City Fire

Batavia City Fire Department’s Engine 11 says farewell to longstanding firefighter Capt. Mark Mikolajczyk. For more than 21 years Mikolajczyk has responded to fire calls throughout the city and surrounding communities. Now, he is ready to hang up his gear to spend more time with his family.

“Being a fireman was a rewarding experience,” Mikolajczyk said. “It was nice knowing that the public trusts us enough with their loved ones.”

Mikolajczyk began his firefighting career in December 1993. Throughout the years, he earned the title of lieutenant – in 2005 – and in 2012 he became captain. Family and friends, both near and far, gathered for a farewell luncheon in his honor. 

Although the day marked Mikolajczyk’s retirement, he had one last call to make – a would-be dryer fire – that turned out to be a drill.

“The experience of teaching and working with this crew the past five years was great,” Mikolajczyk said. “I will miss the guys I’ve worked with.”

Press release:

No one has yet claimed a wedding ring found amid money collected during the City of Batavia Fire Department fill the boot drive August 14, 2009 benefiting Muscular Dystrophy Association.

The ring, inscribed to "Robin," can be claimed by calling City fire headquarters at (585) 345-6375 or contacting Adam Palumbo at apalumbo@batavianewyork.com.

Firefighters clear snow from around a fire hydrant on Clifton Avenue, Batavia. There are some 640 hydrants in the city. A firefighter noted, "I know it's our job, but we can't get to them all." He said it would be great if residents would adopt the hydrants on their streets and help keep them clear of snow. "After all," he said, "it's their property we're trying to protect."

Press release:

With the recent snowfall City fire crews have been out daily looking for buried fire hydrants.

During one trip down a street, they came across an elderly woman attempting to shovel the end of her driveway alone. The crew of Engine 12 stopped to assist her and the moment was caught by a City of Batavia Fire Department Facebook follower.

Over the next 24 hours this photo flashed across computer, phone and tablet screens 10,000 times resulting in 440 likes, 29 comments, and has been shared 16 times! All records since the Fire Department launched its Facebook page in September of 2014.

Chief Jim Maxwell said "He is proud of the men and women of the City of Batavia Fire Department who routinely go above and beyond for the residents of the City."

Lt. Fix who administers the Fire Department's Facebook page said "Since this photo was added, we have received others who have 'adopted a hydrant' in their neighborhood."

Keeping hydrants clear of snow can save valuable time for firefighters arriving at the scene of a fire.

If your neighborhood has adopted a hydrant, feel free to share it with the "City of Batavia Fire Department, NY" Facebook page.

In August, City Fire Chief Jim Maxwell announced plans to equip medics in his fire department with Narcan, a drug that can potentially save the life of a person who has overdosed on heroin or other opiate-based drugs.

Saturday, for the first time, a life was saved in the city when a firefighter administered Narcan to a middle-aged female resident.

The woman apparently overdosed on heroin.

The firefighter, Ryan Whitcombe, said the call came in shortly after noon Saturday for an unresponsive female.

When firefighters arrived, they found the woman unconscious on the floor of her residence. She wasn't breathing.

Whitcombe was informed by others at the residence that the woman may have suffered a narcotics overdose.

After consulting with other first responders, he agreed the best course of action was to administer Narcan, generically known as naloxone hyrdochloride, which he sprayed into the woman's nostrils.

The fast-acting drug did its job.

"Over the period of a minute or two, her breathing started to come back," Whitcombe said. "Little by little her breathing came back to the point where she became conscious and was breathing on her own without assistance."

When a person ODs on heroin or an opiate-based prescription medication, the drug shuts down brain function that controls breathing. The person literally forgets to breath. Narcan stimulates that portion of the brain and the person will start breathing again.

As Maxwell explained to council members in August, there's no known downside to administering the life-saving drug.

"If it's not an opiate overdose, you can't hurt the patient," Maxwell said. "You can't overdose on it or anything along those lines, so if it's a false recognition and they administer it, it doesn't do anything to the patient."

Narcan, clinically considered "an opioid antagonist," can also be used to revive people who have overdosed on prescription medications that are opiates.

Fire Chief Jim Maxwell and Principal Diane Bonarigo help a student at Jackson School try on a new winter coat at the school this morning.  

IAFF Local 896 gave out about 90 winter coats to students at the school.

UPDATE: Here's some additional info about the coat distribution:

City of Batavia firefighters, Local 896 distributed 90 brand new 100-percent American Made winter coats to children grades K-1 at Jackson primary. This is the second year firefighters have partnered with the national not-for-profit Operation Warm. More than $3,600 was raised to provide the coats. Local 896 would like to thank all who supported this great program. It truly is more than a coat. The coats give children a sense of pride having something brand new and all their own. New coats also promote a healthy lifestyle for children during the winter months and having a positive impact on school attendance.

Firefighter Adam Palumbo

Firefighter Chuck Hammon stretches out his arms to show a student how to test the fit of his new coat.

Press release:

The Group 2 winner of the Fire Prevention Poster Contest received her prize today. Violet March, a third-grader at St. Joseph School, received a ride on a fire truck to school. She boarded the truck at the fire station on Evans Street and from there took a tour of the City on Engine 11. She arrived at school and was greeted by her classmates. The poster contest is in its second year and sponsored by the City of Batavia Fire Department and the City Firefighters Union Local 896.

Top photo: Firefighter Art Smith, Captain Greg Shilvock, Fire Chief Jim Maxwell, Group 2 Winner Violet March and her mother Kelly March.

Bottom photo: Captain Greg Shilvock, Violet March and firefighter Art Smith in driver’s seat. 

Le Roy Fire Department's ability to upgrade its rescue vehicle has given City fire the opportunity upgrade its own capabilities.

The Batavia department purchased Le Roy's retired rescue truck for $55,000, which is $12,000 below what the city had budgeted for a new pickup truck and trailer to handle the same duties.

New, the truck goes for about $200,000.

Now dubbed Truck 14 and assigned to special operations, the new vehicle will be used for hazmat, rope rescue, water rescue, swift water rescue, cold water rescue and confined space rescue.

"They're all operations that we don't do very often, but there is always potential for a large need in the city," said Lt. Bob Fix.

Truck 14 will also respond to fire scenes with crew and equipment and serve as a rehab vehicle. It has an awning to provide shelter in heat and will carry water and fans to assist firefighters who need a break during a fight.

Up until now, the city had no vehicle to meet the needs of these operations. Equipment was stored in the fire hall and pulled out as necessary.

Now, everything is ready to roll with little time wasted.

Besides cost savings -- though some of that $12,000 was used to refit the truck to some of the city's needs -- the advantage over a storage trailer is that the trailer would need to be heated in the winter to help maintain the equipment. The new truck fits inside the fire station behind the current ladder truck.

Press release: 

The City of Batavia Fire Department is joining nearly 6,000 fire departments nationwide in promoting the annual Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries campaign on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Fire Prevention Officer Lt. Jeff Whitcombe encourages all residents to adopt the simple, lifesaving habit of changing smoke alarm batteries along with the batteries in carbon monoxide (CO) detectors when they change their clocks back from daylight savings time to standard time.

“It’s an easy, inexpensive and proven way to protect your family and your home,” Whitcombe said.

Since 1987 the International Association of Fire Chiefs has joined forces with Energizer batteries to spread the message that non-working smoke alarms are responsible for needless death and injuries. Now 27 years later, thanks to the change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries campaign, home fire deaths continue to decline.

Recent surveys conducted for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Consumer Products Safety Commission found that 96 percent of all homes have at least one smoke alarm, but only 75 percent have at least one working smoke alarm. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Smoke alarm failures usually result from missing or dead batteries or disconnected wires. The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most families are sleeping. A working smoke alarm can provide the critical extra seconds needed to get people out safely.

According to the NFPA, the maximum life cycle of a smoke alarms and CO detectors is 10 years from the date of manufacture, not the date of installation. Beginning in 2002, all smoke detectors must have a manufacture date marked on the outside of the smoke alarm. If your smoke alarm does not have a manufacture date, then it is older than 10 years and must be replaced. The City of Batavia Fire Department recommends purchasing smoke alarms with 10-year lithium batteries. All smoke and CO alarms should be tested monthly.

Along with working smoke alarms and CO detectors, home escape plans are another way families can avoid injury or death in their homes. By identifying at least two different escape routes, families can practice the plan together – before an emergency strikes. Practicing the plan helps educate younger children to the danger of hazardous situations and the importance of recognizing that the sound of a smoke alarm or CO detector signals a potential hazard in the home.

“Changing the battery in your smoke alarms and CO detectors, along with developing and practicing a home escape plan, are three of the best ways to protect your loved ones and yourself from fire and carbon monoxide poisoning,” Whitcombe said.

The City of Batavia Fire Department has a free smoke alarm and battery installation program.

“We have installed hundreds of smoke alarms and batteries over the past 20 years and will continue to do so until everyone who needs them has them,” Whitcombe said.

For information about the free smoke alarm and battery installation program, City of Batavia residents should contact the City of Batavia Fire Department at (585) 345-6375.

Press release: 

With a $100,000 grant from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the City of Batavia Fire Department will help expand local emergency response teams and first responders throughout the County with equipment and training to reduce and respond to water emergencies.

The money will equip and train all first responders in Genesee County, to include 17 fire departments, five law enforcement agencies and three EMS agencies with water rescue awareness training and a basic water emergency response bag. Attica Fire and Police departments were also included with this grant.

In addition, this grant will also allow the City Fire Department to provide an annual water safety seminar for Genesee County residents to include topics such as: pool safety, open water safety, flooded road safety and what resources are available in Genesee County if you have an emergency.

“In our rural setting it is most likely that a police officer will arrive on location first,” said Lieutenant Bob Fix of the City Fire Department and Special Operations officer responsible for securing the grant. “With the basic kit and training supplied by this grant, an officer will be equipped with the knowledge and equipment to call for more advanced help and to try and effect a safe shore-based rescue.”

The City has been providing some level of water rescue protection for more than 50 years with minimal training and mostly donated equipment. Recent events in the City and Genesee County over the past several years have prompted more training and better equipment in order to provide adequate and safe response to residents.

City Fire Chief Jim Maxwell said, “We are pleased to have been awarded this grant through the New York State Homeland Security Program. These funds will be utilized by City Fire and Genesee County first responders to enhance water rescue response capabilities across the county. We would like thank the 24 area fire, EMS, and police agencies for their support of this initiative which will provide basic water rescue kits to emergency response vehicles throughout the county.”

All fire departments in Genesee County participate in the Genesee County Mutual Aid Plan. While the City of Batavia Fire Department will be the technician-level responders, it is important that local first responders throughout the county are trained and equipped for the initial response. A tiered-response partnership not only dramatically increases the capabilities countywide, but does it safely and effectively using manpower from throughout the county.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as city firefighters do annually, they are donning special T-shirts while on duty to recognize the fight against breast cancer.

Pictured with six firefighters today are Toni Funke and Kristen Gonter, breast cancer survivors.

From left are Capt. Mark Mikolajczyk, Chuck Hammon, Adam Polumbo, Nathan Kinne, Jeff Whitcomb and David Adams.

The IAFF Local 896 will make a donation to a breast cancer organization this month.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department together with the Fire Fighters Union – IAFF Local 896 are sponsoring the 2ndAnnual Fire Prevention Week Poster Contest.  This poster contest is open to students from grades 1 – 5. “Our hope is to get the children to discuss fire safety with their teachers and fellow students, as well as parents and guardians.” 

This poster contest can be a take home project, individual class project or an art class project.  Information has been distributed to City schools, but we wanted to include any City area home schooled children as well. 

“Our first year doing the contest was met with a great response.  We are hoping to grow this great opportunity this year.  The value is that the kids and adults get exposure to fire safety and safe practices, helping to reduce injury and death and change some habits.  We encourage all eligible students to participate.”

The 2014 Fire Prevention Week (October 5-15) theme is “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives, Test Yours Every Month.”  Ideas and more information can be found at the Fire Prevention Week website www.FPW.org

Any posters wishing to be entered need to be at the Fire Station located at 18 Evans Street in Batavia no later thanThursday, October 9, 2014 at 4pm.  Schools/groups/families may contact us via phone or email to arrange in school pick up of posters. 

Posters are to be drawn horizontally on white paper, 8 ½” x 11”.  The back of the poster must contain the students name & phone number, school & grade, and teacher’s name.

Judging of the posters will take place between October 10th – 12th.  The winner of each group will receive a ride to school on a City Fire Engine, and be invited to a special awards luncheon with their family held at the fire station in late October.  2nd and 3rd place finishers in each group will also be invited to the fire station awards luncheon.

The best of luck to the students!  Full rules are available at the City of Batavia Fire Department at 18 Evans Street in Batavia or by contacting us via phone and/or email.

If you've noticed some fire hydrants bagged with "not in service" messages in the city, Fire Chief Jim Maxwell said it's not something local residents need to be overly concerned about.

"Hydrants are spaced not to exceed a maximum of 500 feet," Maxwell said. "This allows for a fire hydrant to be readily accessible in either direction in the event of an emergency."

Currently, of the 746 hydrants in the city, seven are currently out of service.

Maxwell explained that hydrants are mechanical devices, which means they are subject to breakdowns.

Firefighters regularly test hydrants to ensure they are working properly. If they're not working, the bags being used help firefighters quickly identify an out-of-service hydrant during an emergency so they can quickly locate another one to use.

Of the seven hydrants out of service, one has been out of service since 2011, one since 2012, three since 2013, and two were taken out of service this year.

Out-of-service hydrants need to be replaced with new equipment. Each hydrant costs $2,200.

City workers, from the Bureau of Water and Wastewater, do the replacement work on a time-available basis.

The hydrants could be replaced more quickly if a contractor was hired, Maxwell said, but that drives the cost up to $7,500 per hydrant.

Waiting for available time for city workers to do the work will save taxpayers about $37,100 to replace the current out-of-service hydrants, Maxwell said.

City firefighters were on the hill of South Jackson Street, near the railroad tracks, this morning for training with rope rescue techniques.

Press release:

On Saturday, Aug. 16, the City of Batavia Fire Department will be hosting a free child safety seat check event. This event will be held in conjunction with Summer in the City. The check site will be at Fire Headquarters on Evans Street from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Nationally certified technicians will ensure child safety seats are installed correctly and also be available to answer any questions parents/caregivers have about child passenger safety restraints.

Did you know three out of four kids are not as secure in the car as they should be because their car seats are not being used correctly? Using the correct restraints reduces infants’ and toddlers’ chances for fatal injury by 71 percent and 54 percent in passenger cars respectively.

Stop down to the free Summer in the City child safety seat check event.

An experienced firefighter joined the City Fire Department today. Zach Gowanloch spent two-and-half years with Lockport before falling victim to a budget ax. Recently married and a new father, Gowanloch is also EMT trained.

"I came down, met with the chief, liked what I saw, was very impressed, met with a couple of the guys," Gowanloch said when asked about why he applied for the job. "It just seemed like a nice place to work."

Gowanloch and his wife are looking for a new home in Batavia.

On July 10 the City of Batavia Firefighters Local 896 will hold its first Helmet Raffle benefiting "Firefighters for Operation Warm." The raffle will be at Tully's restaurant on East Main Street at about 9 p.m.

Local 896 is raffling off a brand-new N6A Sam Houston structural fire helmet (winner picks color, style and custom leather front).

The 2nd place prize is a $75 gift certificate to "The Fire Store" and 3rd-place prize is $50 to "The Fire Store."

Tickets are a $10 donation with all proceeds benefiting "Firefighters for Operation Warm," which provides brand-new 100-percent American-made winter coats to children in the City of Batavia. This is the second year City firefighters are partnering with Operation Warm to provide the gift of warmth to children in our community.

In addition to the raffle, Tully's is donating 10 percent of its receipts on July 10 to the coat charity (only at the Batavia location), provided that the customer presents a special coupon at the time of check out.

For raffle tickets and Tully's special coupons, contact Adam Palumbo at apalumbo@batavianewyork.com. Visit <http://www.operationwarm.org/Batavia> for more information and to donate.

Today was the day to fill the boot and a lot of people did. City firefighters, members of IAFF Local 896, were positioned on Ellicott, Main, and Court streets this morning to collect donations from passing motorists as a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

It was another banner year for the firefighters with a new record amount of $9,635.39, according to Local President Greg Ireland.

Above, Adam Palumbo collects a donation.

Jeff Stevens collects a donation.

Firefighter Tim Stengel collects a donation.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Chief Jim Maxwell has been selected by the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC) as the 2014 Career Fire Chief of the Year. Chief Maxwell received this award at the NYSAFC annual conference held on June 12th.

Chief Maxwell started working for the City in August 2010 as a 23-year veteran of the Kodak Fire Department (KFD) Eastman Kodak Company. During his career with the Kodak Fire Department, he is credited as serving as a HazMat resource tech, senior firefighter/EMT, lieutenant, captain and battalion chief. Chief Maxwell has also been a volunteer firefighter with Lakeshore Fire Department and North Greece Fire Department for more than 30 years.

City Manager Jason Molino said, "Chief Maxwell is an exemplary leader who has always been focused on putting needs of the City of Batavia residents above all else. He is forever committed to making the Batavia Fire Department the best it can be, and continues to dedicate himself to the men and women he serves with. It has been an absolute privilege working with such a professional and accomplished leader like Jim, and I congratulate him on being honored with this award."

This award is presented to association members for demonstration of exemplary leadership that has not only benefited an individual fire department, but also the emergency services of New York State. Honorees are chosen each year based upon their exemplary leadership, innovation, professional development, integrity, service to the public, and contributions to the fire service as a whole.

The annual "Fill the Boot" campaign comes to Batavia again Friday, June 20.

Off-duty City firefighters, members of IAFF Local 896, will position themselves on Ellicott, Court and Main and collect spare changes and donations from passing drivers.

This years cochairs for the event are Jeff Stevens, left, and Greg Ireland.

City firefighters have been participating in the fundraising event for MDA for 20 years.

Last year, they helped raised $8,500, which was a new record in donations locally.

Money collected benefits the children who are diagnosed with any of the more than 40 neuromuscular diseases that fall under the MDA umbrella, including ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Donations cover everything from wheelchairs to braces, physical therapy sessions to summer camps for those afflicted.