your community and become a volunteer with your local department, visit ReadyGenesee.com.

Clayton Gorski, second from right, with the department's line officers, was named Firefighter of the Year.

Top responders for 2018, with President Scott Garlock: Clayton Gorski, Tyler Steward and Jim Bouton.

In years past, the department presented a gift to dinner attendees, such as a mug or a glass. This year, the department instead donated $1,000 to The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation. Dan Coffey, Laurie Napoleon, Mark Napoleone and Scott Garlock.

Installation of officers, conducted by Bill Schutt.

The Town of Batavia Fire Department.

Lindsey Zanghi, 12, from Pembroke, had a lot of fun Saturday at the Town of Batavia Fire Department's Open House. So did Brooke Nichols, 12, of Oakfield, below, who got to honk the emergency horn on one of the fire trucks.

Town of Batavia Volunteer Fire Department's annual awards and installation dinner marked its 70th anniversary and Earl Dorman, an original 1948 member of the department, was honored with a Service Award.

Also receiving a Service Award was Renee Long.

Joshua Boyle was named Firefighter of the Year and Top Responder.

Gary Diegelman received the President's Award.

Boyle receiving Top Responder award from Chief Dan Coffey and Corporate VP Nate Fix.

Coffey and Boyle, Firefighter of the Year and Top Responder.

Gary Diegelman received the President's Award, with Coffey, Fix, and Corporate President Scott Garlock.

Joyce Diegelman was recognized for her 65 years of serving the department.

Town of Batavia Fire Department took delivery of a new ladder truck this week and it should go into service within a couple of weeks.

Ladder 22 is the second ladder truck for the fire department, will be housed at Station 2, and become a primary response apparatus on many calls, said Paul Barrett, a past chief who was chairman of the committee overseeing this purchase.

The truck replaces two pieces of equipment, a tanker sold a couple of years ago in anticipation of buying this truck, and an engine that was recently sold.

"If you have to do a rescue, it's a two-fold piece of equipment," Barrett said. "It's got engine company equipment on it. We can do all your engine-type work and also truck work. So it's like a combination piece for us."

Town of Batavia already had Ladder 25, which remains at Station #1. That truck has a 100-foot ladder with a bucket. Ladder 22 is a 75-foot straight stick. 

With growth on the east side of Batavia, from new housing to the ag park, along with calls to College Village, the new ladder will help improve the department's capabilities for the kinds of situations they might face.

"With its versatility and with it being in a single axle, it's shorter than the other truck or ladder truck, which will allow us to get into places that we wouldn't be able to get the other," said Chief Dan Coffey.

It cost $830,000 and acquiring it was a three-year-long project, including a year from the time the custom-built truck was ordered until delivery.

The truck carries 480 gallons of water and 20 gallons of Class A foam. It can pump 1,500 gallons per minute.

Training for firefighters on the new truck starts this week. Once training is completed, it can be placed in service.

Night photo by Paul Barrett.

Joe Hinz was named Firefighter of the Year for the Town of Batavia Volunteer Fire Department and Steve Coburn received the President's Award during the department's annual awards and installation dinner at Terry Hills last night.

Officers installed for 2017:

Line officers: Daniel J. Coffey -- chief, Chad R. Higgins -- deputy chief, Robert H. Tripp -- first assistant chief, Paul R. Dibble -- second assistant chief, Andrew Z. Mullen -- captain, David J. Tran -- lieutenant, Paul G. Barrett -- Safety Officer.

Corporate Officers: Michael D. Jones -- president, Nathan L. Fix -- vice president, Steven C. Coburn -- secretary, Donald F. Koziol -- treasurer, and directors are Paul G. Barrett, Gary D. Diegelman, Daniel P. Jacques, Robert J. Mullen and Timothy J. Yaeger.

Steve Coburn and Joe Hinz with department officers.

Some of the top responders making at least 100 calls in 2016.

Research released last year concluded that firefighters suffer incidents of cancer at a higher rate than the general population and Congressman Chris Collins thinks more data needs to be gathered to help researchers figure out why.

Collins is sponsoring legislation that will task the Department of Health and Human Services with creating a nationwide database to track and retain information on the emergency responses of firefighters, both career and volunteer. 

"I like to call this good common-sense legislation," Collins said during an announcement event at the Town of Batavia Fire Hall on Lewiston Road. "We know Congress is very divided these days, but this is a piece of legislation that will be bipartisan. There is no difficulty whatsoever in getting both Republicans and Democrats to step forward something that is very commonsense and very low cost."

The legislation is backed by firefighter groups both in New York and across the nation. It is in response to a CDC report (pdf) based on a study of 30,000 career firefighters in three large metro departments who served from 1950 to 2010 as well as data from 18,000 current firefighters. The six-year study found a greater number of cancer diagnoses and more cancer-related deaths among the cohort. These were mostly digestive, oral, respiratory, and urinary cancers. Firefighters may also be exposed more frequently to asbestos, increasing the rate of malignant mesothelioma.

Firefighters tend to respond to many instances where not only asbestos might be present, but a whole range of hazardous materials.

Dan Coffey, Town of Batavia's fire chief, said helping HHS gather the data may not be much of a burden on volunteer chiefs. Currently, every firefighter who responds on every call is logged and if there is suspected exposure to something hazardous, that is also logged and kept on file forever. If there are additional data points HHS requires, that may mean a little more work, but he said he would just have to wait and see about any additional burden, if any. 

He thinks the effort is worth it, he said. 

"It is very important and something that hits near and dear to us," Coffey said. "There has been a lot of discussion about higher cancer rates in this profession and certainly that would lead to a little more comfort knowing why we have higher rates and hopefully that leads to better equipment and protection and reduces the rate among firefighters."

Press release:

In preparation for the construction of our new fire station, the Town of Batavia Fire Department, Inc., will be accepting written offers for the house and property located at 5007 Clinton Street Road, Batavia.

The house is two-story, 1584 square feet and is located on a 60’ x 128’ parcel. The house is currently configured as a 2-family home.

The Fire Department purchased the house as it was included as part of the land acquisition for our new fire station. After a formal needs review examination, it has been determined that the house it is not necessary for our current or future needs.

There will be an Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 2 until 6 p.m. for anyone interested in viewing the house and property.

Written offers will be accepted until Monday, Sept. 19 by U.S. Mail at Town of Batavia Fire Department, Inc., P.O. Box 417, Batavia, NY 14021-0417.

The Town of Batavia Fire Department, Inc., reserves the right to reject any and/or all offers that it deems in its best interest.

By order of the Board of Directors

Town of Batavia Fire Department is among several in the county holding open houses today, as part of a Recruit NY drive for volunteer fire departments.

Batavia's open house continues until 4 today.

Volunteer departments play a vital role in the health and safety of our community. To find out more about volunteering for your local department, visit ReadyGenesee.com.

Patrick Spear received the Firefighter of the Year award from Deputy Chief Dan Coffey on Saturday night during the Town of Batavia Fire Department's annual banquet at the Clarion Hotel.

The department responded to 317 calls in 2015. An average of 10.8 volunteers responded to each call and total man hours spent on calls exceeded 25,000. The volunteers also attended 76 training sessions.

"I think those are some pretty impressive numbers when you think about how we all have jobs, we all have families, we all have other obligations to attend to," Coffey said. "I truly want to give you guys a round of applause. We wouldn't be successful without that dedication."

Gary Diegelman​ was recognized for his 40 years of service to the department.

William Zipfel was recognized for his 45 years of service to the department.

Doug Smith, of Batavia, won the Harley Raffle hosted by the Town of Batavia Volunteer Fire Department. The photo above is of one of the $500 drawings.

The $500 winners: Eric Bruggman, Attica; Bill Lickfield, Hamburg; Chris Rockerfeller, Batavia; Kristina Lobello, Batavia.

To purchase prints, click here.

You know, it could be you rolling down Route 98 on a bright, blue and breezy summer day on your way to the twists and turns of the Southern Tier aboard a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy.

It could be you atop that iron mount filled with the same pride the men and women have who volunteer for their local fire departments.

It could be you at the Town of Batavia Fire Hall on Lewiston Road sometime between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., tomorrow, buying a ticket for a chance to win that Harley, and signing up to be a volunteer, or at least having a hot dog...maybe get a free smoke detector, a coloring book or fire helmet for the kids and just hang out with the men and women who help keep our county safe. They'll cook you a hot dog. Or a hamburger.

Imagine, that.

Only a limited number of tickets are sold for the Harley Raffle, so you better tool on down to the Fire Hall tomorrow and plunk down some cash, or it might be somebody else riding that Harley.

Somebody's going to win it. It might as well be you.

Information and photos submitted by Nate Fix.

The Town of Batavia Fire Department had their Annual Installation of Officers Saturday night.

The 2015 lineup of officers are Chief Paul Barrett, Deputy Chief Dan Coffey, 1st Asst. Chief Nathan Fix, 2nd Asst. Chief Bob Tripp, Captain Dave Tran, and Lt. Andrew Mullen.

The Board of Directors are Bob Mullen, Chad Higgins, Dan Jacques, James Bouton, and Frank Riccobono, and President John Fitzsimmons and Vice President Gary Diegelman, Treasurer Don Koziol.

There were multiple awards given out, including the 100 Call Club. These are members who responded to more than 100 calls for the calendar year of 2014.

They are:

Stephen Diegelman, 102 calls; Frank Riccobono, 107 calls; Paul Dibble, 119 calls; Dave Tran, 118 calls; John Mullen, 119 calls; Bob Mullen, 124 calls; Cody Towner, 128 calls; Tom Garlock, 135 calls; Jason Holman, 138 calls; Gary Diegelman, 152 calls; Scott Maloy, 172 calls; Bob Tripp, 178 calls; Paul Barrett with 182 calls; Nathan Fix, 184 calls; Andrew Mullen, 191 calls; and the top responder was Stephen Kowalcyk, 222 calls.

Years of Service Awards went to:

Adam Mullen, 5 years; Dave Tran, 5 years; Ben Fisher, 5 years; James Bouton, 10 years with the Town of Batavia fire Department and 33 prior years with Alexander fire. Bouton has 43 years of volunteer fire service. Nathan Fix, 10 years and he also has six years prior with Corfu fire for a total of 16 years of volunteer fire service. Dave Morrill, 15 years of service; Steve Kegler, 20 years; John Fitzsimmons, 20 years; Paul Barrett and Dan Jacques with 30 years of service. Both were recognized with plaques and letters from Assembly Steve Hawley and Senator Mike Ranzenhofer. Bob Mullen was recognized for 50 years as a Volunteer Fire Service member and he received special recognition.

Demolition has begun on the old Town of Batavia rec hall (and onetime fire hall) on Lewiston Road. The fire department is planning a new, modern fire hall at the location, as well as a new Station #2 on Clinton Street Road.

Genesee County Emergency Services and the Town of Batavia Fire Department conducted a confined spaces drill yesterday at the Muller Quaker Dairy plant.

Nationally, from 80 to 100 people die every year in confined space accidents and even rescues can be difficult and dangerous.

Photos submitted by a reader.

Genesee County Emergency Management Services was conducting water pump operations training for new recruits this afternoon at DeWitt Recreation Area, with assistance from Le Roy fire and Byron fire departments.

The goal while I was there was to get the flow up to 1,500 gallons per minute. Town of Batavia's Ladder 25 is capable of flowing 2,000 gallons a minute.

If you want to do fun stuff like this, become a volunteer firefighter in your community. Visit Ready Genesee for more information.

Town of Batavia firefighters proved once again they know how to throw a party.

Saturday night, the department hosted its annual Harley Raffle party, the biggest fundraiser of the year for the volunteers.

Mary Miesner, of Albion, with ticket #1281, won the Harley Fat Boy (or she could choose a cash prize). The four $500 winners were Andrew Chapman, of Batavia, David Metzger, of Buffalo (his ticket being drawn above), Roy Baker, of Medina, and Joseph Sherman, of Le Roy.

The band this year was Audibull.

To purchase prints, click here.

Nate Fix sent over these photos he took with his drone earlier this evening of the Town of Batavia Fire Department's annual Harley Raffle party.

The party goes until midnight. Audibull is the band and they're rockin' the tent.  

The fire hall is on Lewiston Road, across from Kmart.

I'll have ground-level photos posted in the morning some time.

Batavia Downs.