Fort Johnson Volunteer Fire Company

Fort Johnson
Volunteer Fire Company
Operational area
Country  United States
State  New York
City Fort Johnson, New York[1]
Agency overview
Established February, 1935
Employees 9 Officers,[2] 23 firefighters,[3] 2 EMTs, 5 Fire Police and 9 Auxiliary Members
Annual budget 284,549[4][5]
Staffing Volunteer
Fire chief Alden Miller[1][3]
Commissioner none
Facilities and equipment
Stations 2[6]
Engines 2[7]
Trucks 8[6]
Rescues 2
HAZMAT 0
Wildland 1
Helicopters 0
Fireboats 0
Website
Department website

The Fort Johnson Volunteer Fire Company Inc. (FJVFC), is a volunteer fire department based in Fort Johnson, New York.[4] They service the Town of Amsterdam and village of Fort Johnson with firefighters and emergency medical services.

History

FJVFC was founded in 1938, and currently manages two stations.[1][6][8] Their mission statement is "To provide fire and emergency services to the town of Amsterdam and village of Fort Johnson, montgomery county, new york."[4]

In 1995, a fire erupted in the home of one of the department's volunteers.[9] David Grandy, a lieutenant of the fire company, his wife Stephanie Grandy, also an active firefighter at the department, and their three children, were ultimately killed in the fire. A monument was dedicated to the Grandy family behind station 2 in Amsterdam.[10]

In 2009, the fire company petitioned for a bill to allow non-resident members of their company, sponsored by senator Hugh Farley.[11] The bill passed in July 2009, making the FJVFC the 24th fire department in the state of NY to receive such an exemption.

In 2011, Chief Alden Miller found child pornography on the company computer, which he turned into the State Police. A volunteer at the company, Randolph Billington, was arrested for allegedly downloading the material.[12] Billington was immediately suspended, and the company voted unanimously that he would be unable able to set foot on fire house property again. Billington was subsequently also charged with felony child sex abuse.[13]

The department currently consists of around 25 active members, and fields over 250 calls per year.[2]

See also

New York City Fire Department

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Montgommery County Fire Departments - Fort Johnson".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Fort Johnson Fire - Officers".
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Fort Johnson Fire - Member List".
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Guidestar - Fort Johnson Volunteer Fire Company".
  5. ↑ "FAQs.org - Fort Johnson Volunteer Fire Company".
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Fort Johnson Fire - About Us".
  7. ↑ "Fort Johnson Fire - Apparatus".
  8. ↑ "Fort Johnson Firemen celebrating 40th year". July 19, 1975. The Fort Johnson Volunteer Fire Company began its 40th anniversary celebration yesterday, with the highlight of the three-day observance a Fireman's Day parade starting at 1 p.m. today at the Fort Oil Gas Station on Old Route 5.
  9. ↑ "Focus on History: The tragic 1995 fire that killed a family".
  10. ↑ "Fort Johnson Firefighters dedicate memorial statue to fallen comrade, family". David E Grandy, 32, died in a Dec 18 fire that engulfed his home in Ramsey Avenue in Amsterdam. The early morning blaze also killed his wife, Stephanie, 30, and their three daughters: McKayla, 7; Katie, 3; and Nicole, who would have turned 5 the day of the fire. As a tribute, the Fort Johnson Volunteer Fire Department, where both David and Stephanie Grandy were active volunteers, unveiled a monument Sunday honoring the family's memory. The monument, at the center of a semicircle of five young blue spruce trees, is located behind Fort Johnson Fire Station 2 on Golf Course Road.
  11. ↑ "NY Senate - Bill S2931-2009". PURPOSE : To include the Fort Johnson Fire District in Montgomery County among the list of fire districts and fire companies which are exempt from the statutory limits on the percentage of non-resident members, thereby helping enable this volunteer fire company to have a sufficient level of membership to protect the community.
  12. ↑ "Firefighter charged with having child porn on station's computer".
  13. ↑ "Amsterdam child pornography suspect now faces sex abuse charge".