Scarsdale’s volunteer firefighters are residents who lead active lives and still find time to be real “home town heroes” as well. They are accountants, doctors, lawyers, business executives and school teachers. They are commuters and local trades people. They’re recent graduates, and they’re fifty-year veterans of the volunteer fire force.

Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Company Number 1:

http://www.scarsdalefirecompany1.com/

Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Company Number 2:

http://www.sfdco2.com/

Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Company Number 3:

http://www.scarsdalefireco3.com/

The S.F.D. is a combination department in Westchester County, N.Y., consisting of 47 career members and approximately 95 volunteers. There is a career fire chief, seven career fire captains and one fire inspector.

The Fire Department provides emergency fire, rescue and hazardous condition stabilization services for the Village and its residents. The protection of life and property is accomplished by engendering and maintaining a feeling of security in the community, reducing the incidents of fire through fire education and prevention strategies, identifying and prosecuting arson related crime, and providing related services. During calendar year 2008, the Fire Department responded to a total of 1,385 alarms. Of these, 118 were considered structural fires, 99 were rescues, 269 were hazardous conditions requiring Fire Department intervention and 217 were false alarm calls due to alarm system malfunctions. The remainder of alarms was divided equally among vehicle, refuse, brush, and fires and/or explosions not classified. In 2006, the Fire Department responded to a total of 2106 alarms, which represents our highest annual total ever. The average response time for the Fire Department responding to an emergency situation is approximately 3 – 4 minutes.

The Fire Department’s three divisions are Administration, Suppression, and Training. Administration provides the overall management of the department, including scheduling, procurement, fire safety inspections, fire prevention, and record keeping. A major thrust of this division is the fire education/prevention effort, which involves numerous visits to classrooms, fire prevention fairs and publications. Suppression operates the Village’s three firehouses and eleven vehicles, and responds to emergency calls for service. Training serves to ensure that career and volunteer firefighters are cognizant of current New York State and national standards of performance and maintain the necessary skills to meet those criteria. In total, the Department’s career staff of 47 uniformed members devoted over 16,800 hours to training in calendar year 2008, including many critical and specialized subjects, such as hazardous material mitigation, weapons of mass destruction, federally-mandated incident management training, trench and confined space rescue, safe driving tactics for emergency vehicles, physical conditioning and strength training, CPR and other firefighting tactics and strategies.

The department conducts fire and safety inspections of schools, churches, clubs and business establishments. The Fire Department also responds to resident requests for voluntary home inspections for fire hazards or for guidance in the placement of smoke detectors. The firefighters also train regularly and inspect and maintain rigs, equipment and stations.

To become a career firefighter, you need to take a N.Y. state civil service exam. If you score well, you will be called to take a physical endurance test and a medical exam. For exam dates and info call the civil service office in White Plains or click on the link below.

http://www.westchestergov.com/personnel

There are three firehouses strategically located in the Village: Headquarters Station at Fenimore and Post Roads, Popham Road Station at Post and Popham Roads, and Crossway Station on Crossway near Mamaroneck Road.

The Fire Department’s current inventory of apparatus and vehicles consists of four engines (pumpers), a 100 foot aerial ladder truck, an 70 foot tower ladder, two rescue vehicles, and three cars. All vehicles are two-way radio equipped on local and county wide fire frequencies.

You are required to respond to emergency calls only when you are available.

No problem! We’ll train you thoroughly and equip you completely to be a front line firefighter. On-going training sessions give you the skills and the experience to fight fires, promote fire safety and to respond with your acquired skills in an emergency.

Call the Scarsdale Volunteer Information Line 722-1223.