Tag: firefighter

New fire, rescue boat to be deployed this summer

The city of Rochester Fire Department has acquired a new fire and rescue boat, Marine 1, to be deployed by Engine 19, the Lake Avenue Fire Station.

The City of Rochester Fire Department will deploy its new fire and rescue boat, Marine 1, on July 1, 2021. (provided)
The City of Rochester Fire Department will deploy its new fire and rescue boat, Marine 1, on July 1, 2021. (provided)

Marine 1 will provide substantially improved fire, rescue and medical water-based response capabilities compared with the department’s previous fire and rescue boat, a 17-foot recreational motorboat.

“This vessel will enhance the Rochester Fire Department’s response capabilities in providing for the safety of the residents, businesses and boating community in the Charlotte neighborhood and the nearby waterways,” said Rochester Fire Department Chief Felipe Hernandez Jr. in a statement.

Marine 1 is a 37-foot mission-specific fire and rescue boat capable of simultaneously rescuing six to eight people and pumping more than 1,500 gallons per minute of water or fire suppression foam. The new vessel will expand the operational time frame into the cold weather months and enhance the safety of citizens and firefighters in poor lake conditions.

Marine 1 will be the most capable fire and rescue boat on the south shore of Lake Ontario, officials said.

The rescue boat will be used for water-based emergencies on the lake, within the Port of Rochester and on the Genesee River up to the Veterans Bridge at Route 104. For the last nine months, RFD firefighters have been receiving training through a collaborative effort with the state Parks Police Marine Training Unit and the U.S. Coast Guard. Additional water rescue training that was delayed due to COVID-19 will take place this summer.

The vessel was delivered this week by Moose Boats out of California. Moose Boats was awarded the contract in April 2019 after an extensive project development process that began in 2013. The process included securing grants from the New York state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.

Marine 1 is expected to be in service by July 1.

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Holy Sepulchre brings familiar face back to Rochester

Former Rochester Fire Chief John Caufield, has been named the new CEO of Holy Sepulchre and Ascension Garden Cemeteries.

John Caufield. Photo supplied.
John Caufield

Caufield served as a community firefighter in Rochester for almost 27 years, and was fire chief from 2007 to 2012, until he became Mid-Atlantic Director for the National Fire Protection Association. For the last two years, Caufield has been fire chief in Fort Myers, Fla.

“We are fortunate to have John as our new CEO with his strong skills in operational leadership, organizational building and community relations,” said Father Peter T. Bayer, a member of the board of the Catholic cemeteries. “John is a person of compassion who has dealt with the victims of fire and now will serve the family members of those who have died.”

Caufield starts his new job Dec. 2. He replaces Lynn Sullivan, who retired in August after five years as CEO.

Caufield is a fellow at Harvard University and holds bachelor’s degrees from Roberts Wesleyan College and the University of Maryland, as well as a master’s degree from the  State College at Brockport.

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