In honor of 65 years of service to our community, we have created a working document of our rich and colorful history. We have extracted every news article written about the Moyers Corners Fire Department. We have also transcribed all of the historic documents found lurking in the darkest corners of our fire stations.  Pictures will also be added in the near future. For now, enjoy a preview of what will become "A Comprehensive History of the MCFD." If you have anything to add, please let us know. The department hopes to one day release a book for all to enjoy, however our current "word" document is over 450 pages long at this point. An encyclopedia set may be more applicable! Enjoy, and thank you to everyone that has made the Moyers Corners Fire Department what it is today.

- Past Deputy Chief Steve Zaferakis, Chairmain, Historic Commitee (2017)

  

1947

 

Moyers Corners
     The northeast corner was a house owned by Mr. Philip Brand. On the southeast corner sat an open field(which became Suburban Propane). Carl’s Tavern was located on the southwest corner, while Mr. Lewis’ snack bar and garage sat on the nothwest corner. Open fields all belonging to Philip Brand. 

 

    Elaine Lewis recalled many conversations by the locals visiting the snack bar. A lot of comments revolved around the need of a fire department, because their only protection was an old fire truck stationed in Clay. There were many unscheduled meetings held in the snack bar, where Ken Brand, Sr., Mr. Haney, Mr. Lewis and others would meet for coffee. But unfortunately, nothing came out of these particular conversations. “You know men, they have good ideas, but it takes a push to get some action. It is either a wife behind a man, or something that gets them fired up before they move”, recalls Eileen. 

 

     A gentleman named Ken Brand, Sr. got the ball rolling on November 9, 1947, the day Lyman Melvin’s garage burned down. On that cold and damp November day, Ken found himself standing helplessly watching his friend’s garage burn to the ground. He waited for the Clay and Liverpool Fire Department to arrive. The Liverpool Fire Department stopped at the town line, telling Ken that they could not cross because they did not have the insurance coverage. The Clay Fire Department arrived with their old truck, but when they arrived, the men were practically carrying the fire truck instead of the fire truck carrying them. It just wouldn’t run and they had to push it to the fire. Ken threw his hat that crookedly sat atop his head on the ground as hard as he could and proclaimed, “By God, we’re gonna get a fire department here!”.  And they did, that very day. 

            Ken went from house to house looking for men interested in becoming members.  The first five members (Ken Brand, Ed Harke, Sr., Paul Marshall, Ed Melvin, and Lymon Melvin) formed the nucleus.  They were shortly joined by another half-dozen eager men, who all paid twenty dollar dues. Their first meeting was held in a cow barn with fifteen new members in attendance. For several months the only function of the new department was to meet occasionally and hold a ‘public hearing’ with the Town of Clay. They now had to figure out how and where to obtain a fire truck.

 

1948

 

March 12th, 1948
As their search for a fire engine progressed, fate stepped in and lent a friendly hand. On March 12, Ken was helping out at his friend Tony Louis’s gas station when a man pulled in with car trouble. During the course of conversation it developed that the man was in a hurry to get to Canton, NY to make an appointment with some prospective buyers of a fire engine he was selling.

 

“A what?” said Ken. “A fire engine,“ said the stranger. 
“What year?” asked Ken. “A 1922 American LaFrance“, proclaimed the stranger.
“Will you sell it to us?” “I’ll sell it to anybody”
“Mister, I think you just found your buyers.

 

Don’t go away, I’ll be right back!” With those words, Ken hurried home and called four other members. They unanimously agreed to purchase the truck. There was no contract with the Town of Clay; no means of support except the money which they would raise for themselves. They had a carnival, dances at the community hall and had ice cream socials to raise money to buy they truck. 

 

A crew drove to Batavia to take possession of their first piece of firefighting equipment.  It was an extremely cold day. The men took turns driving the truck back from Batavia, all wrapped up in blankets. The open cab was not offering any protection from the elements that day, which made for an extremely long and cold ride home. Their excitement kept them warm. 

 

The 1922 American LaFrance was purchased for five hundred dollars. The engine could hardly be called new, but the price was right. All of this happened so fast that no preparation had been made to house the “new truck”. For the next few months it was kept in Louis’ gas station. Phil Brand kept the ball rolling by donating the land for a building to house the truck. It was decided that the fire department would consist of forty active firemen. 

 

Plans for the firehouse followed.  Construction started in May of 1948. All of the members volunteered their time. Some of the men, such as Ken, Earl McWithey, Fred Harke, Paul Marshall, Buck Shader, and Ed Melvin even worked through half of the night. In addition, the men worked every weekend and every spare hour they had.  The building was soon completed in the fall of 1948, and the ‘new’ fire truck now had a home. By this time, Ken Brand Sr. built a new house next door to the firehouse. Ken’s wife Betty started on her own mission 

 

April 5th, 1948
The fire department was incorporated. See Appedix A

 

May 25th, 1948
     Betty (Brand) Hanlon invited the wives of the Moyers Corners Fire Department to her home for the purpose of forming an auxiliary. There were eighteen ladies present. Acting as chairperson, Betty opened the meeting by explaining the purpose of the auxiliary. It was explained the purpose of the auxiliary is to help our firemen in any way they needed. There was some comment on whether they were ready yet to form one, so a vote was taken. Everyone voted “yes”. “The Women’s Auxiliary of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department” was decided as the name. Next it was decided on how many members of the firemen’s family should be allowed to join. A vote was teken and the result was “one member from each firemen’s famile; they could either be wife, mother, sister, or daughter, but they must reside in the district.” By-laws from the Liverpool Fire Department Auxiliary were then read and discussed. A discussion was made about the possible meeting places for future meetings. It was decided to use Lyman Melvin’s barn. The majority agreed upon the last Wednesday of every month, the time to be at 8:00pm. Dues were set at 25 cents per month, to be paid every month at the meetings. After some deliberation, the majority decided officers should be elected at the first meeting. An election took place with acting chairman, Betty Brand, accepting nominations for President first.

 

Those nominated for President were:

 

Betty Brand – nominated by Helen Mackey, second by Grace Melvin
Marie Carter – nominated by Elaine Lewis, second by Louise Gillespy
Ballots were cast and the results were Betty Brand – 10, Marie Carter -8.
Nominations were then open for Vice President:
Jennie Dahl – nominated by Alice Haney, second by Grace Melvin
Caroline Samuels – nominated by Helen Mackey, second by Doris Bowley
Helen McWithey – nominated by Elaine Lewis, second by Betty Brand
Ballots were cast and the results were: Caroline Samuels – 8, Jennie Dahl – 5, Helen McWithey – 5
Nominations were open for Secretary:
Elaine Lewis – nominated by Jean Plummer, second by Helen McWithey
Doris Bowley – nominated by Jennie Dahl, second by Grace Melvin
Ballots were cast and the results were Doris Bowley – 12, Elaine Lewis -6
Nominations were open for Treasurer:
Geraldine Harke, nominated by Grace Melvin, second by Louise Gillespy
Margery Arnold, nominated by Helen Mackey, second by Elaine Lewis
Marie Carter, nominated by Helen Mackey, second by Betty Brand
Alice Haney, nominated by Elaine Lewis, second by Jennie Dahl
Mabel Yorman, nominated by Jean Plummer, second by Helen McWithey
Mary Mackey, nominated by Marie Carter, second by Helen Mackey
Ballots were casts and the results were Margery Arnold – 5, Marie Carter – 3, 
Geraldine Harke – 3, Mabel Yorman – 3, Mary Mackey – 2, Alice Haney – 2 

 

     It was agreed that they would have light refreshments following each meeting. Refreshments should consist of a beverage and not more than two foods. These are to prepared by a committee which will be appointed at each meeting. The committee for refreshements for the June meeting were appointed: Doris Buck, Caroline Samuels, and Grace Melvin. The President appointed a delegate to accompany her to the Association meeting held in North Syracuse in June. Mrs. Helen Mackey was the delegate appointed. This ended the first meeting. Alice Haney made the motion to adjourn the meeting at 11:45 p.m. Grace Melvin seconded the motion.
 
Auxiliary Charter Members:
Margery Arnold, Doris Bowley, Betty Brand (Hanlon), Doris Buck, Marie Carter (Hand), Jennie Dahl, Louise Gillespy, Alice Haney, Geraldine Harke, Betty Jensen, Elaine Lewis, Helen Mackey, Mary Mackey, Helen McWithey, Grace Melvin, Caroline Samuels, Mebel Yorman (Younglove) 

 

June 30th, 1948
     At the second meeting of the auxiliary, by-laws were formed .  Through the years, by –laws were changed many times, including the dropping of the word Ladies from the organization The auxiliary also joined the Onondaga County Auxiliary at North Syracuse, and joined the State Auxiliary in 1949. Delegates were appointed to the County and State. At this time, all members attended monthly county meetings, which were held at different firehouses

 

July 28th, 1948
     At the third meeting of the auxiliary, it was decided that the Vice President would send out get well cards. While the firemen worked on building the firehouse, the auxiliary helped by feeding the men, using the Brand’s house to do so. On Sundays, when the men would work on the firehouse all day, they were given their Sunday dinner. The meetings were held in their homes while the firehouse was constructed. The Auxiliary held card parties, white elephant sales, sold chances for a raffle, sold candy, held Dutch Maid and Stanley parties, and participated in many other fund raisers. During their first year, the auxiliary was able to purchase badges, raincoats, helmets and gloves for the firemen, as well as donating $100.00 through their various fund raising events. They had a good turn out no matter what the time or weather; if they were needed at the fire, they would be there as well.

 

September 10th, 1948
Herald Journal Night Edition
Truck knocks NYC Train off tracks

 

 

 

 

November 23rd, 1948
Herald Journal
Moyers Corners New Fire House Is Near Completion

 

 

 

 

    The land itself was a gift of Philip Brand, father of Kenneth Brand, fire chief.  The story of the communal project goes back to last February (1947), when a fire burned a barn to the ground about a mile south of Moyers Corners. There was no fire department near enough to check the blaze. In the absence of an engine, all neighbors could do was form a bucket brigade. The loss of the barn started Kenneth Brand, Harold Lewis, the present assistant chief, and Paul McWithey,  now treasurer planning a fire department of their own.

 

    They launched a busy fund campaign, holding dances, field days and other events to raise the price of a pumper. They finally collected $600 bought the engine and housed it in a barn at the corners. Last May, they obtained from the Town of Clay, a one-year firefighting license which is expected to be renewed. Then Brand, Lewis McWithey, Chief Engineer Paul Marshall, Assistant Engineer Sewel Haney and Secretary Robert Buck got to work on a permanent house. The barn-like building will have a kitchen and meeting hall behind the engine space and a dance floor and stage upstairs for community gatherings. The main function of course will be to fight fires. There will be no more lost barns form lack of equipment, the volunteers assert.

 

1949

 

     The Moyers Corners Fire Department was tested early in their existence. On February 3, the snack shop and gas station that once held the dreams and frustrations of the locals caught fire. The building was owned by Harold Lewis who helped start the fire department in 1948. The fireman had to use gas masks, fight burning oil and alcohol, and encountered countless dangerous obstacles. It was a cold day and it last from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon. The women were serving coffee to the chilled firemen, and for a week after the fire, these women came to help clean up debris and salvage anything they could. Damage was estimated at $3,500 and was confined to the garage on the back of the service station. Philip Brand and Ken Brand Sr. were in charge of the operation. 

 

February 3rd, 1949
Syracuse Herald Journal
One Hurt In Blaze At Moyers
     A volunteer fireman suffered minor burns and a number of others escaped injury fighting a fire in a combined garage, gasoline filling station, restaurant, bus station and home at Moyers Corners  this evening. Explosion of anti-freeze solution and cans of oil added to the confusion. Fireman Edward Karker of the Moyers Corners department, suffered burns on the hands when he was struck by a blazing timber. He was treated at the scene and refused to leave until the fire was out. The place is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Harold Lewis. They were in the restaurant section when a neighbor ran in to tell them the rear of the building was burning. Chief Kenneth Brand and his volunteers responded. Additional help came from Phoenix, Liverpool, and the New York Ordnance Works. Chief Brand said Lewis had recently received a 55 gallon drum of alcohol and the intense heat expanded the drum until it exploded and spilled its contents about the flooring to add fuel to the already rapidly spreading fire. This was followed by a series of firecracker explosions as cans of automobile engine oil exploded. Chief Brand said that for a time it appeared as though the building was doomed but the volunteers quickly brought the fire under control. The ordnance works sent one of its giant water tank trucks. Moyers Corners apparatus carried some 1,300 gallons and the volunteers from neighboring villages brought their own supplies. The fire wrecked the garage and living section of the building. Shortly before noon Lewis reported a cigar box containing money he had left in the bedroom was missing and fireman began searching through the debris for the money.

 

     In the spring of 1949 the fire department received another call, but in a roundabout way. A grass fire got out of control within the area to be served by the department, but the new fire barn had no phone to call an emergency into. The call was made to the Clay Fire Department, who rushed over to Moyers Corners to tell them they had a fire. A far cry from the enhanced 911 system used today, through which each volunteer is notified instantaneously by pager and cell phone as a fire call goes out.

 

     Twenty fire calls were answered in their first year of service to the Town of Clay. It was discovered very shortly that the old 1922 American LaFrance couldn’t carry enough water to battle anything bigger than a small grass fire. 

 

    On April 14th, 1949 a second truck was purchased; this, a 1938 GMC oil tanker, 1500 gallon tank,  was converted to hold water, and thereafter accompanied the American LaFrance on all its calls. The tanker was purchased by Tony Lewis. Total cost was $600.

 

Auxiliary
In the Summer of 1949, under a tent that stood across from where Station 1 is today, the auxiliary held their first Field Days. In September of 1949, they held their first meeting at the new firehouse. The auxiliary joined the Onondaga County Auxiliary of North Syracuse, and later joined the New York State Auxiliary in May 1949. 

 

August 19th, 1949
Flames Destroy Hay Baler Near Moyers Corners
The Post-Standard
A fire which broke out in a straw bailer on the farm of Ernest Hlggs In the Moyers-Corners- Euclid road last week Tuesday afternoon destroyed the bailer and burned thru a straw stack and a cut field. Damage was estimated at more than $1,000 which reportedly was covered by Insurance. The fire was started by sparks from the balling machine, fire fighters said, and spread to the direction of the Higgs farm buildings. Approximately 30 firemen and neighbors brought the field fire under control before it reached the building area. They dug trenches around the field to control the spread of the fire. The fire In the stack and the bailer then was extinguished with the Moyers Corners volunteer fire department truck pump and hand pumps. The bailer was pulled from the straw stack by two tractors. The Moyers Corners truck was moved to the scene by N. E. Dahl who operates a garage and truck stop at Moyers Corners and his assistant, Walter Pientka. Later a tank truck was taken to the fire scene. From eight to 10 tons of straw were destroyed and the balling machine was damaged badly.

 

 

 

1950

 

New Apparatus: Squad Car

 

Auxiliary
      They held the field days under tents on Elmcrest Road. They bought uniforms and accessories to start marching. The won first prize at Baldwinsville. All members marched with 2 girl scouts carrying the auxiliary banner. Barb Brand and Joanne Donohue used to carry the auxiliary banner for the marchers when they were girl scouts. In 1950, the Auxiliary gave the firemen $100.00 to purchase a 1.5” nozzle and new coats. Shortly after, they held a kitchen shower to stock their kitchen.

 

January 28th, 1950
     Moyers Corners responded mutual aid to Phoenix to the Phoenix Paper Mill. Vernon Thompson called it in to the Dahl’s Garage at 7 p.m. Moyers Corners arrived first. They laid 500 feet of 2.5” hose and 500 feet of 1.5” line and pumped from the river. Twenty five men responded under the direction of Chief Brand.

 

 March 16th, 1950
Letter from William Arnold
Secretary of the Moyers Corners Fire Department

 

To Mr. and Mrs. Philip Brand

 

Dear Sir and Madam,

 

     As Secretary of the above named Fire Department, I have been designated to send you the official token of thanks and appreciation. The whole membership unites in expressing their gratitude for this additional gift of land. In case you never received an acknowledgement of the original gift that helped so much to make possible our present position, please accept this as it. We hope that it will always be remembered that Mr. and Mrs. Philip Brand gave us our building site and helped in every way possible to make the 
Moyers Corners Fire Department the success it is today. 

 

May 9th, 1950
The Post-Standard
Moyer’s Corners Blaze Is Quelled

 

 

 

 

July 5th, 1950
Paul Dudley, son of charter member Willard Dudley was burned by hot water. First and second degree burns were encountered. He was rushed to the hospital by Cecil Gillespy.

 

1951

 

Strike It Rich!
The auxiliary now set out to purchase an ambulance. Always creative and ambitious, the ladies wrote to Warren Hull, informing him that they needed to raise money for this worthy cause. Mr. Hull invited them to be on his television program “Strike it Rich” in New York City.

 

Strike It Rich was a controversial game show that aired on American radio and television from 1947 to 1958 on CBS and NBC. People in need of money (such as for medical treatment or a destitute family) appeared and told their tale of woe, then tried to win money by answering some relatively easy questions. If the contestant didn't win any money, the emcee opened the "Heart Line", which was a phone line to viewers who wished to donate to the contestant's family. On May 1, 1950 the show moved to NBC where it aired on weekdays, sponsored by Colgate, until December 27, 1957. While a simple format, the show was controversial during the 11 years it aired. While some applauded Strike It Rich for helping out some less-fortunate people (as well as showcasing the sincere charity and good-will of viewers who donated through the Heart Line), others found it a sickening spectacle that exploited the less-fortunate contestants for the vicarious thrills of the viewers and the selfish gain of the sponsors. Part of the criticism was it promised more than it could deliver. Though the show received between 3,000 and 5,000 letters per week from needy people wishing to win what would be (to them) life-changing sums of money, only a small fraction of those could be selected; although this was partly due to the limits of television production (that the series, although ambitious in its goals, could not reasonably assist every person needing help at the same time), critics stated that the show picked mostly those thought to have the most interesting tales of woe.

 

Nine ladies went down to the big apple and were on the TV program, however they did not come back with the $500 prize they hoped for. 

 

September 13th, 1951
The Post-Standard
Auxiliary loses in radio quiz, but gifts up ambulance fund

 

 

 

 

By the way, the correct answer was Louis Arthur Johnson. 

 

With the ever present hard work and fundraising, they raised the entire $500 needed to buy the ambulance. The auxiliary also helped to furnish the ambulance, and took over payments of the insurance. The auxiliary continued to pay for the insurance on the next three ambulances purchased by the department.

 

January 14th, 1951
Herald Journal
Moyers Corners Girl Crushed in Auto Crash

 

 

 

 

January 24th, 1951
The Post-Standard
Moyers Corners Home Swept by Night Fire

 

Wind-lashed flames last night swept thru the bungalow home of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Bogard in Wetzel Rd, about two and half miles outh of Moyers Corners. No one was injured. Fire Chief Kenneth Brand of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department said an oil stove explosion set off the blaze about 9:30 p.m. He said about 20 members of his own department responded to the alarm. When firemen arrived at the scene flames were pouring from all the windows of the five-room frame house. Mutual Aid was contacted and about 20 members of the Liverpool Fire Department responded with two pieces of apparatus. Bogart said the stove was in the dining room. When it exploded he threw a blanket over it and kicked out a window in an attempt to throw it out of the hosue. However, the heat forced him to abandon the plan. Flames spread instantly to the living room and kitchen and broke thru the ceiling into the sub-attic. Firemen prevented the blaze from going thru the roof. A house trailer about 10 feet from the building was only scorched. It had been used as a home for the Bogarts while they built their new home, which was still unfinished.

 

May 17th, 1951
Neighbors Form Planting Party to Help Stricken Moyers Corners Farmer
The Post-Standard

 

Farmers in the Moyers Corners section turned out yesterday to help Earl E. McWithey past planting time on his Route 57 farm after illness last Friday put him out of action. Eleven farmers were counted at one time on the farm north of Liverpool and two other men lent equipment to be used in preparing land for oats and corn. McWithey, who operates a general dairy farm, has been in bed since Friday. Lyman Melvin, a Moyers Corners area farmer, has been doing the milking and other farm chores and Tuesday night decided he would take over the planting operation. Other members of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department in which both McWithey and Melin are members decided they hould have a part. Working tractors on a back lot of the McWithey farm yesterday were lelvin, his son,. Edwin, and his brother, Howard; Robert Samuels, Hubert Schmidt and his son, Gustave Schmidt, Frederick Hoover, Valter Rosenberger, Harvey Bettiner, Frank Young, Jr. and Clifford 'lumber. Some brought their own ractors and others had equipment borrowed from Henry Melvin of Baldwinsville and James Melvin. The work crew had help from the fire department auxiliary, including Mrs. Norma Kosenberger, Mrs. Grace Melvin, Mrs. Betty Brand, Mrs. Betty Jensen and Mrs. McWithey. The five women prepared dinner in the fire department and Mrs. Rosenberger and Mrs. Melvin assisted the men in the field hauling supplies and water in a pickup truck.

 

 December 10th, 1951
There was an ambulance call at Three Rivers Inn. It was called in by Tony Lewis at 10:10 pm. The ambulance arrived at the Fulton Hospital at 10:25 pm. They transported two patients. Driver of the ambulance was Ken Brand, attendants were Cecil Gillespy and Elaine Lewis. Female patient died after admittance.

 

 

 

1952

 

New Apparatus:
GMS/Sanford, ID 396, Assigned to Station 2
First Ambulance 1942 Buick

 

The fire department continued to operate with the 1922 American LaFrance and the acquired 1942 oil tanker that was converted into a water truck. In 1952, Moyers Corners purchased their first brand new truck, a 1952 GMC/Sanford pumper, a “Jimmy” engine with a 500 gallon per minute pump and a 500 gallon tank.  It manned two in the cab and four on the tailboard.

 

  
Twenty five fire calls and thirty ambulance calls were answered in 1952.

 

Later that year, the GMC was moved to Melvin's barn on Rt 57, eventually to become Moyers Corners Station 2, located where the Wegman's is today ) from 1960-1971. The GMC was the first Station Two engine company, and it serviced the Station Two response area up until 1981.

 

The auxiliary purchased the first ambulance for five hundred dollars. It was a 1942 Buick Ambulance. They took full responsibility for the ambulance including insurance and supplies for several years. . The first ambulance was used basically to pick up injured people and quickly transport them to the nearest hospital. There were emergency medical technicians or paramedics, no advanced equipment. Most treatment was done at the hospital. Ken Brand Sr., Bill Arnold and Cecil Gillespy were a few of the regular crew for the first ambulance.

 

As time progressed, advanced equipment was purchased. This equipment included a cardiac monitor, stair chair, neonatal resuscitator, power pack, rescue kit and rescue saw. As the insurance increased, they only paid half. Some of the girls took first aid and road in the ambulance. They would also ride on the ambulance and assist with relay of patients from one city to another on the New York State Thruway.

 

January 29th, 1952
Herald Journal
Fire is Fought in Zero Weather
      Moyers Corners fought a fire for three hours last night in zero weather at the recently constructed residence of Karl Biola, about three miles north of Liverpool. Chief Kenneth Brand of Moyers Corners, who estimated damage at $3000 said that the blaze was caused by a short circuit in the water pump motor. Clay and Belgium Cold Springs volunteer fire departments responded to a mutual aid call, Chief Brand said.

 

July 31st, 1952
Herald Journal
Paul Marshall says the Moyers Corners firemen have planned a canvas of their fire district tomorrow to raise funds to purchase new equipment

 

July 31st, 1952
Card of Thanks
We sincerely wish to thank all our friends and neighbors for their assistance since my illness and stay in the hospital. I want to especially thank the Volunteer Fire Department of Moyers Corners for the use of their ambulance.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Loreman

 

November 17th, 1952
The Post-Standard
Firemen Converge On Liverpool for Mutual Aid Test
A mutual aid practice of northern seection volunteer fire departments of Onondaga County was held in Liverpool yesterday with the Salt Museum on Onondaga Lake pwky. the target. Nine pumpers were called to aid the Liverpool department and a multiple relay of six pumpers was ret up to pump water from Or.ondaga Lake to the mock fire scene. Three other companies formed a relay to pour more water to the target area. Departments responding to the callup were: Brewerton under Chief Millard Rogers; Clay with Chief Earl Laura, North Syracuse with Assistand Chief Charles Mayer, Cold Spring-Belgium with Chief Henry Melvin, Seneca River with Chief John McWilliams, Lyncourt with Chief Henry Elmer, Mattydale with Assistand Chief Hubert Baker, and Liverpool under Lt. Clifford Wolever. The Hinsdale department under Chief James Lasher moved into the Liverpool barn. An ambulance from Moyers Corners with Chief Kenneth Brand stood by at the mock target. Baldwinsville, Phoenix, Cicero, Cody, Lysander, and Plainville were alerted for a possible second call. Liverpool Fire Chief Clarence Root responded with the two pumpers when the alarm was sounded at 8 a.m. and called for mutual aid to the Onondaga county mutual aid headquarters at Mattydale with all pumpers in place an pumping within half and hour. Assisting Chief Root in the practice mutual aid call were Assistant Chief Ernest Holmes of Liverpool, cunty fire co-ordinator: Mattydale Fire Chief Arnold Zampi and Norther Syracuse Chief Lester Potter, northern section co-ordinators.

 

1953

 

 

 

April 6th, 1953
The Post-Standard
Emergency Call in Heart Attack Case Puts Sheriff on ‘No Ambulance’ Spot
     "A man just had a heart attack and I can't get an ambulance with a doctor on it." That was the not unusual situation Acting Sgt. C. J. (Pat) Rooney, Onondaga County sheriffs department, encountered last night when Louis Lutche, 53, Pennellville RD, suffered a serious heart attack near Carl's Diner, Moyers Corners. Someone at the diner called the sheriff's department for assistance, A doctor and an ambulance was needed immediately.

 

Rooney couldn't fill the request, through no fault of his. He called Onondaga General Hospital. There was an ambulance there, but no doctor. That possibility was out, University and Grouse-Irving Hospital ambulances were out on other calls. He had no ambulance to send on the call. Trying to get help to the man as quickly as possible. Sgt. Rooney called the Moyers fire department ambulance and asked them to pick up the man and start for the city. He called sheriff's prowl cars to hurry to the scene and give the ambulance an escort into the city. City police, monitoring the sheriffs calls arranged to have a motorcycle pick up the mercy cavalcade at the city limits. But Rooney's job was only half done. He still didn't have a doctor to attend the man, nor a hospital

 

where he could be taken. He started calling hospitals. He called four hospitals before he could find a bed for the man. Finally he found Crouse-Irving Hospital had a bed for the heart attack victim, and a doctor available to administer to his needs. In the meantime the ambulance was picking up the man and heading for Syracuse, with the sheriff’s escort. The sheriffs department had lost no time in responding to the call, but encountered what deputy sheriffs say is a frequent block—no doctor, no ambulance available when it is urgently need.

 

At Crouse-Irving Hospital last night, Lutche was reported in critical condition. Sheriffs deputies and policemen of all echelons have heard much about the propsed new ambulance service which will make an emergency vehicle available at an. instant's notice any time of the day or night. They would like to see it become a reality, and they would like to know that when "they risk their necks to respond to an emergency call to help someone, that they can also get u doctor in a reasonably short, time to give medical assistance if that in needed.

 

November 10, 1953
Herald Journal
A FAMILY of eight was left homeless Sunday when fire destroyed their home at Horseshoe Island, Town of Clay. Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Brock and their six children were not able to salvage anything. The family was at breakfast when they heard the roar of the fire that started on the upper floor near the chimney. The Moyers Corners and Phoenix Fire Departments answered the alarm, but could not save the home. Red Cross representatives immediately began a drive to collect clothing for the family, residing temporarily in the home of Alvin Dunn.

 

1953 Inventory: 8 Coats, 2 regular helmets, 2 2.5” nozzles play pipes, 11 pails, 2- 2.5 gallon fire extinguisher foam, 3 hand lights, 4 water extinguishers, 3 lengths of 4” hard suction, 1 2” hard suction, 500 ft of 1.5” hose, 1000 ft. of 2.5” hose, 1 smoke mask, 3 1.5 nozzles ½ off then fog, 1 siamese gated Y, 1938 GMC tank truck, 1500 gallons, Siren with light, 2 red lights in front, 2 red lights in back, 1 white spot light on back of cab.

 

Grace Melvin, Auxiliary Life Member, and wife of Lymon Melvin, would activate the siren on the fire barn when the fire phone rang. The men would come and get the engine.

 

1954

 

Baldwinsville Messenger
Mrs. Karker is elected head of Auxiliary
The Ladies Auxiliary to the Moyers Corners Fire Department held Its monthly meeting at the fire house last week Wednesday evening. Election of officers took plate and the following officers were elected for the coming year — President Mrs. Hattie Karker, Vice President Mrs. Doris Bowley, Recording Secretary Mrs. Clara Marshall, re-elected Corresponding Secretary Mrs. Alice Haney and re-elected Treasurer Mrs. Elaine Lewis. Mrs. Alberta Dudley and Miss Lorraine Haney were named county delegates.

 

 

 

1955

 

Chief Ken Brand Sr. 
Asst Chief Cecil Gillespy
Chief Engineer Paul Marshall
Asst. Engineer Roy Mackey
2nd asst Engineer Anthony Rybinski
Treasurer William Dershang
Secretary Thomas Hunte
Asst. Secretary Hubert Schmidt
Fire Police Earl McWithey

 

March 26th, 1955
Mutual Aid to BCSFD
Hayes Road fire

 

May 27th, 1955
Moyers Corners Firemen Open First Aid Station
Herald Journal
     American Red Cross highway first aid station number four was now a reality!  Official ceremonies were conducted at Moyers Corners volunteer fire station where the local Red Cross chapter has established a new highway first aid station. About 32 residents of the Moyers Corners vicinity service the new station. Twenty-four men and eight women have been trained in first aid techniques and stand ready to administer initial assistance to victims of accidents on the highway. The first aid group at Moyers Corners, headed by Chief Brand, includes many of the volunteer firemen and is augmented by the ladies auxiliary, all trained in first aid.

 

     The Moyers Corners volunteer fire station, at the junction of Route 57 and Route 31, was chosen as the most logical and convenient spot for the new first aid center. Red Cross officials and Chief Kenneth Brand exchanged mutual documents of agreement. Now Red Cross has become the official administrator of the first aid station, a responsibility which entails the re-supplying of first aid equipment whenever necessary, and full cooperation with the volunteers who man the station. In addition to written agreements, Red Cross safety services department staff members also delivered to the station a fully-equipped first aid kit containing blankets, splints, inhalants and other similar articles, along with a stretcher. This becomes the property of the volunteer first aid staff.

 

 

 

June 22, 1955
The Baldwinsville Messenger
Seek Funds for Moyers Corners New Ambulance
    The women of the auxiliary of Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department have started a campaign to raise funds for the purchase of a new ambulance for the department. This would replace the one now in use. All proceeds from a smoker-ette to be held Saturday, June 23 at 8 p.m. at the fire house will go into this fund.

 

 

 

July 12, 1955
5 County Fire Companies Respond to Grass Blazes
Herald Journal
     County firemen north of the city had a busy time yesterday afternoon. About 3:30 p.m. a hay bailer set a field of hay afire on the Harry Schriver farm about one mile east of Baldwinsville on Route 31. Fireman from Belgium-Cold Springs, Baldwinsville, North Syracuse and Moyers Corners responded. They battled a moderate breeze and confined the flames to about four acres of hayfield. Chief Carl Belzer, of the Belgium- Cold Springs Company, said firemen were successful in keeping the flames from jumping a hedgerow and setting an adjoining field of wheat afire. As firefighters were bringing the blaze under control a grass fire broke out at the Harris Turkey Farm, an Route 57 between Moyers Corners and Liverpool. Moyers Corners firemen pulled out from the Baldwinsville fire and assisted Liverpool check the grass fire.

 

 

 

September 20th, 1955
Herald Journal
100 County firemen battle mock blaze
     More than 100 volunteer firemen from 15 Onondaga County departments last night "fought" a mock fire at the Town Line Rd plant of the Brown-Lipe-Chapin Division of General Motors. It was described as the "biggest and best practice drill' ever; staged by the county's volunteer firemen." The "fire" was discovered at 7-p.m. on the rool by s. member of the company fire team. At 7:03 the Lyncourt Department, in whose district the plant lies, got the alarm.

 

     Six minutes later Lyncourt firemen, under Chief Cliff Grunder, arrived. He sized up the situation and radioed the county fire control center for mutual aid. Then Dispatcher Bill McRorie went to work. Within two minutes he alerted the 14 other departments and got them rolling towards the plant. Twenty-one pieces of equipment, including pumpers, light trucks, ladder trucks and ambulances, sped to the scene. The firemen worked as if the plant was actually afire. Purpose of the drill was to check the mutual aid communications system, give the firemen experience in covering a large fire and to help the plant evaluate the efficiency of its fire protection facilities.Departments, besides Lyncourt, which participated in the test were Mattydale, Hinsdale, ,East Syracuse, Liverpool, DeWitt, North Syracuse, Bridgeport, Cicero, Minoa, Fayelteville, Seneca River, Phoenix, Baldwinsville and Moyers Corners.

 

September 1955
     The Moyers Corners Fire Department burned the mortgage on its firehouse at a covered dish dinner. The department started in 1948, now has a membership of 40 volunteers under Chief Kenneth Brand. Construction of the present firehouse was started in 1949 on a lot donated by Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Brand. The structure consists of a large engine room, modern dining room and kitchen, with a dance hall and stage on the second floor. Equipment includes a new pumper, a 1400 gallon water tank and auxiliary pump, and an ambulance, with the pumper and ambulance being equipped with two-way radios. Recently, the firehouse was designated as a first aid station. The auxiliary is one of the most active in the county. The auxiliary is one of the most active in the county.

 

September 1955
BURN MORTGAGE
     The Moyers Corners Volunteer Firemen and their families enjoyed a supper at the fire house Saturday evening at which time the burning of the mortgage took place.

 

October 27th, 1955
Herald Journal
School Fire Protection Broadened
     Eight communities in the northern section of Onondaga County are setting the pace for school fire protection in this area, with immediate move ups in case of emergency. Automatic mutual aid for school fires, major or slight, is in effect at Liverpool, Lyncourt, Mattydale, North Syracuse, Baldwinsville, Moyers Corners, Phoenix and Fabius, Onondaga County Fire Coordinator  Ernest Holmes of Liverpool said chiefs of the departments involved have worked out the plans among themselves. He added that the idea has "considerable merit, especially when schools are in session." Although communities now having the mutual aid school protection all have fire departments in the northern section of Onondaga County, Holmes said he understands various communities in the western and southern portions have it under consideration. Should a fire break out in one of Liverpool's schools, that village's department would speed all of its apparatus to the scene. Mutual aid would be dispatched immediately from North Mattydale. In case of a school emergency in Lyncourt, aid would come from Mattydale, Hinsdale and North Syracuse. A school fire In Mattydale would bring additional help from North Syracuse, Hinsdale and Lyncourt. In North Syracuse, Mattydale, Cicero and Lyncourt would aid that village's volunteer department. Baldwinsville would be aided  by Liverpool and Phoenix; Moyers Corners would get help from Belgium-Cold Springs and Clay; Phoenix would be reinforced by firemen and apparatus from Baldwinsville and Liverpool.

 

November 5th, 1955
Herald Journal
     A delivery truck driver suffered cuts and bruises early today when his vehicle crashed into a ditch in the Town of Clay. The driver, Orin McDougall, 40, of RD 2, Clay, was reported in "fair" condition this morning at St. Joseph's Hospital. Minetto troopers said McDougall was driving north on Morgan Rd. about 1:30 am today, when his truck skidded a half mile south of Schroeppel's Bridge. The vehicle spun into a culvert. He was taken to the hospital by the Moyers Corners Fire Department ambulance.

 

 

 

December 10th, 1955
Herald Journal
Moyers Corners gets ambulance
Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department recently purchased a fully equipped ambulance with proceeds from a September Ambulance      Fund drive. The announcement was made by William Derschang, secretary, who said the Ladies Auxiliary also contributed towards the purchase.

 

 

 

1956

 

Mrs. Brand is President of County Auxiliary
     Twenty-six members of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Moyers Corners Fire Department attended the monthly meeting of the Auxiliary to the Onondaga County Volunteer Firemen’s Association at Split Rock High School last Tuesday evening. Mrs. Betty Brand, a member of the Moyers Corners Auxiliary, was installed as President of the county unit. Moyers Corners Auxiliary was installing staff with Mrs. Hattie Karker as installing officer.

 

June 2nd, 1956
Syracuse Herald Journal
Fire Ruins Island Home
     A housewife, alone in a home on Horseshoe Island in Oneida River, narrowly escaped serious injury or death yesterday when an oil stove exploded as she was standing in front, of it. Mrs. Anne Maxwell was not injured firemen said, because the explosion blew out the back of the stove. Flames immediately spread throughout the room and then the rest of the two-story building. Interior of the building was destroyed. Damage was estimated at $7,000, Fire Chief Kenneth Brand, of Moyers Corners Fire Department, in estimating the damage, said he understood that the contents of the building were covered by insurance. The Moyers Corners Department was aided by Phoenix firemen. The building is located on the island, about 5 miles northeast of Moyers' Corners.

 

 

 

September 23rd, 1956
Herald Journal
Fire companies prove efficiency in Phoenix
     Twenty fire departments from Onondaga and Oswego Counties responded to an alarm set off at 6:30 yesterday in Phoenix in commemoration at the 40th anniversary of a million dollar fire that destroyed the Phoenix business section Sept. 24, 1916. Several hundred persons watched as modern firefighting equipment was demonstrated along the Oswego River bank in the village. Homer Bowman, Phoenix Fire Chief, estimated that 100,000 gallons of water was showered into the river each minute. He compared this with the 1,500 gallons of water that could be pumped 40 years ago. Moyers Corners was the first department to arrive on the scene after the call went in, followed by the Volney Center department. The companies arrived 10 minutes after the alarm. No company took more than 26 minutes to reach the scene, while 40 years ago, when horse drawn vehicles were in use it took three hours for the companies from the Syracuse area.

 

November 23, 1956
Herald Journal
Baby girl, father are victims.
     A Phoenix man and his two-year-old daughter were killed today when their auto skidded into the path of an oncoming- tractor-trailer in snow-covered Route 57, six miles north of Liverpool. State Police and the Onondaga County Coroner’s office identified them as: Edward S. Dodd, 29, of R.D.I, Pennellville, driver of the automobile, father of five children and a taxicab driver at the Yates Hotel. Dr. Harry Gilmore, coroner, had not signed death certificates late this afternoon and no cause of death was listed. The deaths boosted Onondaga County's highway fatalities for 1956 to 59 and brought a plea from Sheriff Albert E, Stone for all drivers to be cautious in this wintry weather because "it could happen to you." Seriously hurt was Dodd's wife Nancy, 24. She is m St. Joseph's Hospital with a possible skull fracture. State Trooper John Rogers said Mr. and Mrs. Dodd and their five children were in the northbound auto when the accident occurred approximately 150 feet north of Moyers Corners. Moyers Corners is at the intersection of Routes 31 and 57. Rogers and Trooper R. G. Carle said Dodd's auto slipped off the 'highway, then skidded across the road into the path of a tractor trailer loaded with steel. They identified the truck driver as Theodore Force, 32, of 1 Mary St., Oswego. The troopers said he attempted to swerve off the road to avoid the collision but struck the left side of the Dodd auto. The children were identified as Edward, 7; David, 5; Robert, 3; and Thomas, two months. Rogers raid blankets wrapped around the baby saved its life. Members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department took the injured from the wreckage to St. Joseph's Hospital. Only one of the children was to be admitted, hospital attendants indicated. The coroner's office said the bodies are being released to the Hopkins Funeral Home, Phoenix

 

 

 

1957

 

17 Fire calls were answered in 1957 

 

November 1957
The Baldwinsville Messenger
Auxiliary Plans Harvest Dance
     The Moyers Corners Volunteer Firemen's Ladles Auxiliary will sponsor a Harvest Dance at the Moyers Corners Fire House Saturday, November 16. There will be- round and square dancing. Dancing will be from 9 to 1. There will be a prize given away.

 

April 13th, 1957
Baldwinsville Messenger
Chief Brand is Re-elected by Fire Department
     The Moyers Comers Volunteer Firemen held their annual election of officers at the Fire House Thursday evening. Officers ejected for the coming year are Kenneth Brand, re-elected chief; William Derschang, re-elected tothe secretary office; Cecil Gillespy, assistant chief:, Paul Marshall- chief engineer; William Arnold, first assistant engineer, Phillip Beck, second assistant engineer; Richard Dudley, treasurer; and Carl Lyons, assistant secretary. Chief Brand appointed Hubert Schmidts Earl Me-Wlthey and Richard Jackson as fire police

 

 July 4th, 1957
Seneca Takes Life of Boy
Gazette and Farmers’ Journal, Baldwinsville
     His parents said he was playing with a rope in the water from the dock shortly before 10 a. m. They noticed he was missing .about 20 minutes later.  A search was begun immediately as four volunteer fire companies arrived on the scene with dragging equipment. The youngster's body came to the surface two camps east of Mrs. Hallfedt's home and was taken to shore. Ambulance attendants, firemen and a physician worked over the boy until he was pronounced dead. Onondaga County Coroner Dr. Harry L. Gilmore issued a verdict of accidental death by drowning. Seneca River and Moyers Corners fire departments assisted in the rescue attempt with sheriff's deputies and county park police. Baldwinsville and Liverpool departments, with pulmatory equipment,  were summoned. The boy was taken to the county morgue in the Liverpool department’s ambulance and later transferred to a funeral home. He was a pupil of Salem Hyde school in Syracuse.

 

August 11th, 1957
Ladies pushball champions Mattydale Fire Department annual parade. Men marched in the parade.

 

Sept 21st, 1957
Ladies held a roast beef family style dinner at the firehouse

 

 

 

1958

 

New Apparatus: 1958 Ambulance

 

25 fire calls were answered in 1958

 

June 1958
The Moyers Corners Volunteer Firemen and Ladies Auxiliary marched in the field day s parade Saturday afternoon at Minoa. The auxiliary won second prize for full dress uniform.

 

March 8th, 1958
The Ladies Auxiliary to the Moyers Corners Fire Department held its monthly meeting at the Fire House Wednesday evening last week. Final plans were completed for the Fashion Show to be held at 8 p.m. Saturday. Refreshments will be served and there will be a door prize. Gentlemen are invited, too. Fashion from Lucy's Dress. Shop in Phoenix will be modeled.

 

 

 

1959

 

22 Calls were answered in 1959

 

May 1959
Ladies Present Cardiac Counter to Firemen
     The Moyers Corners Ladies Auxiliary to the Fire Department purchased a cardiac counter and presented it to the firemen for use in the ambulance and whenever needed.

 

February 9th, 1959
Herald Journal
Fire Damages Home with $6,000 Loss
     PHOENIX — Flames believed to have started from wiring in the cellar caused damage estimated At over $6.000 to the two-story frame home of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Jamleson in 1453 Main St. last night. The couple had been visiting at their son's home several blocks away and came home at 7:30 p.m to see flames shooting from around the garage door and door to their home. Members of the Phoenix volunteer fire department rushed to the scene and were assisted by the Moyers Corners firemen. Baldwinsville sent in a fire truck lo cover at the Phoenix station under the Onondaga County mutual aid system.

 

October 29th, 1959
Firemen and auxiliary will sponsor dance
Baldwinsville Messenger
     The Ladies Auxiliary to the Moyers Corners Fire Department will sponsor a Halloween Dance Saturday, with music by Millard Blakeslee. Door prizes, refreshments and dancing from 9 to 1 will be featured.

 

 

 

1960

 

 

 

New Apparatus: Ward LaFrance Engine, Pre-1975 ID 391, then TP1 assigned to Station 1.  Also went to Station 3 as TP1.

 

36 calls were answered in 1960

 

May 5th, 1960
Alice Haney is Re-elected Head of Auxiliary
     The Ladies Auxiliary to the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department held its annual election at their monthly meeting last week Wednesday evening at the fire house. Elected for the coming year were President Alice Haney (re-elected), Vice President Ruth Dudley, Re-elected Secretary Clara Marshall, Re-elected Treasurer Betty Brand, Corresponding Secretary Lorraine Sahm. Louise Gillespy was appointed chaplain. Installation will take place prior to the May meeting.

 

 February 19th , 1960
The Baldwinsville Messenger
     WHEREAS, pursuant to Article II, Section 184 of the Town Law, the Town of Clay, located in the County of Onondaga, New York, is authorizod to provide for the furnishing of protection within fire protection districts established within said Town, and WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Clay has heretofore duly established a fire protection district known as the 'Town of Clay Fire Protection District," and WHEREAS, fire protection contracts in existence are about to expire, and WHEREAS, the Town Board of the Town of Clay is desirous of providing for fire protection to the said Town of Clay Fire Protection District, and WHEREAS, the Village of North Syracuse, The Village of Liverpool, Clay Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., Brewerton Fire District and Moyers Comers Fire Department have offered to furnish fire protection to said fire protection district for a period of one year.

 

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

 

1. That a public hearing shall be held on the 11th day of March, 1960, at the Town Building of the Town of Clay, located in Euclid, New York, at 8:00 o'clock P.M., for the purpose of considering the contracting with the Village of North Syracuse, The Village of Liverpool, Clay Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., Brewerton Fire , Moyers Corners Fire Department, Inc. for fire protection to be furnished by the above to the fire protection district established in the Town of Clay and known as the Town of Clay Fire Protection District upon the following general terms: (a) The respective fire departments shall furnish fire protection for a five year period commencing January 1, 1960 to the respective areas designated on a certain map entitled “Clay Fire Protection Contract Service Areas. Town of Clay, revised Feb. 15, 1960" on file in the Office of the Clerk of the Town of Clay. (b) For such service the respective fire departments shall receive sums equal to the product obtained by multiplying the total amount levied for fire protection in the Town of Clay Fire Protection District for the particular year involved, by the sum of the percentage of the total area of the Town of Clay Fire Protection District protected by the respective" department and the percentage of the total assessed valuation of the Town of Clay Fire -Protection District protected by the respective departments divided by two. 2. All persons interested in the matter will be heard at such time and place. That a copy of this notice shall be published in the "North- Syracuse Star," the "Cicero Recorder," the "Liverpool-Salina Review" and the "Baldwinsville Messenger," newspapers of general circulation in the said Town on the 25th day of February, 1960. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED AND ORDERED that the resolution and order shall be entered in the minutes of the  proceedings of the Town Board. I, the undersigned, Clerk of the Town of Clay, DO HEREBY CERTIFY that the preceding resolution was duly adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Clay at a regular meeting of the said Board duly called and held on the 19th day of February, 1960; that the said resolution was entered in the minutes of the said meeting; and that I have compared the foregoing copy with the original thereof now on file in my office and that the same is a true and correct transcript of said resolution and of the whole thereof.  I FURTHER CERTIFY that all members of said Board had due notice of said meeting. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the Town of Clay, this 19th day of February, 1960. 
ALBERTA HAMLIN,

 

Town Clerk of the Town of Clay, Onondaga

 

September 1970
Station 2 Grand Opening on Morgan/Buckley

 

September 1960
The Messenger
     Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Brand attended a dinner dance for the Empire State Rescue Squad at the Montauk Club at New York Mills Saturday evening. Mr. Brand received a plaque for the Moyers Corners Fire Department in recognition and appreciation for ambulance service for the Rescue Squad by their help in relaying patients from one point to another throughout New York State. 

 

November 3rd, 1960
Baldwinsville Messenger 
Moyers Corners Vol. Fire Department Indignant Over False Statements
     Chief Brand states that the Moyers Corners Vol. Fire Department, is not and never been affiliated with any political party, and never will. The Vol. Firemen of Moyers Corners Vol. Fire Dept. take issue with the completely false statements made by candidate for Town of Clay Councilman Richard M. White. First: Mr. White states that for a period of time there were areas in the Town of Clay without fire protection. This statement is completely false as anyone who attended the Fire contract meetings can testify Moyers Corners had a truck in temporary quarters near Bay berry on Route. 57 on Jan. 1 1960 on," and the equipment at Moyers Corners was ready to and did respond to alarms in the south portion of the town. It is stated at these meetings that Moyers Corners would answer a call for any emergency in this section of the town under question as well their regular Fire District. Second: Mr. White claims that the Town Board action threatened the existence of the entire Mutual Add system, is completely false as only threat to the Mutual Aid system came from the Chief of the Liverpool Fire Department, who refused to answer Mutual Aid calls in the Town of Clay, unless Liverpool had had a fire contract with a certain area in the Town of Clay.

 

     This act stunned many of the surrounding departments who immediately reassured Moyers Corners that they would be available if needed on mutual aid calls. Thirdly: Mr. White claims that because of changes made to the Town Board that two fire departments within the Town of are near Bankruptcy. This can only be meant as a slur on the integrity of the whole of Moyers Corners Fire Dept. as we are one of the only two Depts in the Town of Clay. This statement alone provokes us to refute the statements made by Richard White by which he has attempted to undermine and destroy the faith of our Dept. in the minds of the residents and people we are happy to serve and protect in the Town of Clay. Far from being near bankruptcy, our Dept. is proud of having one of the highest credit ratings in the County, Why do we have one of the best credit ratings? Because the membership of our Dept. not only volunteers time for fire, ambulance and emergency calls, but has since the organization of our Dept. until the year 1960, has by their own initiative and fund raising activities supplied well over half the annual budget of the Dept. The year 1960 we received $8,000.00 from the Town under our new five year contract which guarantees an annual increase and so only had to raise $6,500 by our own activities. We are proud of the fact that last spring when we had a brand new 1000 gal. tanker pumper, 750 gal. per hr. delivered that we were completely solvent, by not owing a cent to anybody. Our equipment at that time included one of the most fully equipped ambulances (only two years old) in the County, one 500 gal. pumper and one 1000 gal. tanker. Besides our large strategically located firehouse at Moyers Corners.

 

     We feel that by trying to involve the Vol. Fire Depts in Politics, that Richard White has done a great disservice to all Vol. Firemen in the County, but specifically in the Town of Clay. Chief Brand again wants to make it clear that we do not intend to be affiliated with any political party, but cannot sit idly by and allow the above act of slurs or slander go un-refuted. We wish at this time to thank the residents of the Moyers Corners Fire District for their wonderful support in the past, present, and future.

 

William F. Arnold, First Asst. Eng. 
Moyers CornersVol. Fire Dept.

 

1960 Drill Schedule - Spring
January 29th – Underwriters Test on Engine 1 – Ward LaFrance

 

January 30th  9:30- Noon: Officers and 4 firemen went over the new truck
1:30-430: 6 men practiced on the Ward

 

January 31st 9:30-Noon: 21 men practiced on the Ward, 1:00-4:00: 8 men practiced on the Ward

 

February 2nd – 12 men of Company #2 practiced on the GMC, 8 men of Company #1 went through the Ward

 

February 5th – 4 men and officers of Company #2 went through operations of a fire truck

 

February 7th – 6 men of Company #1 went through operations of the Ward

 

February 9th – 14 men of Company #2 reviewed pumper operations, Company #1, under direction of Asst. Chief Gillepsy went through pump operations

 

February 16th – 15 men of Company #2, under direction of Stormey, went over Scott Air Pack and Pumps. Ken Brand also in charge. Asst. Chief Gillespy led group of 6 men at Company #1 on the Ward.

 

February 23rd – 13 men of Company #2 pumped from a hydrant, 15 men of Company #1 under direction of Chief Brand laid lines and pumped from a hydrant

 

March 1st – 15 men of Company #2 laid lines and pumped from a hydrant, 7 men from Company #1 reviewed Truck operations

 

March 8th – 21 men from Companies 1 and 2 pumped from a hydrant

 

March 15th – 19 men from Companies 1 and 2 trained with Ken and Cecil – both trucks

 

 

 

 1961

 

February 27th, 1961
The Palladium-Times  Oswego, NY
Phoenix Firemen Work All Night
     This morning at 7:30 the volunteer firemen were called to Wetzel road in a mutual aid alarm where they spent two hours assisting Moyers Corners fire department battle a fire which destroyed residence. Liverpool firemen also joined in fighting this fire. 

 

July 27th, 1961
Moyers Corners Auxiliary won first place in women’s pushball at East Syracuse

 

August 10th, 1961
Baldwinsville Messenger
ADMINISTERS OXYGEN
     Baldwinsville Patrolman Lawrence Cumm administered oxygen to Lewis Wielder, 64, of 4 Meadow St. Tuesday  afternoon when Mr. Wielder suffered an asthma attack. Police Chief John Commane states. The Moyers Corners Fire Department ambulance was summoned, it taking Mr. Wielder to Syracuse Memorial Hospital

 

 

 

1962

 

 

 

In 1962, the Department purchased a new engine, Engine 1. Possibly 1960. 
New Apparatus: Ambulance, Vehicle ID 399
New Apparatus: Engine 1- 1962 American LaFrance
1962 and 1958 Ambulance picture at Station 1

 

In 1962, the Department purchased a new engine, Engine 1. Also at that time, Onondaga County started Fire Dispatch Service allowing for radios to be placed in Ken Brand's car and the GMC pumper. The members could be dispatched through Fire Control to their Plectrons. This increased the response rate a great deal.

 

Station 1 was KQP-681, Station 2 was KQP-680

 

January 1962
The Baldwinsville Messenger
     The Village Board of Trustees has been advised that Route 31 from the Four Corners to Moyers Corners, will be resurfaced by the State Department of Public) Works in the near future. In a letter to the village, the DPW requested that the village raise the level of all manholes and water shutoff boxes in the street by 2inches to accommodate an asphalt surface of the same thickness. The state said it would install stabilized shoulders on the outer reaches of E. Genesee St. as part of the project. It was also reported by letter at last (Wednesday) night's meeting of the board that Gates Funeral Home has as of March 1 discontinued its emergency ambulance service. The letter from, Ralph Gates advised the board that the Moyers Corners fire department ambulance is available, as well as Eastern Ambulance.

 

WIN TROPHY
Moyers Comers Ladies Auxiliary push ball team was awarded the county trophy at the county meeting at Belgium - Cold Spring fire house on Tuesday evening. This trophy is awarded to the team with the most points at the end of the field days season. Memphis, Liverpool, and Moyers Corners, tied for points. On Thursday evening of last week the three teams had a playoff at Fairmount with Moyers Corners, winning. 

 

1962 Grass Fire Engine 1

 

     Also, at the time, Onondaga County was starting a Fire Dispatch service. Ken Brand was one of the first Fire Chiefs to have a new radio in his car. The GMC Engine at Station Two had a radio installed as well. The members could now be dispatched through Fire Control to their home receivers called Plectrons. This increased the response rate a great deal. At some point, calls are starting to be dialed in through fire control using 454-3211 or 652-6111. Fire Control then alerts the MCFD by radio KQP 681 Station one or KQP 680 Station 2. Each member has a plectron receiver in their home on which a tone is set off.

 

            As additional growth occurred in the Station Two response area, and commercial development impacted the Oswego Road/ Route 57 corridor, the need for a new fire station increased. In 1962, Station Two was relocated to a double bay station on Morgan Road, near the intersection of Buckley Road.  With the development of the Bayberry residential section, it was realized that fire protection for this area was inadequate. One of the members owned a barn near the corner of 57/John Glenn, and donated its use as a fire station.

 

September 3rd, 1962
The Post-Standard
Flames engulf Morgan Road Barn
     Flames lick the fiamewOrk of a bain on Moigan Road, noith ol Liverpool, as Moyers Corners and Clay firemen stiuggle lo save the structure. They saved a nearby house- but the barn, containing machinery and hay, was leveled The fire alarm was turned m shortly before 5 a m . yesterday and firemen were at the scene for more than six hours.

 

 

 

1963

 

New Apparatus: Hahn Engine, Pre-1975 Vehicle ID 393. Assigned to Station 2. Became TP3. Later went to Station 3 as TP3

 

Station Two added a Hahn Engine to its apparatus roster in 1963. TP-3 became a work horse for the station and saw extensive emergency and working fire responses over the years until retirement in 1989. 

 

Helen Schmid provided an Ambulance Log from 1963 Highlights:
August 24th, 1963: Picked up a patient in front of 3 Rivers Shopping center with cuts and leg injuries. Ken Brand was the driver. Remarks: “What a mess”. Attendants were Phil Brand and Cecil August 29th, 1963: Possible stroke on Bonstead Road. Ken Brand was the driver, Roy A. Smith and Don Finlayson were the Attendants. Patient was in “bad shape”.

 

September 1st: Cecil was the Driver, E. Murphy was the attendant. Patient was transported from Canton to University Hospital.

 

September 11th, 1963: Vehicle Accident in Phoenix, patient was DOA. Ken Brand was the driver, Ed Ingoldby was the attendant. Patient was brought to St. Joe’s morgue.

 

September 15th, 1963: Responded to fire at Horseshoe Island. Roy Smith driver, Gus Schmidt attendant.

 

October 2nd, 1963 – Accident 7th North and Buckley…transported husband with cuts/shock..wife was doa

 

October 5th, 1963: Man swallowed tongue having epileptic seizure at Congressional Church in Phoenix. Ken Brand driver, D. Hunter Lynn Hambin attendants

 

October 6th, 1963: Liverpool Parade. John Green driver, F. Harke attendant

October 19th, 1963: Ambulance fund raiser. Ken Gregory driver Gus Schmidt attendant

 

November 9th, 1963: Fire at Lipe Rollway. Treated a worker with burn over right eye. Roy Smith driver, Ken Brand attendant

 

June 10th, 1963
The Post-Standard
Fire Wrecks Restaurant Near L’pool
     Tutor's Restaurant on Seventh North Street at Moyers Corners was destroyed in an early moming fire yesterday that was fought by three volunteer fire departments for more than three and a half hours. Owner Henry Tutor of 815 Oswego Blvd. estimated the damage at more than $100,000. The first alarm was turned in to the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department by neighbors at 5:45 a.m. The Liverpool Fire Department was called upon  their arrival at the blaze, which was raging out of control. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Kenneth Brand estimated that the fire had started about an hour prior to the first alarm. The origin of the fire, according to Brand, is unknown. The Belgium Cold Springs volunteers were called about 6:15 a.m. When the Liverpool volunteers arrived, they were forced to wait about 20 minutes, Liverpool Fire Chief Robert Heid said, while the water authority boosted the pressure for the hydrant. The restaurant was housed in a converted barn. Chief Brand said the fire was out of control and had made its way through the roof of the structure by the time he was called. The three fire depart-ments could not get the inferno under control and it lit up the skies until shortly after 7 a.m. The last person , apparently, who was in the building, said Brand, was Tutor, who allegedly left for home shortly after 3 a.m. The Moyers Corners Fire Department called the Liverpool and Cold Springs firemen under the mutual aid pact. Under this agreement, one fire company may call another to the scene when, at the discretion of the fire chief, the one department can not handle the blaze by itself. In this case, Moyers Corners supplied three trucks, Liverpool responded with another three f pumpers, and Cold Springs one, The Cold Springs and Liverpool volunteers left the scene soon a f t e r the fire had b e e n brought under control. The Moyers Comers firemen remained until 9:30 a.m. to completely extinguish the smoldering remains of the building.

 

 

 

1964

 

April 10th, 1964
The Post – Standard
Brand Names Moyers Chief
     The Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department has elected Kenneth Brand as its chief.  Others elected  include Richard Hunter, treasurer; Gus Schmidt, secretary; William Kelly, assistant secretary; Cecil Gillespy, first assistant engineer for Company 1; Ray Stanard, second assistant engineer for Company 1; Edward Melvin, assistant chief for Company 2 and Barn 1 and 2; Edward Viel, chief engineer for Company 2 and Barn 1. Also, diet Carswell, first assistant engineer for Company 2 ; and Barn 1; Edward Murphy, chief engineer for Company 2 and Barn 2, and Peter Jankowski, first assistant engineer for Company 2 and Barn 2. Fire police named were Hubert Schmidt, captain; Earl McWithey, Richard and Norman Juinla. ,Jackson 

 

June 1964
Moyer's Corners firemen's softball team lost their first league game last week Wednesday to Clay firemen, 18-12.

 

December 29th, 1964
The Post-Standard
Fire Damages Moyers Corners Home
Five volunteer fire companies fought for more than an hour yesterday to bring under control a fire at the home of Donald Hess, Route 57, just south of Moyers Corners. Fire officials said the interior of the building was destroyed and only the frame and exterior were left standing. The alarm was turned in at 2:30 p.m. Cecil Gillespy, Moyers Corners acting fire chief, directed companies from Moyers Corners, Phoenix, Belgium-Cold Springs, Clay and Baldwinsville.

 

 

 

1965

 

New Apparatus: 1965 Ford Saulsbury Rescue. 
The department purchased its first rescue vehicle in 1965. For eighteen thousand dollars, the Moyers Corners Fire Department purchased a 1965 Ford Saulsbury. The vehicle was financed using bingo game profits. Retired Life Member, past President, and past Captain Bob Michelson recalls that this was the first rescue to have two high wattage quartz floodlights mounted on each side of the rescue body.

 

In 1965, the Moyers Corners Fire Department responded to a fire at the new Liverpool High School building that was under construction at the time. The fire caused heavy damage to the science wing of the building.

 

October 20th, 1965
Herald Journal
Fireman plan fund campaign
The Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department will stage its annual fund raising campaign Saturday and Sunday with a door-to-door canvass. Money-raised in the campaign is used to support the fire department's ambulance service.

 

1966

 

The auxiliary purchased 3 deep fryers for the men’s fish dinners – big expense
Blizzard of 66 – 6’ to 8’ drifts, 5’on Route 31. The night before, Billy brand ran out of insulin. Men took snowplow to village to get doctor insulin, got stuck near where Donwood Estates is located now on Route 57 south of John Glenn Boulevard. County plow also stuck. Doc Kelly came from his house on snowmobile with insulin.

 

January 28th, 1966
The Post-Standard
Find the Fire Hydrant!
Public officials, including many firemen, constantly urge that homeowners and business proprietors keep the snow cleared away from nearby fire hydrants so that firemen can find them quickly in an emergency. However, someone at the Moyers Corners fire department apparently slipped up. An excellent job was done of clearing the snow away from in front of the firehouse so the trucks could wheel out speedily if an alarm came, in. But, in the process, the fire hydrant in front of the firehouse was all but buried under deep snow.

 

Article picture

 

1967

 

Chief  Ken Brand, Sr.
President Donald V. Finlayson

 

New Apparatus: Ford/Saulsbury Rescue, Pre-1975 ID 395. Assigned to Station 1. Became R1. Later became R2 and assigned to Staton 2. 

Started the first Explorer Post in the county.

 

June 15th, 1967
The Post-Standard
Fireman Hurt Fighting Blaze
A Moyers Corners fireman was injured yesterday while fighting a blaze at 4290 Candleight Lane, Town of Clay. Daniel Kirk of 257 Oswego Road was injured by falling glass and was taken to a doctor. He received 10 stitches to close a wound in his arm. Kirk was reaching through a broken window when the glass fell and cut him. The fire, which began in a closet, probably had burned several hours before a passerby saw the flames and turned in the alarm during the afternoon, according to Moyers Corners Fire Chief Kenneth J. Brand. Mrs. Esther Mecca who lives at the house was not home at the time. The closet and clothing were destroyed, Brand said. Smoke damage to the house was considerable. No estimate of damage was available. Brand said the fire was confined to the house, one of a series of townhouses on Candlelight Lane. He said firefighters extinguished the blaze within 45 minutes after arriving at the scene. The Cold Springs Fire Department stood by as Moyers Corners firemen answered the call. 

 

September 29th, 1967 
Letter to the Town of Clay

 

Dear Sirs:

 

As the community has grown rapidly in the past few years, we also have to plan and grow with it. We will try to explain as best and quickly as possible several of the items on our attached proposed five year budget. We now have on order a new 80’ Snorkel, which we expect to receive about February of 1969. This is a 71k item plus equipment.  Also out for bid is a 1500 GPM pumper. This truck will cost around 40k, which we will receive around September 1968. Both of the above mentioned will need about 5k worth of equipment, such as hose, coats, boots, etc.

 

Our #2 firehouse in the past has been made available to us through the generosity of Mr. Ed Melvin. We understand this has or soon will be sold. Looking to the future, to assure the public of continued reliable protection, may be required to purchase land and erect a new firehouse.

 

Our new Rescue Truck was purchased by 5,100 from the General Account (Taxpayer money), and the balance 16,300 from our hard earned Bingo money (not taxpayer money), We now have on order a new ambulance, which also helps give the Town citizens some of the finest protection available. This with no cost to the taxpayer except whatever they feel they can afford, or through their own generosity.

 

September 1967
Annual Fund Drive Letter

 

The annual fund drive of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department will be conducted on the above listed dates. This is your opportunity to say “thank you” for the many house the volunteers have given for the protection of you, your friend and neighbors. All contributions are used to provide free ambulance service for you and all residents in the area serviced by the department; which emergency apparatus responds to approximately 450 calls per year. An annual budget of $5,000 is necessary to maintain, operate and provide for replacement of this equipment, none of which can be raised through taxes.

 

We would like to point out at the time, WE ARE A VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION AND ARE DEPENDENT UPON YOU FOR THE SUPPORT OF THIS MUCH NEEDED SERVICE. Your cooperation in this project will be sincerely appreciated by contributing as generously as possible when your volunteer calls on you; anything you may contribute is tax deductible.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Ken Brand, Chief

 

 

 

1968

 

April 11, 1968
Herald Journal
Firemen tap Brand Again
     The Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department has elected officers for 1968. Re-elected chief for the 21st consecutive year was Kenneth Brand. Assistant chiefs elected are Edwin Viel and Cecil Gillespy. Engineers elected are Richard Hunter, Fred Harke. Theodore Kriese, Edwin Melvin, Peter Guinta and Robert French. Assistant engineers are Philip Brand, George Fulton. John Pearson, William Arnold, Donald Green and Seymour Bart

 

May 13th, 1968
Herald Journal
    Boy Scout Troop 209 of Liverpool, sponsored by the Moyers Corners Fire Department, must have set some sort of a record at a court of honor held this week at Tutors Restaurant in Liverpool. Eight members of the troop became Eagle Scouts. From left are, Richard Wood, David Weinman; William Pearse, Hadley Nans, Edward Nans, scout master; Richard Harroun, Christopher Recny, Stephen Geridron and Richard Anderson

 

December 26th, 1968
Fireplace Sets Blaze
The Post-Standard
     Christmas Day was less than joyful for the family of Ernest Mitel of 2 Ibis Path in the Town of Clay. Chief Ken Brand of the Moyers Comers Fire Department reported about $1,000 damage to the structure when a fireplace overheated, causing the wall between the fireplace and the outside of the house to smoulder. Flames erupted when the fire spread to an electrical box, according to Town of Clay police, who reported that the fire then spread to the entire wall. Investigating the fire for the Town of Clay police was Officer Herold Johns. County fire control reported dispatching a rescue company and two companies of the Moyers Corners Fire Department at 2:55 p.m.yesterday.

 

 

 

1969

 

The first aerial truck was placed into service in Station Two in 1969. It consisted of a state of the art apparatus design and an American LaFrance 80 foot Snorkel articulating platform. This was designated as 397.

 

New Apparatus: 1969 Hahn, Pre-1975 ID 392. Later Became TP2, E11
1969 American LaFrance Snorkel, Pre-1975 ID 397. Assigned to Station 2 as Truck 1, then Truck 2. 

    The Moyers Corners Fire Department Explorer Post  209 declared their specialty as First Aid and Search and Rescue.  All the members of the  Post were certified as Red Cross Advanced First Aid responders after being taught by Fire Department members Terry Ludwig and Dave Morgan, and Auxiliary member Joyce Ludwig (Terry's wife).  Two 1969 members of the Post later became members of the fire department, Fred Harke III (the third generation of Harke dedication to the fire department) and Bob Michelson. In November of 1969, several members of the Post assisted in a search for a lost hunter in a dense spruce swamp area between Utica and Old Forge. In the early 70's several members of the Post participated in the search in the Adirondacks for Douglas Legg, the young son of Liverpool High School science teacher William Legg.  Unfortunately neither of these individuals was ever found.

 

January 30th, 1969
The Post-Standard
Mysterious Oven Fire Investigated
House Fire Burns Woman Trying to Turn off Stove
By Robert Andrews
     Moyers Corners Fire Chief Kenneth Brand, left, and his assistant, Sy Bart, look over remain;; of an oven which caught fire at the home of Mr. and Mi's. Martin TDwusond, The fire, which, started -when some food on the stove caught fire, caused more than $4,0*0 worth of damage to the two-story frame dwelling. Chief Brand said his office was unable to determine at the time whether the fire was caused by an electrical failure in the oven or by spattering grease. Mrs. Barbara Townsend was burned in the fire.

 

ARTICLE

 

A Moyers Corners woman was badLy burned last night when she dashed into the middle of her fire-engulfed kitchen to turn off a stove. Mrs. Barbara Townsend was observed by witnesses running from her smoke-filled home on Oswego Road, Moyers Corners, covering her face with her hands. She was transported by Moyers Corners Ambulance to St. Joseph's Hospital where she was treated for first degree burns and released.

 

"I don't know what she thought she was trying to do by going back In there," commented Moyers Corners Fire Chief Kenneth Brand. Quick action by members of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department prevented the fire from spreading outside the kitchen.  More than 30 members of the fire department responded to the fire, which was reported at 7 p.m. Most of  the volunteer firemen were supervising a bingo game at the fire barn when the fire was reported. Chief Brand  said most of the damage was done to the walls, calling and cupboards In the kitchen. The fire started, according to Chief Brand, when Mrs. Townsend left her stove to go . jnto the living room and watch television. While she was watching television, the food on the stove burst Into flames. Her husband immediately called the fire department and helped evacuate three other persons from the home. None of the other parsons in the home were injured. Owner of ihe home is Dr. John Trapanil, who presently lives in Downey, Calif. The Moyers Corners Fire Department responded to the blaze with three pumpers, a. rescue vehicle and its new snorkel. Men from the Town of day ,Police Department who Investigated were Policeman R. C. Worden, Chief: J o h n Baston andSgt. W.R Thomas.

 

 

 

1970

 

Chief Ken Brand Sr.
 First Assistant Chief: Edwin Viel
Second Assistant Chief Cecil Gillespy
Chief Engineers: 1st Chief Engineer Ted Kriese, 2nd Chief Engineer Robert French, 3rd Chief Engineer Fred Harke,  4th Chief Engineer Dick Hunter, 5th Chief Engineer Blair Jackson, 6th Chief Engineer Fred Bressette Assistant Engineers:  1st Assistant Engineer George Fulton, 2nd Assistant Engineer William Arnold, 3rd Assistant Engineer John Pearson,  4th Assistant Engineer Phil Guinta,  5th Assistant Engineer Don Green, 6th Assistant Dave Dirk

 

Executive Board
 President George Sahm
Vice President Roy Smith
Secretary Dick Spiess, Assistant Secretary George Pachek
Treasurer Ron Fisher

 

Fire Police: Captain Wesley Higgs

 

1971

 

Chief Edwin Viel
 First Assistant Chief: Cecil Gillespy
Second Assistant Chief Robert French
Chief Engineers:

 

1st Chief Engineer Ted Kriese, 2nd Chief Engineer Fred Harke, 3rd Chief Engineer Dick Hunter,
 4th Chief Engineer Fred Bressette, 5th Chief Engineer Blair Jackson, 6th Chief Engineer Phil Guinta
Assistant Engineers: 
1st Assistant Engineer Chet Fritz, 2nd Assistant Engineer Dave Dirk, 3rd Assistant Engineer John Pearson,
 4th Assistant Engineer Fred Liebi,  5th Assistant Engineer Don Green, 6th Assistant Engineer Art Bump

 

Executive Board
President Royal Mosher
Vice President Roy Smith
Secretary Dick Spiess, Assistant Secretary Leo Pachek
Treasurer Don Gates

 

Fire Police: Captains Leo McWithey, Dave Bennett

 

1971- 397 installs halyard on flagpole at Lincoln Bank (now Empower). Al Slater on Turntable. 

 

Over the next few years, further station space needs resulted in the addition of a day recreation room, a kitchen and an office inside the station. The station eventually housed the GMC Jimmy Engine Company, the 1963 and 1976 Hahn Engines, and the 1969 ALF Aerial Truck. In 1976, the 1963 Hahhn was replaced by one of the two 1976 Hahns. As the run volume increased, and as Fire Station Two membership expanded, so did the need for a modern emergency response quarters. In early 1971 Moyers Corners was one of the first departments in the county to purchase a new, innovative, high powered, hydraulic extrication tool called a Hurst Tool. This was  later to be nicknamed "The Jaws of Life".  Because of this equipment, MCFD's Rescue was called to many auto accidents in surrounding fire districts to effect more rapid extrication of accident victims.

 

 

 

1972

 

Chief Edwin Viel
 First Assistant Chief: Cecil Gillespy
Second Assistant Chief Robert French
*Lieutenants (First Year for Lieutenants at MCFD): 1st Lieutenant Art Bump, 2nd  Lieutenant Robert Casler, 3rd Lieutenant Phil Guinta, 4th Lieutenant Dave Dirk,  5th Lieutenant Fred Liebi, 6th Lieutenant Ken Brand Jr.

 

Executive Board
 President Royal Mosher
Vice President Roy Smith
Secretary Leo Pachek, Assistant Secretary Steve Rubacky
Treasurer Don Gates

 

Fire Police: Captain Company 1 Leo McWithey, Company 2 Will Michelson

 

New Apparatus: 1972 Ambulance, Cadillac, Pre-1975 ID 399.

 

Chet Fritz: Heritage Fire: I have a photo of the late Phil Guinta and I receiving the Onondaga County Judges medal for a fire rescue made at a Heritage Park apartment fire some years ago. This may have been in the 70's.Mike Derbyshire, then an MCFD Fireman, had his mask knocked off when he ran into a wall.He immediately went unconscious. Phil and I dragged him down stairs and out into the street where we both gave him mouth-to-mouth until he regained consciousness and was transported to a hospital. The thing that made this somewhat challenging was that Mike stood 6'5" and weighed in excess of 300 pounds.

 

In 1972, The Moyers Corners Fire Department was the first department in the county to have a cardiac ambulance. By 1979, the ambulance had some of the latest advances in cardiac equipment. With this equipment came many hours of training. Moyers Corners had many medics in the 1970’s including Bill Arnold, Dick Perkins, Ralph Cinnamon, Fred Leibi, Will Michelson, Dave Morgan, Terry Ludwig and Chester Rominick.  

 

February 9th, 1972
1972 Ambulance – Cost $22,000 fully equipped, purchased through the ambulance accounts generated entirely with donations and department fundraisers. This was the department's last Cadillac ambulance No tax monies were ever used ambulances or ambulance supplies.

 

March 20th, 1972
Herald Journal
Three hurt as blaze ruins home
    Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fichter and their 19-year old son were injured yesterday as they fled a blaze which destroyed their home at 22 Bayberry Circle in Clay. Mr. Fichter, his wife Beatrice and their son Thomas were released from St. Joseph’s Hospital after treatment. Fichter had arm and head cuts and his son third degree hand burns and minor cuts. Mrs. Fichter was treated for shock. Firefighters from the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department said that when they arrived the blaze had a big start due to a delay before the alarm was called in. Neighbors who first noticed the fire said it spread so quickly they elected to help the Fichters out of the house immediately, rather than take the time to call firemen first. A neighbor, Mrs. Harry Honan, said that she and her daughter were looking out their front window about 7am waiting for a car which was supposed to take the girl to a swim meet in Ithaca. Mrs. Honan said that smoke suddenly began coming from the house and, within seconds, “was all over the place, so black and thick you couldn’t believe it.” She saw Thomas Fichter leap from a second story window, and quickly ran across the street to assist him, while her daughter called neighbors living adjacent to the Fichter home to warn them that there was a fire that might spread. Harry Honan and several other neighbors were at the Fichter house within moments, and put up a ladder to help the family out of the burning home. Mr. Honan turned in the fire alarm before running across the street, his wife said. The Ficthers made their way to their garage roof, and from there hurried down the ladder. Two daughters, 16 and 11 years old, and a nine-year-old son escaped uninjured, firemen said. Damage was estimated at $28,000. Firemen are investigating the origin of the blaze.

 

April 26th, 1972
Baldwinsville Messenger
Kathy Kelsey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Kelsey, suffered minor burns to her face and neck last week. She was treated at her home' by the Moyers Corners Firemen's Ambulance crew

 

Moyers Corners Firemen's Ladies Auxiliary held their annual meeting and election of officers at the firehouse Monday evening. A rummage and bake sale is being planned for Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13. The installation banquet will be May 24 at harbor Lodge, Constantia. The refreshment committee was Katie Schmidt and Eleanore Oakes. Elected officers are president, Alice Haney;-vice president, Joann Donohue; secretary, Clara Marshall; treasurer, Joyce Bressette; corresponding secretary, Betty Brand. Appointed by the president are chaplain, Katie Schmidt and county delegates, Louise Gillespie and Evelyn Romanick

 

July 12th, 1972
Liverpool Town Crier
Fire Dept. Has Colorful History
     Plans are currently underway up the road a piece for a rather special celebration: the 25th Anniversary of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department. A gentleman named Ken Brand, Sr. got the ball rolling on November 9, 1947, the day his garage burned down. You see, it never would have burned all the way, if all the fire companies in the area hadn’t been so late showing up. The story has it that Ken threw his hat on the ground as hard as he could and proclaimed that, “By God, we’re gonna get a fire department here!”. And they did, that very day. Of course, it wasn’t much of a fire department. The first five members (Ken Brand, Ed Harke, Sr., Paul Marshall, Ed Melvin, and Lymon Melvin) formed the nucleus, and shortly were joined by another half-dozen concerned men. For several months the only function of the new department was to meet occasionally and try to figure out how and where to obtain a fire truck.

 

            Then, along about March of 1948, Fate stepped in and lent a friendly hand. On March 12, Ken was helping out at his friend Tony Louis’s gas station, when a man pulled in with car trouble. During the course of conversation it developed that the man was in a hurry to get to Canton, NY to make an appointment with some prospective buyers of a fire engine he was selling.

 

            “A what?” said Ken.
            “A fire engine, “ said the stranger. 
            “Mister,  I think you just found your buyers. Don’t go away, I’ll be right back!” and with those words, Ken took off to round up the rest of the volunteers.

 

            Well, to make a long story short, they bought the fire engine. It wasn’t a new one..a 1922 American LaFrance could hardly be called ‘new’ when it was 26 years old..but the price was right. The next day a crew drove to Buffalo to take possession of their first piece of firefighting equipment.  All of this happened so fast that no preparation had been made to house the new truck, so for the next few months it was kept in Louis’s gas station.  In May, construction was started on a fire barn. All of the work was done by the firemen, mostly at night, after their regular jobs, and by that winter the new truck had a permanent home. In the spring of ’49, the fire department got its first call, but in kind of a roundabout way. A grass fire got out of control within the area to be served by the department, but the new fire barn had no phone to call an emergency into. So the call was made to the Clay Fire Department, who rushed over to Moyers Corners to tell them they had a fire. A far cry from the Fire control system used today, thru which each volunteer is notified instantaneously at home as soon as a fire call goes out.

 

              That first year about 20 fire calls were answered (compared to an average of 175 a year now!). It was discovered very shortly that the old LaFrance couldn’t carry enough water to battle anything bigger than a small grass fire, so in 1949 a second truck was purchased; this, a 1942 oil tanker, was converted to hold water, and thereafter accompanied the LaFrance on all its calls.   The department continued to grow. A ladies auxiliary was formed, which took on the job of procuring an ambulance. Rather than go the raffle and bake sale route, the ladies decided to make an all-out effort, and arranged to appear on the then-popular N.Y. quiz show, “Strike It Rich”. They build the prize money up to $1000, but managed to answer only four of the five questions necessary to win it all. They returned with a meager $100. Undaunted, they scraped up $400 more, and shortly thereafter, a third piece of equipment joined the ranks: a 1942 Buick ambulance, which responded to about 30 calls its first year of operation (compared to over 600 last year). The first new fire truck was purchased two years later, in 1953. This was a GMC pumper, and still functions today, though primarily as a backup unit. 

               A community grows, and with it, the number of potential emergencies. Many communities, as they grow, fall behind in their ability to deal with these emergencies. Not so Moyers Corners. They proudly boast of having one of the best-equipped fire departments in the county, and well they should: from a humble beginning of a used pumper operating out of a gas station, they now have grown to 7 fire trucks (an eighth is soon to be purchased) including a 80-foot Snorkel unit, plus an ambulance, housed in two fire barns (the original one at Moyers Corners and a second one on Morgan Road in Bayberry). With this equipment (and the 90 men who man it), they cover emergency calls north as far as the county line, south to the Liverpool line, east to Euclid, and west to the Seneca River. And they do it fast and they do it well. Happy 25th, firemen.

 

July 14th, 1972
Judge Ormand N. Gale awards Firefighters Phil Guinta and Chet Fritz the “Onondaga County Judges Medal” for their actions at a fire at Heritage Park Apartments in 1972. Firefighters Guinta and Fritz rescued Firefighter Mike Derbyshire.

 

December 23, 1972
Herald Journal
Driver, 22 killed as car rams trees
     An autopsy may be performed today at the county medical examiner's office on a Liverpool man who was killed last night when his car ran off Rte. 57 and struck three trees. Gary A. Rohrmann, 22, of 7844 Glenwood Dr., Liverpool, was alone in his car, heading south on Rte. 57 about 11:15 p.m. when the car left the road, Clay police said. The vehicle uprooted one tree, sideswiped another, and rammed into a third, police said. Rohrmann was pronounced dead at the scene. The car was demolished, and the Moyers Corners Rescue Squad had to use blow torches and cutting tools to free the victim. According to Policeman Paul Carlson, Rohrmann was wearing a seat belt. The accident occurred about one mile south of Moyers Corners. It brings the county 1972 traffic death toll to 65, and is the first fatality in the Official Christmas weekend traffic tally in the county, which began 6 p. m, last night. Rohrmann was employed as a sprinkler installer by the Hoffman & Walker Co. A native of Hastings, he resided in Liverpool for the past two years. He was a Sergeant in the Air National Guard's 174th Tactical Squadron at Hancock Field.

 

 

 

1973

 

Auxiliary: President Alice Haney, Vice President Joanne Donohue, Secretary Clara Marshall, Correspondence Secretary Betty Hanlon, Treasurer Joyce Bressette

 

New Apparatus: 1973 Haun, designated 394. Became TP-4 , then E32.

 

1973 Charter Members honored at Banquet 25th anniversary

 

January 4th, 1973
Car, Fire Truck Collide, 4 Persons Hurt in Clay
Herald Journal
     Four persons were injured when a car and fire truck collided in the Town of Clay. Clary Patrolman Richard L. Worden said a fire truck owned by Moyers Corners Fire Department and drivin by Charles DeVaul of Liverpool was answering a fire alarm on Avon Path when the accident occurred. DeVaul told police he was heading south on Morgan Road with the truck’s flashing lights and siren in operation. He said he signaled to make a right onto Grampian road when the collision occurred with a car operated by Leonard Bottorff of 68 Cheshire Road, Liverpool. Injured were Donna Maria Bottorff, 19, and Krista Bottorff, 9 months. Both were taken to Memorial for treatment. DeVaul suffered chest and rib injuries, and Richard Spiess of 227 Buckley Road, a passenger on the fire truck, was treated for chest pain. Both were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital. Worden issued Bottorff tickets on charges of following an emergency vehicle too closely and failure to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle.

 

Pictures

 

January 21st, 1973
Invalid In Trailer Fire Saved
Unknown Publication/Author
     An invalid a was carried by firemen and neighbors to safety from his burning trailer park home yesterday, police said. Clay policeman Richard Worden reported that Fred Wohlfarth, of 331 Berkely Court, Liverpool, was inside his Oak Ridge trailer home when flames broke out about 12:30pm. The Moyers Corners Fire Department stopped the blaze and aided Wohlfarth, police said. Worden said the fire was started by workmen cutting a trailer tongue. Sparks from the hot metal ignited the rear section of the trailer.

 

January 24th, 1973
Rescue Invalid In Trailer Fire
Unknown Publication/Author
     Firemen and neighbors rescued an invalid from his flaming trailer home in the Town of Clay last week. Clay Policeman Richard Worden said Fred Wohlfarth of 331 Berkely Court, Oak Ridge, was inside his trailer home when flames broke out. Moyers Corners firemen and neighbors assisted Wohlfarth from the burning trailer. Worden said the fire was caused by workmen cutting a trailer tongue. Sparks from the welding equipment ignited the rear section of the trailer.

 

January 30th, 1973
Blaze Blames on Furnace
Unknown Publication/Author
     An overheated furnace was listed as the probable cause of a blaze early yesterday that routed more than 15 persons from apartments in Belmont Gardens, Liverpool. Moyers Corners Assistant Fire Chief Robert French, among the first to arrive at Building 32 of the complex, said flames were rising through the roof of the three-story brick building, and that many of the residents were fleeing out the front door. “I ran inside the building and helped direct a few of the residents on the upper floor out of the building. No one panicked, and everyone left quietly, causing no injures,” French said. According to Moyers Corners Chief Edwin Viel, the fire originated in a vacant top floor apartment and spread up throught he attic and roof. French said a fire wall between the dameaged building and an attached building prevented the fire from spreading. “The only minor problem we sustained during the fire was ice forming on the equipment and clothing of the firemen,” French said. The U.S. Weather Service reported the temperature during the 7 a.m. was 15 to 16 degrees.

 

February 4th, 1973
Unknown Publication/Author
Firemen Drag Seneca River
     Monday brought the end to the third day in the search for an attractive Lyncourt housewife, whose body is believed to be in the Seneca River. As volunteer firemen from area fire departments halted their dragging operations Monday night, Syracuse police and Sheriff’s Department investigators were questioning a rape suspect in the disappearance of Mrs. Judith A. Giannino, 30, of 332 Orwood Place. The search for Mrs. Giannino, who has been missing since Friday night, is centered under the Rt. 31 bridge at Belgium. Clay Police found Mrs. Giannino’s purse, a torn stocking and some strands of hair on the bridge Saturday morning, and the search in the cold depths of the river began for her body. Being held in connection with the rape assault of a St. Joseph’s Hospital student nurse is Charles D. Askey, 20, of 600 E. Willow St., Syracuse. Officials said Askew  is also being questioned intensively about the disappearance of Mrs. Giannino. Firemen manned boats with dragging gear over the weekend on Monday, and divers from the Sheriff’s Department and the volunteer fire agencies worked until dark each day as the probe of the mother of three’s disappearance continues. On the scene were firemen from Moyers Corners, Phoenix, Baldwinsville, Clay, North Syracuse, Cicero, Liverpool and Belgium-Cold Springs. Mrs. Giannino was last seen Friday night after visiting her husband and St. Joseph’s Hospital, where he recently underwent surgery. She was reported missing Friday night, and her 1973 car was recovered Saturday in a parking lot on Rt. 48 at Seneca Knolls, about four miles from the bridge where diving operations are going on. Police say Askew is charged with rape and kidnapping in connection with the abduction of a student nurse in the St. Joseph’s Hospital area. Askew allegedly forced the nurse at knifepoint to drive to Morgan Rd. in the Town of Clay where he raped her. Then the suspect allegedly drove the nurse back to St. Joseph’s Hospital, released her and left her car, just about the time Mrs. Giannino was leaving St. Joseph’s to go home to make supper for her three children. Askew is being held without bail in the Public Safety Building jail to await arraignment. Undersheriff Robert Alexander, who is heading the investigation, has asked the public for any information anyone might have in regard to the carse. Assisting at the scene of the dragging operations were District Attorney Leo Hayes and Clay Police Chief John E. Kerr.

 

February 7th, 1973
Fire Battled at Apartments
Unknown Publication/Author
     Moyers Corners and North Syracuse volunteers last week battled flames which raced through a building at Belmont Graden Apartments Liverpool. Twenty persons were forced to flee from their apartments into the 15-degree weather when fire broke out about 7:15 a.m. Officials believe the blaze may have started in an attic above a vacant apartment in building 32 of the complex. Moyers Corners Chief Ed Viel said a firewall prevented flames from spreading throughout the entire structure. A quick stop was credited to firemen as the blaze swept through the roof of the structure. The roof above the top story apartment collapsed, exposing roof beams and interior walls. The cause of the blaze was believed to be a faulty heating system. North Syracuse aerial ladder was brought to the scene, while Phoenix and Liverpool firefighters stood by. Moyers Corners aerial rig was damaged in an accident on the way to the same complex in early January.

 

March 21st, 1973
Car Flips
Unknown Publication/Author
     Moyers Corners firemen and Clay Police carry John M. Moroughan, 20, of Bridgeport, from the scene of an accident last week off Rt. 481 near Rt. 31. Policman R.L. Worden said Moroughan told police he fell asleep and his car went off the highway and rolled over four times, landing in a drainage ditch. The driver suffered severe head and face cuts, possible fractures of the skull and shoulder and possible internal injuries. He was ticketed on charges of failure to produce his license and registration and driving at an imprudent speed.

 

Article Picture

 

April 5th, 1973
We’re with you all the way
Unknown Publication/Author
Article Picture

 

April 6th, 1973
Unknown Publication/Author
Article Picture
Woman Injured in Collision
     Freed from her smashed auto by the Moyers Corners Ambulace crew, Miss Patricia Jones, 21, of 113 Royal Road, Liverpool, was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital. Her auto and one driven by Maurice Copppin, of 469 Buckley Road, Liverpool, collided at noon yesterday at Norstar Boulevard and Seventh North Street, Clay Police Sgt. Richard Worden said. Miss Jones was treated for head injuries. She was charged with failure to stop at a stop sign. Coppin escaped injury.

 

May 8th, 1973
Suspicious Blaze Razes Clay Barn
     A fire of “very suspicious origin” destroyed the main structure of a vacant three acre barn complex yesterday morning on Route 31, east of Route 481, Town of Clay. “This could very definitely be a set fire,” reported Lt. David Dirk of Moyers Corners Fire Department. There was no electricity in the barn, and officials have pretty much discounted spontaneous combustion. There was no combustible material near the origin of the blaze, Dirk said. Described as an “L” shaped structure, Dirk said the blaze originated in the short leg of the structure, and advanced along the long leg estimated at more than 50 yards in length. “The men responding were able to save the two smaller barns which were scorched on the roof and outside,” Dirk said. 

 

May 10th, 1973
     Moyers Corners firefighters surveyed damage following a fire discovered at about 12:30 p.m. yesterday at Oak Ridge Trailer Park, Route 57, Town of Clay. Flames destroyed this mobile home, leased by Stephen Ames. No one was home at the time. Second Assistant Fire Chief Robert W. French estimated damage at $12,000. French said the blaze apparently erupted in a bedroom. Fire cause is undetermined, he added. Liverpool and Phoenix fire companies were on standby. This was one of five alarms answered yesterday by Moyers Corners firemen.

 

May 17th, 1973
Unknown Publication/Author
Machine Cuts Worker’s Arm
     A man was listed in satisfactory condition in Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital after his left hand and arm were severely cut in an accident yesterday at Edgecomb Steel Co. on Dey Road, Liverpool. Edward R. Ritchey, 25, of Craddock St., an operator of a steel-slitting machine, had completed an inspection on steel rewinder when his left hand became tangled in the machine’s roller, pulling his hand and arm into the separator discs, according to Robert Osuchowski, plant superintendent. Officer Pual Carlson of the Town of Clay Police said David Keener, who witnessed the accident, quickly hit an emergency switch to stop the machine. Osuchowski said the machine was operating at 300 to 350 feet a minute when the accident occurred. Ritchey was freed from the machine by members of the plant’s medical staff and members of the Moyers Corners Rescue Squad. He was taken by Moyers Corners ambulance for surgery. 

 

May 26th, 1973
     Alice Haney was elected president of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Firemen’s Auxiliary for the 15th consecutive year athe recent election. Other officers re-elected were: Joanne Donohue vice president, Clara Marshall, secretary; Betty Hanlon, corresponding secretary; Joyce Bressette , treasurer. Appointed were Katie Schmidt, chaplain and Barbara Brand and Ruth Michelson, county delegates. Plans have been completed for the fifth anniversary dinner and installation of officers May 26 at the Sheraton Inn. A calendar dinner will be held by the group June 9 at the fire house at Moyers Corners.

 

May 28th, 1973
Unknown Publication/Author
Teen Hurt as Car Flips
     Douglas Faulkner, 18, of Cicero, was injured about 4 p.m. yesterday when his car flipped twice on Buckley Road, near Morgan road, Town of clay, Deputy Thomas J. Paglia said. Taken by the Moyers Corners ambulance to Community-General Hospital, he was treated for a forehead cut and head bump and discharged, a hospital spokesman said. Faulkern’s car spun out of control, skidded about 195 feet, hit a drainage ditch and flipped twice, Paglia Said. Paglia said he charged Faulkner with unlicensed operation of a vehicle, driving an uninspected vehicle and having studded tires on his vehicle out of season.

 

June 23, 1973
100 firemen fight Belmont Building Blaze
     More than 100 volunteer firemen battled a hot, smoky fire in a Town of Clay professional building for four hours early today. Extensive smoke and heat damage was reported to several doctor’s offices in the one-story Belmon Professional Building in Belmont Village, Route 57, Moyers Corners Fire Chief Edwin Viel Jr. said. The fire was reportedly discovered by a Clay policeman who was patrolling the area shortly before 1 a.m., Viel said. ‘She (the building) was belching smoke all over by the time we got there. It had to be going for quite a qhile before anyone noticed it,” the exhausted fire chief said. Investigators believe the blaze started in a basement office, but the origin and cause were not yet determined, Chief Viel added. Firemen returned to the scene this afternoon to check the damaged structure. Chief Viel estimated the building houses the offices of 8-10 phyisicians. There was not damage estimate. More than 75 volunteer firefighters from Moyers Corners and another 30 from Liverpool Fire Department fought the blaze until 5 a.m. *Firefighter Robert Richars was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

 

June 25th, 1973
Moyers Corners firemen responded to a two-story frame structure in the village of North Syracuse at about 12:15 a.m. Seven fire companies responded, with three firemen suffering smoke inhalation. The injured firemen were identified as D.A. Riter and Richard Jones of North Syracuse, both of whom were treated at the scene, and Robert Richards of Moyers Corners, who was treated and later released at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

 

June 27th, 1973
Unknown Publication
Unknown Auther
Flames rip apartments, businesses. Firemen injured in village, Rt. 57 blazes
     Two major fires over the weekend caused extensive damage to a professional building in Clay and a business-apartment complex in North Syracuse. Destroyed by fire early Saturday was the Belmont Professional building on Rt. 57 at Belmont Village in the Town of Clay. Hit by flames early Sunday were businesses and apartments at the corners of Church and Main Streets in North Syracuse. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Edwin Viel Jr. was one of the firemen overcome by flames as volunteers waged battle for four hours at a smoky fire that wrecked the Belmont Professional building, which houses doctors’ offices and other businesses. The blaze was discovered by a patrolling Town of Clay policeman, and the building was belching smoke and flames when volunteers arrived on the scene. Viel said the fire had been going for some time before it erupted and was noticed. Investigators belive a recently installed fuorescent light fixture may have ignited the blaze, but a probe is continuing. More than 75 volunteers from Moyers Corners and Liverpool battled the blaze. 

 

June 30th, 1973
Trailer Destroyed by Fire
     Fire destroyed a mobile home at Oak Ridge Park, Town of Clay yesterday. No one was home at the time, fire officials said, an no injuries were reported. The fire broke out at 6:35 p.m., Lt. Fred Liebi of the Moyers Corners Fire Department said. About 35 firemen fought the blaze until 7:30 p.m. Liebi said the mobile home was a rental, owned by the mobile home park. A third mobile home was damaged by the fire, he said, the rest received heavy smoke and water damage.

 

July 2nd, 1973
Unknown Publication/Author
Leg Amputated After Crash, Cyclist ‘Poor’
     A spokesman for Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital listed Jason Austin, 23, of Bear Road Apartments, Town of Clay, in poor condition yesterday following the amputation of his right leg after a car-motorcycle accident Tuesday. Austin, on a motorcycle, was heading north in the 8000 block of Seventh North Street about 3:15 p.m. He lost control of his cycle as he came around a curve. It struck a southbound car driven by Mrs. Sanuel Worthen, 31, of Liverpool, Clay Patrolman Edward Weber said. Austin was taken to the hospital by Moyers Corners ambulance. Neither Mrs. Worthen nor her daughter Rachel, 4, her only passenger, was injured.

 

July 4th,  1973
     Capping the fourth of July holiday was a 3 mile parade along Route 57 that began at 4pm and lasted more than an hour. Sponsored by the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department to kick off its field days, the parade contained more than 40 units. Twenty seven of the units represented fire departments and auxiliaries. The march began at Three Rivers and continued to the firehouse, just north of Route 31. Eleven bands participated, placed at intervals in the long chain of marchers, fire apparatus, staff cars, horses and the fire engine of the Societe des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux. Moyers Corners Fire Lt. D.L. Dirk was parade marshal. Other officials included Clay Town Supervisor Loxley Firth, Clay Town Justice Harvey Heath and Sheriff Corbett, whose mobile radio van and color guard also participated.

 

July 6th, 1973
Dynamite Aboard – PC Boxcar Ignites
Unknown Publication/Author
     Personnel from a General Electric Co. warehouse, Pyramid Structural Systems and Penn Central were evacuated about an hour at 10:15 a.m. yesterday when a Penn Central Railroad boxcar containing explosives caught fire. The boxcar and three others behind it, at Crossroads Park off Seventh North Street in the Town of Salina, contained more that 100,000 pounds of dynamite, en route from Canada to Indiana, said North Syracuse state police. A “hot box,” resulting from a wheel bearing malfunction, was said to be the cause of the fire, which scorched a 5 square foot area on the floor of the car. The fire was quickly extinguished by Penn Central personnel with portable extinguishers and by Moyers Corners firemen. The state police bomb squad at the North Syracuse substation stood by until the danger of an explosion was eliminated. Lt. G.C. Dunne and Sgt. C.T. Brown investigated.

 

July 17th, 1973
Suburban Propane
     A small fire started and quickly spread exploding tanks throughout the facility. One tank exploded and landed 146 feet from the plant landing on the other side of the road. Three people were hurt. Thirteen fire companies responded.

 

July 18th, 1973
The Messenger
By C. Alan Baker
Flames rip gas firm
     Explosions and fire ripped through the Suburban Propane Co. at Moyer’s Corners at midday Tuesday. Injury, miraculously, was limited to one employee of the company, burned over 60 percent of his body. Exploding tanks of liquid gas and flying debris greeted the first of eight fire companies on the scene. A utility company line crew, which had just finished lunch nearby, told The Brown Newspapers they feld “the ground shaking” and “things were flying through the air.” They said they sought shelter under their truck. When we arrived on the scene, fire and police agencies were still keeping a respectable distance from the flames, ducking and scurrying as an occasional explosion sent plumes of flames high into the air. Suburban Propand Manager John Dobbins said Leslie Caines, an employee, was filling a tank with liquid gas when suddenly there was a “flare-up” of underdetermined origian. Dobbins, who was just parking his car, and others scurred for fire extinguishers but couldn’t contain the flames. Caines, reported to be suffereing flash burns, was taken to a Syracuse hospital. He was conversant with firemen before entering the ambulance. Flames centered in a warehouse and tank storage yeard adjacent to Route 57 behind the company’s office building. Dobbins said the building contained very little liquid gas, rather was devoted mostly to an inventory of gas grilles and other storage. Tanks outside the building were aflame, their plugs having melted from the intesnse heat. Telephone and electrical service were also knocked out as heat seared nearby overhead lines. A keepsake family album, which Dobbins was going to mail to a relative, was on the front seat of his care, one of those destroyed.

 

Oswego County Fire Lines:

 

From the desk of Oswego County Fire Lines, comes a word of praise for all of our Oswego County Fire Units that responded, recently, to assist our neighbors in Onondaga County at Moyers Corners. The fire at Suburban Propane Gas facility, could have become much more devastating that it was, had it not been for the experty handling and know how of our local depts. Assisting Moyers Corners. These men all deserve a lot more thanks than anyone could give as they continue to protect us day and night from fires such as the wild and dangerous fire on the 17th of July. No words could tell the boys from Moyers Corners FD how expertly they handled the situation, but the people in their district should be very proud.

 

July 18th, 1973
Unknown Publication
By Robert Bellinger
      Firemen and police are probing the ruins of a gas propane warehouse today to find out the cause of a fire that destroyed the building, injured one employee and sent propane gas tanks skyrocketing into the air yesterday. Officials said a disaster at the Moyers Corners Suburban Propane Gas Co. was averted by the fast action of the company manager and employees who turned off valves. This prevented explosions in some large propane gas tanks containing hundreds of gallons of the highly flammable gas, and a railroad tank car filled a quarter of a mile away. “It sounded like a jungle war out there,” one witness said of the popping gas tanks. The intense heat turned several of the smaller tanks into grotesque Roman candles spewing a trail of smoke behind them as they flew harmlessly into fields across the road. “I can’t believe none of the buildings around her was hit,” one fireman said. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Ed Viel acknowleged that residents were “very fortunate,” that none of the tanks struck their homes or businesses. Clay Policeman J.W. Pientka was on the scene when the fire broke out. He said flames were shooting out the north and west side windows of the building, where tanks are filled and loaded into trucks. Manager John Dobbins said he, and truck drivers Al Myers and Les Caines were unloading and filling empty propane tanks when the fire was spotted in a corner of the building about 1 p.m. Caines was burned by the flames, but Dobbins and Myers turned on automatic fire extinguishers and shut off valves. Dobbins said there may have been 150 to 200 tanks in the building, but most of them were empty. The heat caused some of the empty tanks to “pop” causing the loud series of blasts heard by people two miles away. There was little chance of saving the warehouse, but firemen from 12 area communities managed to confine the flames to that one building. Three company trucks and a car were charred by the flames. The roof of the warehouse collapsed. Thick, black smoke could be sen by downtown Syracuse shoppers, and by state troopers at their barracks in Cicero. At first, the fear of more explosions kept firemen from getting to close to the blaze. They doused the building from a safe distance away.

 

August 1st, 1973
Truck Fire
Unknown Publication/Author
     Sparks from the exhaust ignited the gas tank while this truck was dumping topsoil at Oak Ridge Mobile Home Park on Tuesday. Quick action on the part of a worker using a bull dozer pushed the vehicle away from two mobile homes. Moyers Corners Fire Deapartment was summoned to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was totally destroyed.

 

August 8th, 1973
The Scotchman News
Man Burned in work mishap
     A workman was burned last week when a machine short-cicuited on a Clay construction job. Ron Woolfort, 21, of 403 Meador Rd., was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital where he was treated for burns to the fingers and released. Clay Policeman Thomas Benedict said the incident occurred while Woolfort was running a machine at Pyramid Construction Co, 4639 Crossroads Park, Clay. Joseph Kimball, a fellow worker, heard Woolfort yell and pulled the plug on the machine. The Moyers Corners ambulance administered oxygen and transported the injured man to the hospital.

 

August 15th, 1973
Clay Parking Needs Law
Unknown Publication/Author
     Town of Clay officials and volunteer firemen are concerned that the increasing traffic in neighborhood shopping centers will some day cause a life to be lost. Now before the Town Board for consideration is an amendment to the Traffic Ordinance which will allow Clay Police to ticket and tow cars parked illegally in fire lanes in shopping centers in the town. However, ordinance will not be in effect at specific shopping centers unless the shopping center management asks that it be enforced. The reason? The shopping centers are private property, so the Police must be “invited” to do the job. Moyers Corners Chief Ed Viel made a strong point for approval of the amendement at last weeks Clay Town board meeting. He noted that a recent fire call could have resulted in a tragedy because fire lanes were blocked by parked cars. When the firemen entered a theater to ask for cooperation in moving the vehicles, they were told by the theater management that nothing could be done because there was no public address system in the theater. What if the theater had been on fire, crowded with children, and the fire lanes around it were blocked? The volunteers also repor that motorists are downright rude when asked to remove their cars from no parking sites in fire lanes. We urge the Clay Town Board to apprive this amendment, and we also ask managers of the various shopping centers in the town to contact Town Hall and request that the parking lots be policed so that fire lanes are kept open and the potential for a life lost by fire is reduced.

 

August 17th, 1973
Letter to Editor, Unknown Publication
Fire Service Tops
     I read with interest the recent letter praising the Moyers Corners Fire Department. The newspapers often carry letters of praise for various local fire agencies. As Chairman of the County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee, I know the excellent work done by our local volunteer firemen. The County’s Fire Control Center has its own staff of experienced dispatchers. Under the overall direction of the County Fire Control Center, the volunteer departments’ are speedily alerted to respond to a call. With this combination of trained dispatchers and dedicated volunteers, the County is a safer place to live. As a resident of the City’s west-side and the elected representative of this area to the County Legislature, I would also like to recognize the fine work of the City Fire Department under the leadership of Chief Thomas Hanlon. The county is indeed fortunate to have both an excellent full-time fire department and capable volunteer fire departments county-wide.

 

Andrew Sturick, Legislature 17th District

 

August 24th, 1973
Unknown Publication/Author
Cave-in Kills Man Aiding Co-worker
     An Elbridge man died yesterday trying to help a coworker in a sewer excavation cave-in in the Town of Clay. Pronounced dead on arrival at State University Hospital was Dale E. Green, 21, of Valley Drive, Elbridge. A spokesman for the county medical examiner’s office said an autopsy was scheduled for this morning. Three other victims were injured. According to Sheriff’s Deputy G. D. Christy, the incident occurred about 3:25 p.m. on Woods Path Road, where excavation for a sewer line was under way. Christy said Green and Walter Terwilliger were outside the 9 foot-deep hole and saw a minor fall of dirt land on Kenneth Molina. The two then jumped into the hole to help Molina and were covered by a larger fall, according to the deputy. The three were buried for “a couple of minutes,” Christy said, before other workers managed to get the men’s faces above the dirt. Green was pronounced dead about 4:30 p.m. by Dr. Howard Austin. Dr. Martin F. Hilfinger Jr., county medical examiner, was scheduled to perform th autopsy. Rescue workers from Moyers Corners and Liverpool helped dig out the trapped men.

 

August 28th, 1973 Syracuse Herald Journal
To the Moyers Corners Fire Department:
     We acknowledge our deep appreciation and thanks to the Moyers Corners Fire Department, which responded to a fire at our home July 28 after it was struck by lightning. Your speedy response prevented a serious fire. Your excellent handling of your equipment and your concern about our personal safety and that of our property are to by highly commended. It takes a special kind of man to do your job.

 

Mr. and Mrs Frank Longo of Liverpool

 

Fire Prevention kick off at the County court house on Columbus Circle, downtown Syracuse
 L-R  Al Slater, unknown, John Mulroy, Bob French, Phil Guinta & George Race

 

September 1973 
Pancake Breakfast pictures

 

September 1st 1973..Call at LHS

 

November 6th, 1973
Unknown Publication/Auther
Car Crash Hurts Youth
     A youth was seriously injured last night in a one-car mishap on State Fair Boulevard near Baldwinsville. Rescue workers from Lakeside, Baldwinsville, and Moyers Corners fire departments worked for more that an hour to free Brian W. Hudson, 20, of Van Ness Road, Baldwinsville, from his car. Hudson was taken to Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital suffering a broken leg and hip and possible skull injuries.

 

December 19th, 1973
Three Rivers Inn Fire
      The fire started at 4am in the morning of December 19th, 1973. Estimated loss was about $800,000. No cause was ever found. Over one-hundred firemen from six volunteer departments withstood temperatures of about 15 degrees, blinding snow and gusting winds while battling the blaze. Besides Moyers Corners firemen, units from Phoenix, Baldwinsville, Clay, Belgium-Cold Springs, and Liverpool were at the scene. On standby were firemen from Mattydale and North Syracuse. The fire started at 4am on December 19th, 1973. Estimated loss was 800k, no cause was found. Over one hundred firefighters from six volunteer fire departments withstood temperatures of 15 degrees wand gusting winds while battling the blaze. Phoenix, Bville, Clay, BCSFD and Liverpool assisted on the scene. On standby were firemen from Mattydale and NSFD

 

December 26th, 1973
Bidding Anticipated for Fire Station
The Post Standard
     The Moyers Corners Fire Department will advertise for bids shortly after the new y ear for a building to replace its fire station on Route 57, just north of Route 31. Cecil Gillespy, assistant chief in charge of the station and chairman of the building committee, said awarding of contracts and the construction schedule will be dependant on how much the building will cost. He said the fire department expects to erect the new structure for $400,000 or $500,000. Specifications will call for a concrete block building capable of housing five or six large pieces of firefighting equipment and a meeting room. He said the building will be constructed on five acres of landthe department owns across Route 57 from the present fire station. Gillespy said the department will borrow money for the construction and the payments will become part of the fire district’s budget which is kept in the black by its fire protection contract with the Town of Clay. He said the department plans to hold on to its presnt side for use at the annual field days.

 

December 29th, 1973
Buildings Set Afire
Unknown Publication
By Robert W. Andrews
     An arsonist – moving from building to building just ahead of firemen – set fire to three brick apartment buildings at Hollyrood Park in Liverpool yesterday afternoon. Still unknown to police, the arsonist used paper and a flammable liquid to start fires in downstairs storage rooms in the three buildings. Attempts in two other buildings were not successful. “Man, you can’t keep up with a nut like that,” said one fireman. “He moves too fast. It takes us longer to put one out than it does him to set it.” The 30 families living in the three apartment buildings were left homeless, but not by fire damage in living quarters. Firemen from six volunteer fire companies kept the flames away from living areas. But the heat and flames destroyed utility meters and wires. “The arsonist left them in the cold and in the dark” said Moyers Corners Fire Chief Edwin Viel whose men were first to arrive at the scene shortly before 1 p.m. “We were over there mopping up when somebody came and said there was another fire,” related the tall, burly fire chief. “So I sent most of my ment to that one. By the time we got that one under control, there was another one.” Chief Viel began searching the area. He said he found the makings of another fire – in a storage room below a laundry room, like the others. “We stopped that one,” he said, noting that by then residents were roaming the area looking for anything suspicious. One resident described the feeling: “You turst your neighbor. But some of your neighbors you don’t know so you begin looking around for anything that might be suspicious.” No one doubted that there was at least one and maybe more arsonists at work. “There was no lightning or thunderstorms,” reasoned Chief Viel. “Go didn’t do it and those things don’t start by themselves.” Clay and state police were left in a quandary about who started the fires and why. “We just have no idea,” said one Clay Policeman. Investigators theorized that the terrorist slipped into the easty-to-enter buildings through a door leading into a laundry room. The terrorist, after watching firemen sweat at one fire, rushed from one building to another, stopping at the ones easiest to enter, police speculated. All three fires were set between 1 and 3 p.m. Under the direction of Chief Viel, Moyers Corners volunteer firemen were aided by firemen from Liverpool, Clay, Phoenix, Mattydale and Hinsdale. “Our biggest worry was getting into the places where the flames were,” said Chief Viel. “It was like a box..fire on all sides. Now my men had to enter that box. How?” The chief’s solution was to punch a hole in the fllor of the laundry rooms, thus allowing firemen to pour water into the “box”. Inside the room, firemen found thick, black smoke. Using masks, the firemen entered the burned areas and moved carefully on the smouldering floor. Residents who had rushed out of the apartments stood watching the firemen, wonderin if they would have to leave their apartments. They soon found out. Peter Tinnesy, apartment manager, said residents could live in the complex clubhouse. “We’re serving stew and hot coffee,” he said. “We’re also looking into housing at other apartment complexes in the area and into emergency services.”. Clay police said they are also investigating a “suspicious fire” which broke out at about 9 p.m. at the Norstar Apartments in Liverpool. The fire, which did not spread, began in the third floor maintenance room of Building 1.

 

 

 

1974

 

Chief Edwin Viel
 First Assistant Chief: Cecil Gillespy
Second Assistant Chief Robert French
Captains:  1st Captain Ted Kriese, 2nd  Captain Chet Fritz, 3rd Captain Fred Harke., 4th Captain Fred Bressette, 
5th  Captain Dick Hunter, 6th Phil Guinta. 
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant Ken Brand Jr., 2nd  Lieutenant Fred Liebi, 3rd Lieutenant Bernie English,  4th Lieutenant Robert Casler,  5th Lieutenant Dave Dirk, 6th Lieutenant Dick Valmore

 

Executive Board
 President Phil Brand
Vice President Dave Ferguson

 

Fire Police: Captain Company 1 Leo McWithey, Company 2 Will Michelson

 

Auxiliary
President Alice Haney, Vice President Betty Hanlon, Secretary Clara Marshall, Correspondence Secretary Barbara Brand, Treasurer Joyce Bressette

 

Auxiliary notes: Purchased new dishes for the new firehouse. The name of the dishes were “Black Lace” and a service for 216 cost $2,358.98. Other expenditures included paying half of new marching uniforms. Some firemen completed a new heart course and a dinner was put on to honor them. Gift baskets and clothes were collected to help out a family whose home was burned on Gaskin Road.

 

New Station: Station 1

 

New Apparatus: 1974 Dodge/Horton, Modular Type Ambulance, A1

 

     New Year’s Eve, and early New Year’s morning, saw two fires break out in the area of three arson related fires earlier in the week. Belmont Gardens and Morgan Gardens are very close to Hollyrood Park, the scene of last week’s fires, but the Clay Police believe the fires are not related. The Morgan Gardens fire has been blamed on a man who fell asleep while watching television with a cigarette still burning. Four people sustained minor injuries in the fire. The Belmont Gardens fire began about 7:30 p.m. and was under control within ten minutes. The fire, of undetermined origin, was confined to a second floor apartment, but residents of five neighboring apartments were forced to seek lodgings elsewhere because the power and heat for their apartments were disconnected. Ed Viel, Moyers Corners fire chief, says that his men were fighting to keep up with an arsonist earlier in the week, but, as Viel mentioned, the arsonist could set them faster than the firemen could put them out.

 

January 7th, 1974
     Bids are expected to be sought shortly for the construction of a new fire station on Route 57, just north of Route 31, for the Moyers Corners Fire Department. Awarding of the contracts and the construction schedule for the new building depends, according to Assistant Chief Cecil Gillespy, on how much the bids are. The chief is in charge of the station and is chairman of the building committee. Moyers Corners firemen expect the structure to cost between $400,000 and $500,000. Specifications call for a concrete block building capable of housing fix or six large pieces of apparatus and a meeting room. Chief Gillespy said the building will be constructed on five acres of land the department owns across Route 57 from the present fire station. He said the department will hold onto the property at the present station site for use at its annual field days, but no decision has been made on what to do with the building. The chief said the department plans to borrow money for the construction and payments will become part of the fire district’s budget. He said the budget is kept in the black by the department’s fire protection contract with the Town of Clay.

 

Building Committee – George Sahm, Cecil Gillespy, Fred Liebi, Dave Dirk, George Race, Robert Casler
Design- Chase Architecture Associates Contractor – J.R. Gallagher

 

January 30th, 1974
Ladies Auxiliary signed a contract with the Women’s Clubs Publishing Company, Inc out of Chicago,Illinois to publish a cookbook.

 

March 1974
Moyers Corners took delivery of a new cardiac ambulance for 23K. MCFD is the only ambulance in the county with this type of ambulance. Ten members of the department are taking a 72 hour course in cardiac skills. The fire department purchased this vehicle because it received more than 600 ambulance calls last year, a majority of which were cardiac cases.

 

March 12th, 1974
Herald Journal
     Liverpool firemen, aided by Mattydale and Moyers Corners units, put out a blaze that erupted in the former Liverpool Public Library and school district office at about 6:45 p.m. yesterday. About 50 firefighters were aided by Explorer Scouts who directed traffic and coiled hoses. The building, vacated last summer, was to have been demolished this spring to make way for new library on the Second and Tulip Streets side. Three firemen were injured fighting the blaze.

 

March 27, 1974
Baldwinsville Messenger
     Ground was broken last week for a new fire station for the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department. The new building will be located at Rt. 31 and Moyers Corners, across from the present station. It will house the ambulance and four fire trucks, along with meeting room, recreation room, kitchen and Other utility areas. To be constructed of concrete block with brick veneer, the floors will be built of concrete and the fireproof structure will be completely sprinklered. Construction has begun and occupancy is slated for late fall. Firemen on the building committee include Philip Brand, Gillespy,  committee chairman. George Sahm, Fred Liebi. George Race. David Dirk, Gary Adams, Robert Casler and Sy Bart. Architect for the building is Chase Architectural Associates of North Syracuse and the contractor is J R Gallagher Construction Corp Inc. of Syracuse

 

NEW FIREHOUSE. The  artists rendering of the new Moyers Corners Fire Department building, now under construction at Rt. 31 and Moyers Corners. Completion of the structure Is expected by fall.

 

June 1974
Station 1 Grand Opening
The auxiliary purchased a complete set of Syracuse China and new cookware, toasters, coffee makers and other supplies for the new commercial-type kitchen. Before that, odd pieces of china were used. 

 

July 5th, 1974
     An estimated 56 persons suffered heat exhaustion as high temperatures and humidity mixed with holiday celebrations. Fifty of those downed by the unrelenting heat were struck while attending the Moyers Corners firemen’s field days. About ten thousand Fourth of July frolickers turned out for a parade at the field days. A field day’s spokesman said seven required hospital treatment. Three ambulances had been placed on standby at the Moyers Corners field days but three more ambulances were brought in later in the day as more and more of the parade watchers and fairgoers fell victim to the heat.

 

July 17th, 1974
     Explorer Post 209 of Moyers Corners Fire Department won the annual county-wide pushball tournament held recently at the MCFD Field Days. The same group won the tournament last year. The team consisted of Karl Matson, Jim Falk, Chuck Connor and Tom Mann. Post 209’s second team of Jerry Erb, Rick Beebe, Dick Robson and Tom McKearney took second place.

 

October 16th, 1974
The Baldwinsville Messenger 
     Moyers Corners Firemen participated in the parade and demonstration at Baldwinsville in connection with the fire prevention week, Sunday afternoon. Units from the Northern section were involved. Each company gave a demonstration of something to do with fire fighting or rescue operation. Moyers Corners demonstrated their Cardiac Unit in the ambulance which has been used many times already during theshort time it has been in operation

 

November 6th, 1975
Husband run over after argument
Herald Journal
     A Town of Clay man remains in critical condition after police said his wife ran over him following a family dispute. Herbert O. Samuels, 37, of 9340 Horseshoe Road, is in the intensive care unit of Memorial Hospital. Officials said he has been in a coma since being admitted early Saturday with multiple head injuries, two broken legs and fractured ribs. Clay Patrolman William Peyok said Samuels’ wife, Barbara D. Samuels, 33, was arrested on charges of first degree recless endangerment and first degree assault. Peyok said witnesses told Clay Police Mrs. Samuels operated her car in a reckless manner and ran her husband down near the Steak & Bake Restaurant in Three Rivers. Peyok said that Samuels’ car traveled more than 200 feet from the point of impact before Mrs. Samuels stopped the car. Samuels was rushed to the hospital by Moyers Corners Ambulance. Mrs. Samuels was arraigned before Clay Justice Harry Heath, who ordered her held at the Public Safety Building without bail. Peyok said the incident followed an apparent family fight at a nearby bar. Clay Public Safety Commissioner Ralph Bagnett, Sgt. Thomas Bottar and Patrolman vince Marano assisted in the investigation. 

 

The auxiliary held their first big “bazaar”.

 

 

 

1975

 

Chief Edwin Viel
 First Assistant Chief: Cecil Gillespy
Second Assistant Chief Robert French
Captains: 
1st Captain Chet Fritz, 2nd  Captain Dick Hunter, 3rd Captain Ken Brand Jr., 4th Captain Fred Bressette, 5th  Captain Fred Liebi, 6th Phil Guinta. 
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant Richard Valmore, 2nd  Lieutenant Chester Romanick, 3rd Lieutenant Charles Romanick,  4th Lieutenant Loren Earle,  5th Lieutenant Bernie English, 6th Lieutenant George Race

 

 

 

Executive Board
 President William Arnold
Vice President Dave Ferguson
Secretary Steve Rubacky, Assistant Secretary Larry George
Treasurer Ralph “Red” Cinnamon

 

Fire Police:  Company 1:  Leo McWithey, Company 2: Will Michelson

 

Auxiliary: President Alice Haney, Vice President Betty Hanlon, Secretary Clara Marshall, Correspondence Secretary Barbara Brand, Treasurer Joyce Bressette

 

Explorers: Richard Beebe, Steven Erb, Jerry Erb, Peter Erbland, Howard Loveless, Karl Matson, Tom McKearny, Jim Moore, Dick Robson, Dave Rodman.

 

     The new firehouse was dedicated on May 18th. Purchases for the new firehouse included drapes, three utility carts, coffee maker, waitress stand and freezer. In addition, two doctor bags for the two ambulances were purchased and a $500 check was sent to the new Burn Unit at Upstate Medical Center. Being the bicentennial year, material was purchased and aprons made which consisted of red and white stripes with blue trimming. Marchers were very active this year and won first place at Central Square and Pulaski, second place at Scriba and North Chittenango, and third place at North Syracuse and Pennellville.

 

May 18th, 1975 –
Dedication of Moyers Corners Station 1
Design: Chase Architecture Associates
Contractor: J.R. Gallagher
Building Committee: Robert Casler, Dave Dirk, Cecil Gillespy, Fred Liebi, George Race, George Sahm

 

“This station is dedicated to the Past, Present and Future members of this department”
Ribbon Cutting:
County Executive: John Mulroy
Town of Clay Supervisor: Ernest Castle
Moyers Corners Fire Chief: Edwin Viel
Moyers Corners President: William Arnold

 

July 2nd, 1975
The Post-Standard
Train Ignites Grass by Track
     A Penn Central train traveling south yesterday afternoon through the Town of Clay generated a half-dozen grass fires near Ver Plank Road, Moyers Corners Fire Department reported. The series of small fires extended on both sides of the railroad track for about three-quarters of a mile, according to David Hess of the Moyers Corners Fire Department.

 

 

 

July 6th, 1975
     It was wall to wall people for the second day in a row at the Moyers Corners Volunteer Firemen’s field days. Youngsters had more than 30 rides to choose from on the midway. Those who wanted to test their strength instead, there was a water hose competition. The July 4th parade had more than 1500 spectators. The three day event ends with a fireworks display.

 

August 10th, 1975
Syracuse Herald-American
Invalid Rescued
     According to the officer, who was the first one at the scene, flames shooting 30 feet into the air could be seen for miles. Marano said when he arrived he had to administer oxygen to Barbara because she had begun to have an asthma attack. He added that she did not require hospital treatment. Two firefighters though were taken to State University Hospital by Moyers Corners Ambulance, Marano said, for treatment of cuts received when an unknown object fell on them. Rick Cooper was treated for a cut above his eye while Fred Liebi was treated for a slash to his hand. Both firemen are from the Moyers Corners Fire Department and were released after treatment. Moyers Corners Asst. Fire Chief Cecil Gillespy said the blaze was quickly brought under control but not before it destroyed more than half of the trailer. Assisting Moyers Corners were firefighters from Liverpool and Phoenix. According to Marano, Mr. arid Mrs. Ronald Starusnak were out celebrating their wedding anniversary at the time the fire broke out.

 

October 2nd, 1975
Firemen Ceremonies
Herald-Journal
An 80-foot aerial platform truck from the Moyers Corners Fire Department will respond to the Onondaga County Court House tomorrow at II a.m. to kick off Fire Prevention Week. The ceremonies will include County Executive John Mulroy signing a proclamation naming Oct. 5-11 as Fire Prevention Week. Mulroy will present the proclamation to Onondaga Fire Chiefs Association President Kenneth Glazier and Willis

 

Hochgesang, president of the Onondaga County Volunteer Firemen's Association, after they are lifted by the aerial platform to the third floor portico of the court house. Also participating in the ceremonies will be an amphibious vehicle from the Brewerton Fire Department and an antique fire pumper from the Belgium-Cold Springs Fire Department.

 

PICTURES

 

 

 

1976

 

Chief Edwin Viel
 First Assistant Chief: Robert French
Second Assistant Chief Cecil Gillespy
Captains:  1st Captain Chet Fritz, 2nd  Captain Fred Harke, 3rd Captain Fred Bressette, 4th Captain Phil Guinta, 
5th  Captain Fred Liebi, 6th Captain Ken Brand Jr. 
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant George Race, 2nd  Lieutenant Richard Valmore, 3rd Lieutenant Chester Romanick, 4th Lieutenant Dave Ferguson,  5th Lieutenant Neil “Bud” Neuman, 6th Lieutenant Charles Romanick

 

 

 

Executive Board
 President William Arnold
Vice President George Fulton
Secretary Richard Perkins, Assistant Secretary Rick Jones
Treasurer Larry George, Assistant Treasurer Mike Derbyshire

 

Fire Police:  Captains Leo McWithey, Will Michelson

 

 

 

Auxiliary: President Alice Haney, Vice President Gretchen Griffith, Secretary Clara Marshall, Correspondence Secretary Alice Jones, Treasurer Nancy Perkins 
Activities this year included raising money for the Burn Unit and Ambulance Fund Drive. Six new tables were purchased, and also a trailer sign for the front of the firehouse at a cost of $1,425. We helped the firemen at their pancake breakfast, their Banana Split sale at Seneca Mall, and put on a lunch for an all day seminar they had

 

Explorer Post 209

 

Advisor Richard Erb

 

Explorers: Rich Beebe, Don Brosh, Gary Burkhart, Steve Eberl, Jerry Erb, Steve Erb, Pete Lemoniades, Karl Matson, Tom McKearney, Dan McNulty, Chris Naum, Dick Robson, Dave Rodman, Bob Swahn, Paul Wiedeman

 

1976 had 45 firemen in both firehouses. There was a waiting list to become a member.

 

New Apparatus: 
Twin  1976 Hahn engines - one designated TP5 and housed at Station Two replacing the 1963 Hahn, the other TP6 and housed at Station One replacing the 1960 Ward Lafrance.  TP5 eventually was shipped to E-one for glider kit (to be engine 11), before shipping, the front of the cab was cut off to build an entertainment center

 

1. During this time the 1963 Hahn was completely rehabed by Sanford Fire Apparatus. TP-6 eventually became Engine 12

 

New Apparatus: 1976 Ambulance 2

 

 

 

January 28th, 1976
The Baldwinsville Messenger – Progress Edition
“Moyers Corners opens ‘most modern’ firebarn
     The year 1975 has been a big one for the Moyers Corners Fire Department. To serve the residents of its fire district better, Moyers Corners expanded its facilities this year and the new fire barn on Rt. 57, designed by Chase Architectural Firm, is the most modern and unique fire department in New York State. The new building incorporates room for eight pieces of firefighting apparatus, has a room for dispatching equipment and includes a dormitory for the full-time ambulance crew. The ambulance service is now manned full-time during the night hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for the fastest possible response to emergency calls. A new ambulance will go into service late in February, giving the department two cardiac rigs to better serve the community. Also on order for the Moyers Corners Fire Dept. are two new "Haun" tanker pumpers to give adequate protection to the ever-growing number of houses and apartment buildings in the fire district. On the drawing boards are plans for a Station No. 3 to be located in the south-eastern part of the district. Training is a never-ending part of the fire department and in 1975, more than 15 new emergency medical technicians and five new paramedics were added to the department. Several of the men are working towards degrees in fire science at Onondaga Community College and extra courses are continually being scheduled by Onondaga County and New York State Fire Control in fire fighting, tactics, prevention and new equipment. This is all made possible, of course, by you, the public. Fire department personnel credit the people of the fire district with "terrific support" which is greatly appreciated. Fund-raising events such as the field days in July, smokers in the fall and the annual ambulance fund drive in September have received tremendous support and through these funds and contributions, the Moyers Corners firemen have been given the means to give area residents the finest in fire protection

 

February 1st, 1976
Herald American
Twenty escape Hollyrood Fire
     Twenty Town of Clay residents had to be evacuated when a fire heavily damaged the second floor of one apartment in a row of townhouses at Hollyrood Park shortly before midnight. Town of Clay Police Officer Vince Murano, who was first on the scene, said he went through each of the four apartments in the unit and escorted the families to safety. The blaze started in a bedroom of the Richard Stanton residence at 2 Grant Court, off Grampian Road. Stanton, his wife, Louella, and four children, Richard, 14, Keith, 12. Shelly, 2, and Kim, two months, were taken to the home of nearby friends, police said. Moyers Corners volunteers had the fire under control within 15 minutes using the department's aerial ladder truck to pour water through the second floor roof. The Stanton townhouse is the second in a row of four attached homes. The second floor of this unit was heavily damaged by flames, with smoke and water damage reported to the units on each side, according to Sgt. Nelson Whitmore. Several weapons and rounds of ammunition belonging to Stanton were carried from the home to prevent their possible explosion during the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation by Town of Clay Police and Moyers Corners Fire Chief Ed Viel.

 

February 2nd, 1976
Herald-Journal
Several Pile-ups
    State police at North Syracuse worked to keep up with a flurry of multi-car piles-ups in the towns of Clay and Cicero. Off-duty troopers were called in to help investigate the accidents, several of which involved injuries, officials said. In one accident on Route 57 near the Moyers Corners fire department, a Clay Policeman was among the injured.

 

May 23rd, 1976
A 30-lb. turkey will be first prize in three archery divisions May 22, when the Moyers Corners Fire Department hosts its 1st Annual Turkey Shoot for archers. Three classes of bowmanship will be featured with top five scores in each category earning a- turkey. Class are hunting bow with broadhead, tournament bow with target arrows and compound bow with field tip or target arrows. Archery equipment will be given away during the shoot which begins at 11 a.m. Entries must be submitted by May 21 at Burdick's CMC Truck Center at Moyer's Corners. Entry is $3 per class.  For further information contact Warren Shields at 652- 3764.

 

July 4th, 1976
Parade, pictures
The three mile parade along Route 57 began at 4 p.m. and lasted more than an hour. Sponsored by the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department to kick off its field days, the parade contained more than 40 units. Twenty-seven of the units represented fire departments and auxiliaries. The march began at Three Rivers and continued to the firehouse, just north of Route 57 and 31. Eleven bands participated, placed at intervals in the long chain of marchers, fire apparatus, staff cars, horses and fire engines of the Cociete des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux. Moyers Corners Fire Lt. D.L. Dirk was parade marshal. Other officials included Clay Supervisor Loxley Firth, Town Justice Harry Heath and Sheriff Corbett, whose mobile radio van and color guard also participated. Four fighters of the Air National Guard at Hancock Field graced the event with flyovers.

 

July 11th, 1976
Herald American
Firemen respond to ‘brandy’ fire
     When fumes from a fallen brandy bottle led to a fire in a rug in a Town of Clay home yesterday, three area fire departments seemed eager to respond. Answering the call after several confusing exchanges over the county fire radio was a tanker-pumper from Moyers Corners Station 2, located not far from the residence of Charles H. Quackenbush Jr., 27 Nectarine Lane, Bayberry. Moyers Corners Capt. Edward Coon said most of the department's Station 2 firemen were having a clambake behind the station when the signal went out at 3:53 p.m. Phoenix and Liverpool units, covering Moyers Corners calls during the clambake, automatically responded, a fire control spokesman said.  When the Moyers Corners "skeleton crew" on duty heard how close the fire was, however, it handled the call, along with a Liverpool engine. The fire control dispatcher, returned the Phoenix truck, en-route to the fire, back to its station. Capt. Coon said the fire started when a bottle of brandy fell on a rug and fumes were ignited by a nearby hot water heater. Firemen dragged the rug outside and hosed it down. No injuries or other damage were reported.

 

September 22nd, 1976
article picture
Jake and Selma Latiff presented a check for 1000 dollars to Ed Viel, Chief of the Moyers Corners Fire department, Dick Griffith, paramedic, and Gary Stefanini, emergency medical technician. Griffith and Stefanini saved Mr. Latiff’s life on May 22nd, 1976 when he suffered a heart attack at the Liverpool Golf Course. The check to the volunteer fire department was Latiff’s way of thanking the men who saved his life.

 

 

 

1977

 

Chief Edwin Viel
 First Assistant Chief: Robert French
Second Assistant Chief Fred Harke
Captains: 1st Captain Chet Fritz, 2nd  Captain Fred Bressette, 3rd Captain Fred Liebi, 4th Captain George Race, 5th  Captain Ken Brand Jr., 6th Captain Bud Neuman 
Lieutenants:1st Lieutenant Dave Ferguson, 2nd  Lieutenant Chester Romanick, 3rd Lieutenant Palmer (Mike) App, 4th Lieutenant Charles Romanick,  5th Lieutenant Dave Dirk, 6th Lieutenant Scott Rodgers

 

Executive Board
 President William Arnold
Vice President George Fulton
Secretary Larry George, Assistant Secretary Rick Jones
Treasurer Ralph “Red” Cinnamon, Assistant Treasurer Mike Derbyshire

 

Fire Police:  Captains Leo McWithey, Will Michelson

 

Auxiliary: President Gretchen Griffith, Vice President Louise Ferguson, Secretary Clara Marshall, Correspondence Secretary Charlotte Neal, Treasurer Joyce Bressette

 

The girl’s pushball team won second place at Caughdenoy and Cicero and third place at Belgium Cold Springs and Plainville. Marchers won first place at Mattydale, second place at Minetto, East Syracuse, Liverpool and Plainville, and third place at the county convention. Four weddings were put on this year, in addition to the bazaar and rummage sale. Purchases this year included water jugs, a food processor, and cabinet for the auxiliary office. Life membership cards were also purchases for members qualifying for one.

 

Cecil gillespy received a past chief badge

 

February 27, 1977
Herald Journal
Meet to discuss new firehouse
     The Moyers Corners Fire Department plans to build a new firehouse on Bear Road and residents of the Town of Clay will meet at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the town hall to discuss the purchase of property for the proposed firehouse. Clay Commissioner of Planning and Development James Keefe said the proposed firehouse is to be located on property on Bear Road bounded by the Briarwood Tract and the Autumn Wood Manor tract. Keefe said the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the purchase of the property with residents since some are opposed to the location while others are in favor of it. Fire Chief Edward Veal Jr., according to Keefe, will be on hand to answer questions on the need for the firehouse at the location. The purchase price for the property is $27,000 and the plans have already been approved by the State Division of Fire Service and the Onondaga County Planning Agency. Keefe said the firehouse will house two tanker pumpers.

 

February 28th, 1977
Moyers Corners Chief To Plug for Station
The Post-Standard
     A meeting of Moyers Corners firemen and Briarwood and Autumnwood Manor development residents will be at 7:30 p.m. today at the Clay Town Hall. Clay Planning Commissioner James Keefe said the firemen want to construct a second fire station on Bear Road, between the two developments. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Edwin Viel said his men will be at the meeting to explain the need for a second fire station and why the Bear Road location was chosen. Chief Viel also is expected to tell the fire station near their homes. The station is proposed to be on five acres along Bear Road between Buckley and Taft roads. The cost of the property is estimated at $27,000 and, according to Keefe, no zoning changes or approvals are required for the construction of a fire station there. County and state planners have recommended that the Moyers Corners Fire Department construct a second fire station to cover its growing area.

 

April 29th, 1977
The Post-Standard
‘Daredevil’ Didn’t Dare
     Volunteers from the Moyers Corners Fire Department used their snorkel truck  yesterday to rescue  a youthful Bayberry daredevil from his perch in a maple tree. "He was up pretty high,” said Mrs. Sharon Davidson of 7721 Fireside Drive, speaking of her 4-year-old son, Jamie. The boy climbed  the tree behind 4214 Fireside Drive, Mrs. Davidson said, "to show his friends how high he could climb." Jamie climbed high enough, according to neighbors on the scene, to discourage his willingness to  attempt the climb back down.  Volunteers in the department's 46-foot cherry picker  plucked Jamie, uninjured, from the tree at about 5:30 p.m., officials said.

 

 June 19th, 1977
Herald Journal
Woman dies, 5 hurt in crashes
     A Liverpool woman was killed and five other persons were injured, one seriously, in two violent car accidents yesterday afternoon which Onondaga County Sheriff's deputies attributed partly to slick road conditions. Mrs. Jodele T. DeValk, 30, 4807 Glencrest Ave., died around 10 p.m. last night from injuries received when the car she was driving was struck broadside by a car carrying three persons on Henry Clay Boulevard. Deputies said Mrs. DeValk had just pulled her car onto the boulevard from Glencrest Avenue when the northbound car driven by Daniel Vault, 21, of 6343 Collamer Drive, East Syracuse, struck her  broadside. The two cars then spun around and hit each other again, police said. Moyers Corners Fire Department personnel worked for an hour to free the four victims from the twisted wreckage. A spokesman at St. Joseph's Hospital said Mrs. DeValk died from multiple injuries to the head, abdomen and leg around 10 p.m., roughly five hours after the spectacular collision.

 

September 12th, 1977
The Post-Standard
Let Us Spray
     The Moyers Corners Fire Department responds from up high Sunday afternoon to a simulated fire in the packaging warehouse at the Schlitz Brewery in Radisson. The simulation required firemen to put out the "blaze" as well as take care of "injured" workers at the plant. Six other fire departments reported for the exercise, which involved more than 25 pieces of fire fighting apparatus and about 125 firemen. The Radio Amateur Communications Corp. of the Onondaga County Communications Corp. furnished supplemental radio communications.

 

September 
Steelway Blvd Fire
1977 Steelway Boulevard – Picture of Fred Bressette and crew 

 

November 1977
Second annual holiday fire safety program at Seneca Mall shopping center. Firemen will answer any questions from persons on how fires and accidents which occur frequently during the holiday season can be prevented.

 

The Clay Police Department and Safety Committee have compiled a list of gift suggestions for the man and

 

woman who have everything." Members will be on hand to demonstrate and answer questions about such items as smoke detectors, one-inch dead bolts and timers  being suggested as stocking stuffers. Literature covering toy safety and other holiday safety topics related to children also will be available.

 

November 22nd, 1977
PARAMEDICS HELP OUT, Teaching "civilians" the techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), paramedics James Colbert of the Enterprise Fire Company 1 in Phoenix and Capt. Fred Liebi of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department demonstrate how to use "Recording Annie”

 

 

 

1978

 

Chief Edwin Viel
 First Assistant Chief: Robert French
Second Assistant Chief 
Third Assistant Chief 
Captains: 
1st Captain, 2nd  Captain, 3rd Captain, 4th Captain, 5th  Captain, 6th Captain, 7th Captain, 8th Captain, 9th Captain 
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant, 2nd  Lieutenant, 3rd Lieutenant, 4th Lieutenant,  5th Lieutenant, 6th Lieutenant 

 

Executive Board
President 
Vice President 
Secretary, Assistant Secretary 
Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer

 

Fire Police:  Captain

 

Auxiliary:  President Betty Hanlon, Vice President Gretchen Griffith, Secretary Martha Arnold, Correspondence Secretary Debbie Neuman, Treasurer Joyce Bressette

 

     Twenty-five year pin was awarded to Lorraine Sahm. Life Membership cards were given to Clara Marshall, Alice Haney, Louise Gillespy, Hattie Karker, Mary Mackey, Doris Jackson, Eleanor Oakes, Lorraine Sahm, Margaret Rybinski, Katie Schmidt and Bernadine Loreman.$1000 was sent to the firemen for their ambulance fund drive and food was furnished for the firemen during their drive. A children’s Christmas party was held for seventy children on December 10th and a $2 gift was purchased for each child. A luncheon was made and transported to the people of the Plaza Nursing Home and was enjoyed very much by all. The post of Auxiliary Historian was created and Joyce Ludwig was appointed. A plaque for Clara Marshall was presented to her for 24 years of service and being Secretary for the years of 1950, 1954-1963 and 1965-1977.

 

April 9th, 1978

701 University Avenue, Syracuse

Michael Petragnani, while performing his duties as a member of the Syracuse Fire Department Rescue Company, was killed in the Line of Duty. Petragnani was also a member of Moyers Corners, assigned to Station 2. While operating on the third floor inside, a scalding steam caused by triggered sprinklers prevented the four firefighters from escaping, and they eventually depleted their air supply and suffocated to death. The firefighters were operating with full PPE that was complaint at that time (1978) and were utilizing state-of-the art SCBA in the form of the new 4.5 SCBA systems. All the tenants had escaped safely before the fire fighters had entered the house. The fire was subsequently investigated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) at the request of the City of Syracuse and NFPA Report No. LS-3 was published.

 

September 14th, 1978
Herald Journal
Crash kill B’ville man
     A Baldwinsville man was killed and his brother was seriously injured when the pickup truck in which they were riding slammed into the rear of a parked vehicle on Bonstead Road in town of Clay this morning. Pronounced dead at the scene was Raymond Hawkins, 36. of Smokey Hollow Road. His brother, Richard, 32, of Hannibal, was listed in stable condition with multiple injuries at St. Joseph's Hospital. Trooper S-E. Weidman said Richard Hawkins was driving east on Bonstead Road about 7:30 a.m. when he apparently became blinded by the early morning sun. Weidman said the pickup truck crashed into the rear of a large farm truck parked on the shoulder of the road. The impact forced the second truck off into a nearby field. The trooper said the brothers were * pinned in the wreckage until extricated by members of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department. The driver was taken to the hospital by Moyers Corners ambulance. The parked vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the crash and was waiting to be loaded with farm produce from the nearby field. Investigation into the accident was continuing by state police.

 

 

 

Sept 18, 1978
Herald Journal
Smoke detector avoids injuries
     A smoke detector installed just three weeks ago was instrumental in saving six Liverpool residents from serious injure or death early today, according to Robert French first assistant, fire chief in the Moyers Corners Fire Department.  French said William Faulkrod, his wife, three children and a tenant were awakened by the smoke detector in their two family home about 5 am The six persons called authorities and escaped the home safely.  Volunteers from the Moyers Corners unit confined the  flames to a first floor den, which fire fighters believe was ignited bv a faulty electrical desk lamp. French said the fire apparently was smoldering for some time and would have continued to spread to the rest of the house if the smoke detector had not gone off. alerting the residents Although the fire was confined to the den the house suffered smoke and water damage firefighters noted 

 

Sept 20, 1978
The Baldwinsville Messenger– They’re counting on you
      $50,000 - that's the amount of money needed by the men of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department Ambulance Corps to make ends meet during the next year - and they're looking to you, the residents of their coverage 'area, for help. The area is a large one, totaling 34 square miles and ranging from the Long Branch Rd. vicinity on the south to Three Rivers in the north. They also serve the residents from the Belgium Bridge to the Taft Rd. Wegman's store and In all made some 1,500 calls last year to aid residents in those boundaries. Being a member of the ambulance service isn’t the easiest thing in the world. In fact, just getting in requires that one first past the rigid test for a volunteer fireman. As Dave Costello, lieutenant in charge of the ambulance service told us, "We're firemen first." But fortunately for the people living in the MCFD area, they're also proud to be a part of the "ambulance team. What does that mean? A lot. For example, they spend one night every three weeks at the fire house, located on Rt. 57 near the intersection of Rt. 31. Over 8700 hours of service manning the 10p.m. to 6a.m. shift were tallied in the past year. In addition, the men must be ready to respond when the siren is activated- and as stated before, that happened 1,500 times last year. Then there’s the training. Each crew consists of a driver who is trained in the techniques of safe high speed travel; an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) who must complete and pass an 81 hour course plus an eight hour stint in a hospital emergency room; and a paramedic.

 

     Just like on "Emergency" might be a good term to describe the work of the MCFD paramedic and although they aren't as well known as Gage or DeSoto, they're every bit as competent. The main difference is that when they take the .call that someone has been injured at your home, it isn't play acting. You can be certain that when Dave Costello and his crew reach your home,, they're possessing the latest equipment, and the most current training" available. Every paramedic that leaves on a call has completed the EMT course as described above plus an additional 120 hours in classroom training and 32 hours of specialized hospital training. "Our goal," says Costello, "is $50,000. This year we are asking each resident to double their last year's contribution. “We hope you agree that keeping first class emergency medical aid only minutes away and free of charge is a good investment. Please confirm this conviction when our volunteers knock at your door." What will the $50,000 be used for'' Day to day expenses for one. Purchase of supplies and maintenance of vehicles cost the department nearly $21,000 last year. Replacement of the second cardiac equipped ambulance is also in the budget - to the tune of $40,000. The used vehicle has been sold and will be replaced in the near future. It has over 90,000 miles of service and has required four major transmission repairs. The men of Moyers Corners need you. Their record is an excellent one; their dedication is unquestionable. All they need is the dollars and they're looking for your help. 

 

September 21st, 1978
Ambulance Open House, pictures

 

The auxiliary donated $1000.00 to the ambulance fund drive. The also held luncheons at the Plaza Nursing Home.

 

November 17th, 1978
Mixed Smoker, pictures 

 

November 20th, 1978
Officials Say Smoke Detector Saved Lives in L’pool Blaze
The Post-Standard
     A smoke detector was credited with saving the lives of a Liverpool couple whose home was extensively damaged by fire Sunday morning. Michael and Karen Sitnik were awakened about 10 a m. by the alarm from a smoke detector in their raised ranch home at 4760 Glencrest Road, according to a spokesman for the Moyers Corners Fire Department. Finding the lower level of the home fully involved in flames, they escaped andcalled the fire department. When firefighters arrived three minutes later, the fire had already spread to the upstairs bedroom "Absolutely" replied the spokesman when asked whether the smoke detector had saved the Sitniks' lives. The spokesman said Sitnik, a 29-year old Syracuse policeman, fully agrees with that assessment. The fire was caused by a candle left burning after a party in the first-floor family room Saturday night, according to the spokesman.  The party didn't end until 5 am. Sunday and the Sitniks would have slept well past 10am, had they not been awakened by the smoke alarm, the spokesman said About 50 Moyers Corners firefighters worked for 30 minutes to bring the fire under control. Firefighters from Liverpool and Phoenix stood by at the Moyers Corners station

 

 

 

December 1978
Vehicle extrication training, pictures

 

 

 

1979

 

Chief 
 First Assistant Chief: 
Second Assistant Chief 
Third Assistant Chief 
Captains: 
1st Captain, 2nd  Captain, 3rd Captain, 4th Captain, 5th  Captain, 6th Captain, 7th Captain, 8th Captain, 9th Captain 
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant, 2nd  Lieutenant, 3rd Lieutenant, 4th Lieutenant,  5th Lieutenant, 6th Lieutenant 

 

Executive Board
 President Ralph “Red” Cinnamon
Vice President 
Secretary, Assistant Secretary 
Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer

 

Fire Police:  Captain

 

Auxiliary: President Betty Hanlon, Vice President Charlotte Neal, Secretary Martha Arnold, Correspondence Secretary Pat Blake, Treasurer Joyce Bressette. Activities this year included a Harvest Dinner, Rummage Sale, Pie and Bread Sale, Fashion Show, two weddings, and a retirement party

 

     The tremendous growth and increase in alarm activities, and the need for timely response to the furthest southern area of the department’s district identified the need for an additional fire station. Forover thirty years, the department operated as a two station department; this changed with the construction and apparatus assignments to Fire Station Three.

 

     As the station was under construction in the late 1970’s, new personnel were recruited to man this fire station. These new firefighters reported to Station Two for an extended period of time prior to the completion of Station Three, in order to receive the appropriate training and gain operational experience. These personnel, as well as the existing Station Two personnel who lived in the newly established Station Three response area, would eventually compromise the station’s membership. As the area to the southeast grew more populated with residences and a large industrial park, protection for that area also became marginal and the third station was built in 1979.

 

Station 3 Construction
Kazmirski and Montani

 

Auxiliary held a Spaghetti Supper to supply the kitchen for Station 3. They also started helping the firemen with their pancake breakfasts on Sunday mornings.

 

1979 Letter to Town of Clay Residents
Dear Resident,

 

This year our Fire Department is undertaking a very aggressive Ambulance Fund Drive campaign with the hope of attaining a total contribution goal of $55,500. This total represents an increase of nearly 60% over the contributions received last year, largely due to inflation, the need to immediately replace one of our existing ambulances, and spiraling costs of supplies and equipment. Our goal must be reached if Moyers Corners is to continue to maintain the high level of professionalism that we have tried to display in past years.

 

Accomplishments

 

For the first time in New York State, our major insurance carrier has agreed to write our Ambulance Malpractice Insurance coverage as part of our vehicle insurance policy. Since we no longer must have a separate specialty policy to provide this coverage, we have realized a cost savings of nearly $2,500.  We have entered into an agreement with the Syracuse Chapter of the Heart Association whereby they are now paying for oxygen used on our two cardiac care-equipped ambulances As a member of the newly created group of individuals representing all Advanced Life Support organizations in Onondaga County, Moyers Corners will be allowed to share in the proceeds of “Heart Challenge ‘82” campaign spearheaded by the New York Chapter of the American Heart Association. This means that with a $3000 expenditure on our part we will be able to purchase $11,000 of much needed cardiac care equipment By successfully obtaining and maintaining official New York State Certification of our ambulance service, we are one of the few recipients of a valuable and highly useful telemetry radio, used for our patients with heart problems or serious injuries, at almost no cost to our department.  By designing our replacement ambulances as “modular” vehicles, we hope to be able to avoid having to purchase a complete vehicle when the need arises, but rather keep the basic structure and just replace the chassis. Again, a substantial cost savings.

 

     These are just a few of our exhaustive efforts to keep expenses down. Yet with new developments in medical technology, higher training standards, and even our own district’s development, we feel this goal of $55,500 is not excessive but rather conservative. When one remembers that this crucial medical service is operated solely on contributions from our community and not one single tax dollar pays for our expenses, the need for a successful Fund Drive becomes even more obvious. In this packet are many informative documents which we feel will help you obtain a better understanding of what Moyers Corners Ambulance Service is all about and how you and your family benefit from it. It is our hope that by providing  you with these facts you will be better able to find the means to financially support the ambulance service in as generous a manner as possible. As an added incentive, we are offering to place an individual tile inscribed with the name of every individual or family that contributes $25 or more to the Fund Drive in a prominent place on a wall of the new Moyers Corners Station #3 currently under construction. Your generous support is greatly needed. Please help us continue to provide emergency medical aid by making a tax-deductible donation to Moyers Corners Ambulance Fund when our members knock on your door in the next few days. Thank you for your understanding and consideration

 

Ralph Cinnamon, President

 

Moyers Corners Fire Department

 

Ambulance Fund Drive Committee

 

A Money Saving Tip For You
All of the area within the Moyers Corners Fire Department Fire Protection District is classified as “A” rated in fire protection. This can mean a substantial premium savings to you on your homeowners or tenants fire insurance policy. However, you must tell your insurance agent that Moyers Corners is your fire department (even though you may have a Baldwinsville, Clay, or Liverpool mailing address) in order to take advantage of this potential savings.

 

April 29th, 1979
The Post-Standard – Editorial Page
Lauds Ambulance
To the Editor:

 

To the men of the Moyers Corners Ambulance Department: I have lived in the Moyers Corners Fire Department District for years. Just recently iny wife had to use their ambulance service, I would like to say that they are very courteous and careful when moving a patient. The people who live in their district appreciate their service and the time they give 24 hours a day. I would like to saythank you and may God bless you for the work and time you give.

 

RAYMOND C. KIEBERT
4976 W. Taft Road
Liverpool

 

May 11th, 1979 
Thirty-five ladies attended their installation banquet at LeMoyne Manor. A plaque was given to Katie Schmidt for her 15 years of service as chaplain.

 

May 19th, 1979
      The tremendous growth and increase in alarm activities, and the need for timely response to the furthest southern area of the department’s district identified the need for an additional fire station. For over thirty years, the department operated as a two station department; this changed with the construction and apparatus assignments to Fire Station Three. As the station was under construction in the late 1970’s, new personnel were recruited to man this fire station. These new firefighters reported to Station Two for an extended period of time prior to the completion of Station Three, in order to receive the appropriate training and gain operational experience. These personnel, as well as the existing Station Two personnel who lived in the newly established Station Three response area, would eventually compromise the station’s membership. As equipment was added and the area continued to grow, a new building was erect at morgan and buckley. Modernized in 1981. As the area to the southeast grew more populated with residences and a large industrial park, protection for that area also became marginal and a third station was built in 1980.

 

Station 3 Construction – Groundbreaking – reception followed at Station 2
Kazmirski and Montani

 

May 24th, 1979
A spaghetti dinner was held by the auxiliary to help stock the kitchen for the new Station 3.

 

August 26th, 1979
Open House was held at Stations 1 and 2

 

December 1979
$50 was donated to the firemen’s home for Christmas by the auxiliary  and a flannel shirt and sweater vest was purchased for Harry Lent’s birthday.

 

1980

 

Chief Robert French
 First Assistant Chief: Chet Fritz
Second Assistant Chief Bud Neuman
Third Assistant Chief Phil Devaney
Captains: 1st Captain George Race, 2nd  Captain Terry Ludwig, 3rd Captain Dave Ferguson, 4th Captain Art Montani, 
5th  Captain Randy White, 6th Captain Tom Olszewski, 7th Captain Ketih Sahm, 8th Captain Randy White, 9th Captain Tom Olszweski
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant Bob Sumell, 2nd  Lieutenant Al Slater, 3rd Lieutenant Ron Turiello, 4th Lieutenant Ed Kazmirski,  5th Lieutenant Larry George, 6th Lieutenant Gary Stefanini

 

Executive Board
 President Ralph “Red” Cinnamon
Vice President Ed Fleming 
Secretary Gus Schairer, Assistant Secretary Bob Michelson
Treasurer Mike Derbyshire , Assistant Treasurer Art Bump

 

Fire Police:  Captain Will Michelson

 

Auxiliary: President Betty Hanlon, Vice President Charlotte Neal, Recording Secretary Martha Arnold, Corresponding Secretary Pat Blake, Treasurer Joyce Bressette, Chaplain Louise Gillespy

New Apparatus: TP-7  1980 Hahn, later became E11.  1980 Squad 2 International, assigned to Station 2. Later became Rescue 3 at Station 3.

 

New Fire Station: Station 3

 

February 14th, 1980
Ambulance Unit May Expand
The Post-Standard – Neighbors North
In response to the increasing demand for emergency medical services, the Moyers Corners Fire Department is considering expanding participation in ambulance service to those who do not wish to become active firefighters. An informational meeting will be 3 p.m. Sunday at Moyers Corners Fire Department Station No. 1, just north of the intersection of routes 31 and 57 in Clay. If you are interested in learning more about how to participate, telephone Rick Jones at 652- 8511 or write the department at P.O. Box 14, Liverpool 13088.

 

March 28th, 1980
Established on March 28th 1980 on Henry Clay Boulevard, between West Taft Road and the intersection of Vine Street, Station Three was constructed as a fully operational four bay fire station with a full compliment of facilities.  Twenty-Five years ago this month, the members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department in the Town of Clay noticed that there was a need for better/quicker response to the southern end of our district. After numerous man-hours of planning and brainstorming sessions, it was decided that there was a need for a third Fire station to better protect the citizens in that area. With that said, the new firehouse was constructed at the corners of Henry Clay Blvd and West Taft Road. Today, this is what we know as Moyers Corners Fire Station #3.

 

Moyers Corners Station 3 was opened at 12:01 am on March 28th, 1980. Asst. Chief Robert French opened the station as ordered by Chief Edwin Viel, Jr. We had no officers until the next business meeting on April 3rd, 1980. The original company of firefighters assigned to Station 3 were: Gary Adams, Dexter Blake, Dave Brigandi, Phil Devaney, Bob Feldman, Larry George, Mark Goettel, Blair Jackson, Cozi Jackson, Rick Jones, Ed Kazmirski, Jerry Miller, Tom Olszewski, Thomas Smith, Dave Sparks, Gary Stefanini, Ed Stevens, Jim Stoch, Randy White, Ron Wilbur, Steve Wilbur, Steve Wisely, Gene Young, John Perkins, Art Montani, Greg Tiner. 
Station 3 1980 Officers: 4th Asst. Chief Phil Devaney, 1st Captain Art Montani, 2nd Captain Randy White, 3rd Captain Tom Olszewski, 1st Lt. Ed Kazmirski, 2nd Lt. Larry George, 3rd Lt. Gary Stefanini.

 

Opening Night at Station 3 pictures 

 

Original Apparatus 

 

In 1980, a scholarship was started for the children of a Fire Department member, and Auxiliary member, or an Explorer. Two $1,000 scholarships are handed out each year.

 

In 1980, work was underway for the expansion of Station 2. The new expansion included the addition of three apparatus bays (to eliminate "stacking" of apparatus, one behind the other), renovation of the existing recreation room into an ambulance bay, a conference/bunk room for meetings and overnight standbys, and construction of a full kitchen, a day room, and office areas.

Medical Rescue Squad Formed

 

By the 1980s, the ambulance call volume increased to a level that was difficult for the firefighters to continue to meet, on a daily basis. This prompted the formation of the Medical Rescue Squad; consisting of a group of medical personnel, within the department, who attended to the EMS calls. When it was formed there were approximately 60 members.  The squad staffed their three advanced life support ambulance 24/7/365.

 

May 1980 
Pancake Breakfast

 

June 7th, 1980
Station 3 Dedication – New Pictures

 

July 1980
Field Days – New Pictures

 

July 7th, 1980
Driver Dies
The Post-Standard – Local News
David R. Stafford, 56, of Huntley Road. Phoenix RD 1, died Sunday morning in a one-car crash on Route 57 south of Phoenix near Ihe Onondaga County line police said. According lo lown of Clay police, who investigated the 8:29 a.m. accident, Stafford was driving north when his car struck an abutment on the south end of the Three Rivers Bridge. Police said the car flew 84 feet through the air before landing on its roof in the Oneida River, which is about 10 feet deep al that point. Stafford's body and the submerged wreckage of his 1969 Oldsmobile were recovered by members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department and the Phoenix Rescue Unit's diving team. Clay police said Iheir inveslgalion of the fatality is slill under way. They were assisted at the scene by the Oswego Count Sheriff’s Department and New York State Police.

 

November 1980
Rescue at Norstar Apartments
At 6:35 a.m. Moyers Corners Fire Department responded to a structure fire at the Norstar Apartments off of Henry Clay Boulevard. Arriving first, Steve Wisely and Greg Tiner were told by apartment residents that there was a child inside of the burning apartment. With the use of their air tanks, they entered the apartment that had already filled with blinding black smoke. The heat of the fire had brought temperatures in the apartment to more than 1,000 degrees. The firemen inched their way through the apartment on their bellies. In the darkness, Wisely felt the body of a little boy. His partner (Greg Tiner) cleared the broken glass from the bedroom window. Then Wisely handed the child to a fellow fireman (Dave Morgan), who was waiting on the ladder at the window. The child was rushed by ambulance to a city hospital. “In any situation like this, you are there for a purpose – to beat the clock, not to miss the person you are searching for,” Wisely said. “This was a team effort”.

 

November 14th, 1980
The Post-Standard – Local News
Fire Victim, 3, ‘Critical’
A Liverpool youngster was listed in critical condition at Upstate Medical Center early today after a fire at a 4764 Norstar Blvd. apartment early Thursday. - John Lizzio Jr., 3, had stopped breathing when he was rescued from the apartment by Greg Tiner and Steve Wisely of the Moyers Corners Fire Department, according to firemen. His mother, Jeanne, 24, and his two month-old brother, Brian, were listed in fair condition. They were originally listed in serious condition. Mrs. Lizzio awoke about 6:30 a.m. to find the living room couch on fire and the apartment filled with smoke. Her husband, John Sr, had left for work at Crouse-Hinds Co. about 15 minutes earlier, according to Capt. Thomas Bottar of the Clay Police Department. Robert Schottocfer and Anthony Tarzia, Western Electric employees on their way to work, spotted smoke pouring from theapartment.  Mrs. Lizzio was at a window in Ihe second- floor aoartment. and the men caueht  Brian when she dropped him to them. They then coaxed her to jump. The two men knocked on windows on the ground floor of the apartment complex to arouse sleeping residents. Mrs. Lizzio then attempted to re-enter the- building to rescue John Jr. but was  turned back by the thick smoke. When firefighters arrived and were informed of the trapped child, they rushed inside. Tiner and Wisely found the youth unconscious in bed and passed him through the window to other department members. The fire in the four-room apartment was brought under control in about 20 minutes, while other complex residents were evacuated. Fire Chief Robert French said there was not much fire, "but there was a lot of heavy smoke." It took about an hour to ventilate the structure. , According to Boltar, there was a smoke detector in the apartment, but it did not have a battery.

 

 

 

1981

 

Chief Robert French
 First Assistant Chief: Chet Fritz
Second Assistant Chief Ken Brand Jr.
Third Assistant Chief Art Montani
Captains: 1st Captain George Race, 2nd  Captain Charles Romanick, 3rd Captain Ron Turiello, 4th Captain Ed Kazmirski, 
5th  Captain Larry Earle, 6th Captain Ken Filow, 7th Captain Steve Wisely, 8th  Captain Kevin Sahm, 9th Captain John Perkins
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant Bob Sumell, 2nd  Lieutenant Dick Perkins, 3rd Lieutenant Keith Sahm, 4th Lieutenant Chris Naum,  5th Lieutenant George Gobin, 6th Lieutenant Greg Tiner, 7th Lieutenant Dave Ferguson, 8th Lieutenant Tom McKearney, 9th Lieutenant Tom Olszewski

 

Executive Board
 President Edward Fleming
Vice President John Diliberto 
Secretary Bob Michelson, Assistant Secretary Dave Fleming
Treasurer Art Bump , Assistant Treasurer Larry “Dink” Miller

 

Fire Police:  Captain Will Michelson   Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr, Bob Swahn

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator John Funnell, 1st Assistant Pete Kenyon, 2nd Assistant Mike Derbyshire

 

Auxiliary: President Charlotte Neal, Vice President Norma Guinta, Recording Secretary Terry Jaynes, Corresponding Secretary Carolyn Funnell, Treasurer Jean Jones, Chaplain Louise Gillespy

 

Firehouse addition: Station 2 Addition

 

As equipment was added and the area continued to grow, a new building was erect at Morgan and Buckley. modernized in 1981. As the area to the southeast grew more populated with residences and a large industrial park, protection for that area also became marginal and third station was built in 1980.

 

January 28th, 1981
Statistics Tell The Story 
Baldwinsville Messenger - Progress Edition
Statistics often tell a story and for the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department the story they tell is one of devotion, dedication, service and bravery. The men and women who give their time to the department responded to 370 fire calls and 1300 ambulance calls in 1980. According to President Ralph Cinnamon, those numbers indicate continued increasesover the 1979 figures. "By April of this year-we will have doubled our plant size and be better equipped to serve the growing population of the Clay area for which we are responsible," says the young man. He adds praise for Chief Robert French who is a dedicated leader to the group.

 

Founded in 1948, Moyers Corners originally was geared only toward fire protection in the Town of Clay. Now, however, the team has expanded and updated their bylaws to allow members and non-members to volunteer to serve in the medical emergency squad: Once there just a "fire barn" but today there are a total of three up-to-date, efficient facilities where about 45 men at each station provide emergency service. In addition there are 65 volunteers manning (a term to be applied to several women too) the medical rescue squad.

 

"Our goal is to provide at least one manned vehicle which is on 24 hours daily," says Cinnamon. He explains that the squad has two New York Certified Cardiac Equipped Advance Life Support Vehicles to operate with. One important focus for the department has been fire prevention. They spearhead several projects aimed at education of the public in terms of teaching people to avoid fires and how to react if they are faced with a; fire. They sponsored a program in cooperation with the Syracuse Fire Department for the residents of the Norstar Apartments showing residents there where to place smoke detectors for the highest efficiency, how to Check for flames in the hall and how to call for help in an emergency. Moyers Corners VFD assisted the teachers of "Safety Town" in the Town of Clay by allowing the youngsters to tour the station and reinforcing the "drop and roll" technique they had been taught at Safety Town.

 

They are in the initial stages of instituting "Learn Not to Burn" programs in the local schools. Concerned with all aspects of safety, the VFD has cooperated with the Town of Clay Safety Committee in sponsoring and distributing the "Vial of Life" program for elderly residents of the community. Cinnamon explained that while fire protection is provided through funds from town government, emergency medical care is not. It is primarily for the medical emergency squad which they have fund raising drives as that segment is funded entirely through private donation. The people in our area and we are growing to meet the demands of an expanding population. It promises to be an exciting year ahead for  us, “ concludes Cinnamon.

 

February 8th, 1981
Car-train crash injures couple
Herald Journal
Moyers Corners rescue workers and police carry a Liverpool couple over the tracks to an ambulance after they were injured when the family car and a Conrail freight train collided yesterday afternoon at a crossing on Morgan Road, north of Wetzel Road in town of Clay. The couple’s infant daughter miraculously escaped unharmed. Steve Fleury, 28, of 7475 Morgan Road and his wife, Elizabeth, last night were listed in fair condition at Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital. Their seven month-old daughter, Johanna, was strapped into a baby seat in the rear of the car and was not hurt according to Sheriff’s Deputy Douglas Jacoby. Fleury was issued a ticket for failing to stop at a train crossing and is to appear in court February 19th. The impact pushed the car about 90 feet down the tracks and off onto an embankment, Jacoby said.

 

Pictures

 

February 22, 1981
Woman dies, 3 hurt in crash. 
Picture with chain on hood. 
Moyers Corners firefighters work to free Mildred Fabozzi from her crushed vehicle.

 

March 26th, 1981
Herald-Journal
A school bus accident disaster drill is being co-sponsored by the North Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department and the North Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Inc. at 9 a.m. Sunday at the North Syracuse Central School District bus garage, East Taft Road in North Syracuse. The fire department and ambulance personnel will be faced with more than 30 "injured." The "injured" students and their "injuries" will be treated and  transported to St. Joseph's Health Center Emergency Department for further "treatment." The accident "victims" will be Explorer Scouts from Hinsdale Volunteer Fire Department, Moyers Corners Fire Department and NAVAC as well as Advanced First Aid and Health students from Jamesville-DeWitt High School.

 

May 20th, 1981
Car kills pedestrian
Continuation…
Herald-Journal
…had spotted Riley walking in the road at about 8 a.m. and told him not to walk in the middle of the street. Riley didn't appear drunk to Craig, according to Bottar. The captain added police received several calls during the night that Riley was walking around the road. And members of Moyers Corners Fire Department said they had seen him on Route 57 at about 11 p.m. but didn't notify police, Bottar said. The captain said he plans to ask the fire authorities why they didn't call police  Bob French,. Moyers Corners'fire chief, couldn't be reached for comment. Bottar said Riley "was kind of like a wanderer' who apparently had no family in this area. He said Riley often slept on park benches when he had nowhere else to sleep. Riley had been arrested Saturday on criminal mischief and harassment charges, Bottar said. Today's accident, which occurred near the intersection of Wetzel road, was investigated by Officer David Whitlock.

 

July 3rd, 1981 Plane Crash at Field Days (article)
Moyers Corners Fire Department member Paul Marshall was taking fellow member Charles Romanick up in his plane to take aerial photographs of the field days. 

 

September 28th, 1981
Herald-Journal – In Your Opinion Section
Safety Town
For three summers, I have directed and taught the Safety Town program sponsored by the town of Clay Department of Recreation and Human Resources. During this time, I worked with the Moyers Corners Fire Department and Ambulance Corps and NAVAC. To the volunteer firemen who gave their time to the children at Safety Town to help teach fire safety and fire prevention... To the medics who came to Safety Town with the ambulance and the equipment and gave of their time to help Thank you. The Safety Town program would not be nearly as effective without your help and expertise! Parents, your support is needed now. Support the ambulance drive with a generous donation.

 

PEGGY GRAY,
Safety Town Director,

 

Town of Clay.

 

 

 

1982

 

Chief Robert French
 First Assistant Chief: Chet Fritz
Second Assistant Chief Ken Brand Jr.
Third Assistant Chief Art Montani
Captains: 1st Captain Ken Filow, 2nd  Captain Steve Wisely, 3rd Captain Ron Turiello, 4th Captain Larry Earle, 5th  Captain Chris Naum, 6th Captain John Perkins, 7th Captain Kevin Sahm, 8th  Captain Greg Tiner, 9th Captain Dick Perkins
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant Palmer (Mike) App, 2nd  Lieutenant George Gobin, 3rd Lieutenant Dave Fleming, 4th Lieutenant Ed Kazmirski,  5th Lieutenant Don Collett, 6th Lieutenant Gary Cottrell, 7th Lieutenant Tom McKearney, 8th Lieutenant Dave Morgan, 9th Lieutenant Al Slater

 

Executive Board
 President Edward Fleming
Vice President Frank Tietz 
Secretary Bob Michelson
Treasurer Art Bump

 

Fire Police:  Captain Will Michelson 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr, Bob Swahn, Tom Olsweski

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Ralph “Red” Cinnamon, 1st Assistant Mike Derbyshire, 2nd Assistant Bob Fitz,

 

Auxiliary: President Norma Guinta, Vice President Carolyn Funnel, Recording Secretary Pat Barrett, Treasurer Rosemary Morgan, Chaplain Sondra Swahn

 

New Apparatus: 1982 Ambulance 1

 

January 9th, 1982
Herald Journal – Front Page
Hunt resumes for missing camper
The hunt for a 20-year-old Clarkson College student resumed at dawn today in a thickly wooded region in the town of Lysander, where the man had been camping with others Thursday night. But by noon, there were no new leads about the man's whereabouts, despite the attempts of more than 120 members of a coordinated search team, according to Sgt. Jim Wolf of the Sheriff's Department. A newstrategy was to be undertaken this afternoon with the use of a heat-sensing infrared device, which would be used from the Sheriff's Department helicopter over the snow-covered surface. The equipment, which has the ability to detect changes in temperature beneath the visible ground surface, was loaned to the search team by the Syracuse Fire Department. Members of the Belgium-Cold Springs Fire Department, Oswego Rescue, Adirondack" Rescue, Moyers Corners Fire Department and the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department, plus some volunteers "and family friends, picked up their search for Carl Markert at 8:45 a.m. today, using the Belgium-Cold Springs Fire Station on West River Road as the central dispatch point for the manhunt. An intense search yesterday over the snow-capped terrain proved fruitless and was disbanded at sunset, although some family members and friends continued their search with the use of flashlights, against the wishes of the Sheriff's Department which feared additional people would get lost in the darkness. Nearly 100 searchers .were involved at the height of the firat-day hunt .through the thick woods off Patchett Road/covered by at least two feet of snow. The Sheriff's Department had begun its operations on the site after being notified around 11 a.m 

 

January 18th, 1982
Herald-Journal – Metro Edition
7 firemen hurt battling blaze
Seven volunteer firemen with the Moyers Corners Fire Department received minor injuries at the scene of a fire today that destroyed Jerry's Country Inn on Route 57 in the Three Rivers area, according to assistant fire chief Chet Fritz. The restaurant/bar was declared a total loss after firemen from eight fire companies in Oswego and Onondaga counties battled the flames for much of the morning after responding to the initial call late last night. Although the structure was destroyed, firemen managed to remove some "band equipment and other materials. said, were taken to local hospitals for assorted minor injuries, including bruises from falling on the ice and smoke inhalation, and later were discharged. Firefighting efforts, he said, were hampered by frozen hydrants in the vicinity, requiring several other fire units to bring in their tankers. Companies responding were Moyers Corners, Phoenix, Cody, Caughdenoy, Pennellville, Clay, Volney and Liverpool. "We were driven out several times. Finally, the fire got in the crawl spaces and there was no stopping it," said Fritz. He described the 11/2-story structure as a very old building. The seven injured firemen, Fritz 

 

January 27th, 1982
Messenger – Progress Edition
Fire dept. offers challenge
There is a tremendous challenge to the men and women who serve as volunteers in the Moyers Corners Fire Department and ambulance squad. They work every day for the safety and welfare of a growing population in the Northern Sector of Onondaga County. It is a challenge which they accept when they agree to serve and it is challenge well met. President Ed Fleming praises the men and women of the department for their dedication He relates statistics showing that last year they responded to 373 fire calls and 1,367 emergency calls. The fire department, which has been in operation since 1948 when they worked from one " fire barn" to control fires in the Town of Clay, has grown to the point where it now supports three up to date fire stations. Each station is manned by about 45 volunteers. The past year saw the addition of a $112,000 tanker/pumper and a new squad truck. Fire operations are supported by tax dollars but ambulance and emergency squad work is supported only through donations. There is a 65-member ambulance squad which has members on duty 24 hours a day. . Of those, about 35 people are trained as EMT's (emergency medical technicians). Fleming notes the important commitment of time these people make in order to serve their neighbors. "An EMT takes 81 hours of training and a medic has 120 hours plus in-hospital training in order to perform their duties. We really appreciate these people. There are many women on the squad who are willing to work during the day and several couples participate."

 

Several members have attended the National Fire Academy where they have studied medical specialist training, air mask maintenance work, school inspection and training officers workshop. Fire Prevention is a major thrust of Moyers Corners Fire Department officials. Under the direction of Chief Robert French, the men have lectured homeowner's groups and brought safety information to apartment dwellers throughout the area. The fire department is big business with a budget of over $363,000. It is a private corporation which contracts with the Town of Clay to provide fire service for residents. "This year we held our budget to a zero increase," says Fleming. He says it is a source of great satisfaction to him and to the members to know that they have established a good working relationship with the town. "The rapport we-have is certainly beneficial to both sides," he declares. The department has received recognition from area safety groups for its expert response to accident and fire calls. Two men, Steve Wisely and Greg Tiner, were awarded the 'Firehouse Magazine" heroism award for their life-saving action in an apartment fire in Clay. Fleming believes that the men and women who serve in the emergency squad as well as those in the fire department have met the challenges of 1981 through their hard work and dedication. "He looks forward to the coming year as one of continued growth and service under the leadership of French. "We'll need the support of the residents and the business community in order to keep our equipment in top shape and offer the best possible service” he concludes

 

June 2nd, 1982 
Monarch Chemical Truck Spill
Approximately 2000 gallons of sodium hypochlorite, a bleach, leaked from an LCP Chemical truck on Route 31 east of Moyers Corners. The truck was en route to Vestal when a half-inch hole developed near the intake valve. The Moyers Corners Fire Department and State Department of Environmental Conservation responded. One fireman received minor injuries from an alkaline burn. The neighborhood was evacuated. LCP’s spill  control team was at the scene where a dike was put around the truck to contain the spilled chemical, most of which was removed by noon. The chemical is used in water purification.

 

July 15th, 1982
Herald Journal
Youngsters evacuated
Youngsters attending several programs at the Wetzel Road Elementary School in Clay were evacuated from the building this morning when the sun's heat apparently caused a bird's nest under the roof to begin smoldering. Third Assistant Fire Chief Art Montani of the Moyers Corners Fire Department said there was no actual fire and only minimal smoke damage. Montani said birds apparently got beneath an overhang at the rear of the school building and built nests in the crawl space between the roof and ceiling. Firefighters, responding to the alarm just before 10 a.m., had to enter the crawlspace from the front of the building and make their way the entire length of the school to the rear in order to clear away the smoldering nests, he said. Montani explained it appeared the heat from the morning sun had started the nests smoldering, prompting someone in the building to notify fire officials of a smoke odor.

 

August 1982
Building Collapse
picture

 

September 9th, 1982
Letter from Richard Crisp
Herald Journal
Ambulance funds
"We have come a long way" is the theme around which the Moyers Corners Fire Department will spearhead their 1982 ambulance fund-raising drive. The past five years have seen the steady growth of medically trained personnel within the department allowing the introduction and use of the more complex equipment that before was strictly emergency room based. The implementation of the squad concept has assured the availability of a 24-hour stand by emergency medical team contrasted to only the evening stand-by of prior years. Equally important, from a single ambulance, the squad has grown to two fully equipped advance life support ambulances with a third ambulance available should its service be called upon. This month, the Moyers Corners Fire Department is asking for positive "response" to their appeal for funds. Fire protection is provided via the tax base. In direct contrast, all medical services from the purchase of an ambulance, to the simplest bandage is funded by your contribution. No tax dollars can be used find this service.

 

RICHARD CRISP,
Chairman,
Public Safety Committee, Town of Clay

 

 

 

September 30th, 1982
Herald Journal
Truck Overturns
Article Picture
The driver of a garbage truck escaped serious injury early today when his vehicle overturned in the middle of Henry Clay Boulevard. Moyers Corners firemen were at the scene to hose down escaping gasoline. State Police investigated. No cause for the accident was given.

 

October 22nd, 1982
Herald Journal
30 flee apartment fire
About 30 persons were evacuated when a suspicious fire did extensive damage to two apartments in a town of Clay apartment complex overnight, according to fire officials. Moyers Corners Fire Department Chief Robert French said the fire at the Heritage Park apartments on Wetzel Road was confined to the basement where the fire began and two apartments directly above the location where the fire broke out about 3:20 am. today, French said the fire started in the basement of Building 4A but quickly spread through the walls to all three floors of the building. He said it took firemen half an hour to bring the blaze under control A resident who smelled smoke called fire officials to report the blaze and firefighters arrived at the scene to find smoke pouring from the building People already were leaving the building when firefighters arrived on the scene, but firemen conducted a search of each of the 24 apartments to be sure that all residents had been evacuated, French said. 'The fire chief said the blaze was a hid den fire that traveled through the partitions from the basement to the top floor, causing extensive damage to the apartments in the path of flames. In addition, there was considerable water damage to the basement, French said. Residents of all but the two heavily damaged apartments were able to return to their homes when firefighters left the scene about 6:30 sun., he said. There were no injuries to residents or firefighters, French said. In addition to Moyers Corners, the Liverpool Fire Department was at the scene, he added. French said the blaze is being considered suspicious in origin and that investigation is continuing

 

November 30th, 1982
Herald Journal
30 tenants evacuated in town of Clay fire
Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire at a town of Clay apartment complex that did extensive damage to several apartments and forced the evacuation of about 30 people from their homes last night. The blaze at Denby Acres apartments on Henry Clay Boulevard did considerable damage to four or five apartments in the building, but no injuries were reported, said Chester Fritz, first assistant chief for the Moyers Corners Fire  Department. Fritz said the blaze was reported about 10:45 p.m. and that most residents were leaving the building by the time firefighters arrived.  He said the fire started in the basement and extended up through all three floors of the building. Fire and water damage was extensive in four or five apartments, Fritz said, but he indicated most residents of the building would be able to return to their homes later today. Firefighters were back at the scene of the blaze this morning; the cause of the fire is under investigation, Fritz said. Assisting were fire departments from Liverpool, North Syracuse. Phoenix and Hinsdale.

 

Profile of a Medic
By Richard Crisp
When a Moyers Corners fireman decides to become a New York State Certified Coronary or Trauma Medic, he probably feels the chapters on drugs are written in a foreign language, and the diagrams in the various texts look like an advanced combined college physiology, anatomy, and bio-chemistry text designed for medical students. But as the classes progress, and they include almost 250 hours of classroom work plus 30 hours of emergency room practical experience, the trainee becomes more familiar with the intricacies of the human body and how to cope with the various medical emergencies plus various life-saving techniques.

 

A medic, however, is much more than a person who is an expert in dealing with the human body and its malfunctions. He is a “giving person” – giving in many areas that are very dear in this present age of inflation and never having enough time for oneself. One little known fact is that a medic will pay for much of his own personal equipment. I talked to several medics to get an average out of pocket expense figure which one could expect to incur in the first year as a certified medic. Believe it or not, the blue light can cost from $40 to $140; most medics will pick the middle of the line style. The light is essential for the safety of all volunteer firemen to help expedite their response to the fire station or directly to the scene of the illness or accident.

 

Then, there is the equipment the average medic will carry in his own car as it is often quicker for him to go directly to the scene. The first aid kit, when fully stocked, will cost around $50. The equipment needed to take an accurate blood pressure reading and heart rate averages from $25 on up. Have you ever noticed the holster a medic will wear on his belt with a small light and scissors on it? That alone is another $15 or better. Though all this equipment is also on the ambulance, it is essential that each medic and most emergency medical technicians have these “first responder kits” available at all times. The quick direct response to the scene by the medic, his medical knowledge, and the first aid equipment have often been credited with the saving of a human life. Many of the Moyers Corners Fire Department medics volunteer to work on the nightly stand-by crew, from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m., along with a driver and emergency medical technician. The white uniforms these men wear will cost up to $35 a set. When added to the other expense figures, one can see that the total cost is well over $200, and for some perhaps close to $300. A final but very significant cost incurred by these medically trained volunteers centers around all the hours away from home: responding to ten to fifteen ambulance calls per week, plus one night of stand-by duty each week, plus a night per week for fire department drills, and countless others in support of the many department committees all add up to numerous empty gas tanks of their private vehicles. With fuel exceeding $1.00 per gallon, yet another aspect of the generosity and dedication of these men becomes evident.

 

There is one final area that is not often talked about by the men, but which draws a very definite response from the families of the firemen and medical personnel alike. The wives and children are very proud of what their husbands and/or fathers have done to help others with their vast knowledge, but they miss them as they are so frequently away from the home and family. All the family is adversely affected not just from the time spent on routine calls or the various meetings, but also when special family plans are suddenly interrupted and have to be rescheduled because of an emergency call. A friend once said his son-in-law was called away twice from Christmas dinner, a story not uncommon for the families of firemen and ambulance personnel.

 

We as residents of the districts served by Moyers Corners Fire Department Ambulance are fortunate that we have people who have the expert medical knowledge, the willingness to dig into their pockets to personally equip themselves with emergency medical kits, and give much, if not all, of their free time for us the residents of their protection district.

 

Please remember these characteristics when the members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department knock on your door this September or visit your place of business during the annual Ambulance Fund Drive. The ambulance service is run strictly by donations; not one of your tax dollars is spent for this vital service. Won’t you dig a little deeper into your pocket to help these deserving volunteers reach their budgeted goal of $55,000 and keep the ambulance service at its current efficient and professional level?

 

 

 

1983

 

Chief Robert French
 First Assistant Chief: Chet Fritz
Second Assistant Chief Ken Brand Jr.
Third Assistant Chief Art Montani
Captains: 1st Captain Ken Filow, 2nd  Captain Dick Perkins, 3rd Captain Kevin Sahm, 4th Captain Steve Wisely, 5th  Captain Chris Naum, 6th Captain Keith Sahm, 7th Captain John Perkins, 8th  Captain Ron Turiello, 9th Captain Greg Tiner
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant Larry Earle, 2nd  Lieutenant George Race, 3rd Lieutenant Palmer (Mike) App, 4th Lieutenant Dave Morgan,  5th Lieutenant Tim Chura, 6th Lieutenant George Gobin, 7th Lieutenant Steve Mauser, 8th Lieutenant Ed Kazmirski

 

Executive Board
 President Edward Fleming
Vice President Frank Tietz 
Secretary Bob Michelson, Assistant Secretary Tony LaMacchia 
Treasurer Art Bump, Assistant Treasurer Bob Swahn

 

Fire Police:  Captain Will Michelson 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr, Bob Swahn, Tom Olsweski

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Larry George, 1st Assistant Martha Arnold, 2nd Assistant Bob Fitz, 3rd Assistant Lynn Shaw

 

Auxiliary: President Norma Guinta, Vice President Carolyn Funnel, Recording Secretary Beth Sahm,  Corresponding Secretary Gretchen Cottrell, Treasurer Rosemary Morgan, Chaplain Jo Guinta

 

New Apparatus: Deliver of Mini 1 – Sanford
Mini 1 – GMC 1 Ton Crew Cab Purchased to cross weight restricted horseshoe island bridge. 
Sold when the new bridge opened.

 

February 10th, 1983
Clay Boy Burned
The Post Standard
Call came in at 1552
A 4-year-old Clay boy was listed in stable condiation early today at Upstate Medical Center after he received burns in an afternoon fire at his home. First Assistant Chief Chet Fritz of Moyers Corners Fire Department said Gary Butchino apparently had been playing with a lighter in the Hollyrood Park apartment complex. The fire was contained in the apartment, which is at 11 Grampton Court.

 

February 10th, 1983
Woman Rescued After Fall In to Well
By Retta Blaney and Deirdre Childress
A 67-year old West Monroe woman on her way home from a visit to her physician fell into a 35-foot-deep well Wednesday afternoon, sitting in the 2 ½ feet of water until a firefighter was lowered into the well to rescue her. Frances Teller of Gulf Bridge Road was in fair condition at Crouse-Irving Memorial Hospital Wednesday night after being treated for a fractured ankle and a back injury, her physician, Dr. Stephen Silbiger, said. Town of Clay police said Mrs. Teller left Silbiger’s office at 4815 Buckley Road about 2:30 p.m. and walked toward her car, which was parked next to the building, with her husband Irving. As she walked around to the passenger side of the car, she fell into the 24-inch wide well, police said.

 

Rescue workers spend about 15 minutes vainly trying to free Mrs. Teller before a Moyers Corners firefighter climbed down the shaft. “I didn’t know how bad she was injured, but I figured she hurt her back and spine by the way she was positioned,” said Nick Peluso, the firefighter who rescued Mrs. Teller. “She was waist deep in water. If the water had been any deeper, she would have drowned.” Peluso said he saw no bleeding or other injuries, adding that the woman complained of pain in her back. “She could move her arms, but she couldn’t move her legs,” he said. “The only thing we were worried about was getting her out fast.” Sibiger said Mrs. Teller was “neurologically intact” after the 35-foot fall. She had remained conscious during the incident, Clay police said. Police said there was a metal cover found near the well, but it was unknown whether the well was capped before Mrs. Teller fell. Silbiger said he and his nurse daily check to see that the metal cover is on the well. Both checked Wednesday morning and the cover was on, he said.

 

News Interview with Nick Peluso:
“I just told her I was coming down, told her what I had to do, tried to make her as comforatable as possible. There was a strong sewage smell down there. It didn’t appear to be a toxic atmosphere so I wasn’t worried about it. I just wanted to get her out of there.”

 

News Interview with Chief Robert French:
“Anytime you’re below grade like this there is a danger, of course, that’s why time was so important because of her air supply. We had made provisions to bring air in and pump air down to her but we were worried about the time between now and then.”

 

February 23, 1983
The Review
Nick Peluso, a Liverpool High School senior, and a member of the Moyers Corners Fire Department, was instrumental recently in rescuing a local woman who had fallen 30 feet into a narrow well shaft. “The officer in charge of the rescue, Greg Tiner, asked me to go down,” said Nick, “and I just used the techniques I had been trained to use.” “At first I put on full breathing apparatus, but the well opening was too small.” Lowered on ropes, Nick found the victim wedged deeply in a small hole at the bottom of the shaft. Finding the space too small to use his belt, he secured the victim’s arms, while communicating observations about her condition to firemen above by way of a radio that had been lowered into the cavity. “I watched her being hauled to the surface,” said Nick, “and when I realized she would not clear the small opening, I ‘spidermanned’ up the wall to support her from below.” The young fireman says he felt no fear during the dramatic rescue, and credits his fire department training for his calm handling of the situation. While all Moyers Corners firemen are required to take essential firemanship courses, Nick takes as many as he can. Currently he is working on a report for his high school-college English class about hazardous rescues. “I want to learn more about rescues involving hazardous substances, and I thought this might be a good way to motivate some research,” he said. Nick is very enthusiastic about the courses available to Moyers Corners firemen and cites some designed by his crew chief Christopher Naum, as some of the best.

 

Nick, who was elected a full-fledged member of the department on his birthday last June, was a junior fireman for two years. He feels it a privilege to belong to such an outstanding fire department. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Politi of 4333 Luna Course plans a career as a professional fireman. He has applied to the University of Maryland’s National Firemen’s School and to OCC for further firemanship training.

 

March 1983
Liverpool House Fire Kills Elderly Man
Herald Journal
An unidentified elderly man perished in a fire Tuesday at 8149 Oswego Road in Liverpool. Sheriff’s department spokesman Bob Burns said the man was believed to be the sole occupant of the two-story, wood-frame home. Burns said fire investigators believe the dead man owned the home, but he refused to release the man’s name until the body has been identified. The body is being held for examination by the Onondaga County medical examiner. Moyers Corners Fire Department Chief Bob French said several reports of the blaze were phoned in to the department about 4:30 p.m., probably by residents of the nearby Casual Estates mobile home park. Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Franch said fire officials belive it bgan in the kitchen and spread, leaving extensive structural damage to the rear of the home. There was also extensive water and smoke damage to the building.

 

May 4th, 1983
Tornado ruins memories, too
By Patricia Rycraft
The Post-Standard
pictures
Al Davis wept at a bulldozer and grader knocked over what remained of his house. "There's a lot of sentimental things in there after just 2l/2 years," Davis said, "a lot of memories." Monday night's tornado leveled most of the house in the town of Clay where he and his wife. Sonja, have lived for 2 years. Part of the house was left standing lopsided by the storm, and was collapsing slowly yesterday. "We just can't take the chance that it will go down on its own," said Art Montani of the Moyers Corners Fire Department. So, the rest of the house had to be knocked down by the Onondaga County Division of Highways. The young couple watched the first house they had owned crumble to the ground.

 

May 23rd, 1983
Auxiliary Installation Banquet
Twin Trees Fore Restaurant

 

President – Norma Guinta

 

Vice President – Carolyn Funnell

 

Treasurer – Rosemary Morgan

 

Recording Secretary – Beth Sahm

 

Corresponding Secretary – Gretchen Cottrell

 

Chaplain – Jo Guinta

 

May 28th, 1983
Memorial Day Parade
pictures 

 

July 21st, 1983
Teen-age firefighter honored for bravery
The Post-Standard – Neighbors North Edition
By Tom Rose
Nicholas Peluso was a high school senior the day Frances Teller, 67, of West Monroe went to see her physician in the town of Clay. Teller left Dr. Stephen Silbiger's office at 4815 Byckley Road about 2:30 p.m. Feb. 9 and walked toward her car with her husband. As she walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle, she fell into a 24-inch wide, 35-foot deep well. Peluso was one of the Moyers Corners firefighters who responded to the rescue call. He climbed down the well to rescue the woman who had suffered a fractured ankle and a back injury. Friday he was honored with the County Executive's medal for heroism at the annual Onondaga County Volunteer Firemen's Association convention. County Executive John Mulroy presented the award.

 

Mulroy said Peluso was "an example of the outstanding character of young people today and their dedication to the community" and cited him for "confidence, courage and bravery." 'There is no doubt his actions saved the life of Mrs. Teller,” Mulroy said. Peluso was escorted by an honor guard from the Moyers Corners Fire

 

Department and received prolonged applause after Mulroy pinned the medal on his uniform. After the ceremony, Peluso said he did not think of his own safety during the rescue. "I concentrated mostly on what I had to do." "I'm happy I'm getting a rnedal, but it's really not called for," he said. "There should be no awards given for doing what you're trained to do." His actions were judged by the volunteer firefighters' association to be the "outstanding rescue performed by a county firefighter during the past year." When the fire department confirmed a person had fallen into the well, Fire Chief Robert French requested a volunteer to attempt the descent into the well. Peluso, one of the newer members of the department, stepped forward,

 

donned self-contained breathing apparatus and under the direction of Captain Greg Tiner was secured to ropes and lowered into the well. Teller was in 2 feet of water at the bottom of the well. The air temperature was below freezing. Peluso, who had received rescue and first aid training while a member of the fire department's Explorer Post, made a cursory examination of her injuries, reassured her and fastened her to the end of a life rope. He then directed firefighters on the surface to hoist her out while he stayed at the bottom of the well to guide them. Before he was lifted out, he recovered her purse from the water. Peluso said that when he reached Teller, who remained conscious during the incident, he did not know "how bad she was injured, but I

 

figured she hurt her back and spine by the way she was positioned." He said if the water in the well had been any deeper she probably would have drowned. "She could move her arms, but she couldn't move her legs. The onlything we were worried about was getting her out fast." He gave credit to other members of the department who stayed above ground to' direct the operation. "They were the backbone of the rescue." he said. "I just had to go down there and get all the information to the officers up above," he said. Peluso graduated from Liverpool High School in June and plans to study fire science at Onondaga Community College.

 

September 16th, 1983
Herald Journal
A fire destroyed a home in the Casual Estates trailer park In Liverpool early Friday, according to Clay police.  The blaze broke out at about 1:30 a.m. at the home of Mary Worrnuth, of Doncaster Court. Said police Investigator Leonard Storto. Wormuth wasn't home at the lime, "The trailer looked to be a total loss," Storto said, adding the woman will stay with her son for the time being. Although there were no Indications the fire was suspicious, the county Arson Task Force has been called in to investigate. The fire apparently started in the bedroom area; Storto said. The Moyers Corners Fire department had the fire out by 2 p.m

 

October 1983
Garnoch Court Fire
News interview with Chief Ken Brand Jr.:
“We arrived on the scene and we had a working fire in the upper apartment over here. The upper story was fully involved. I immediately called for mutual aid companies from Liverpool and Clay. We contained it to the one apartment with a little damage to the second apartment. We knocked the fire down is where we are now.”

 

October 8th, 1983
Harvest Dinner at Station 1
The menu consisted of Ham, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots, squash, cabbage salad, corn, applesauce and, of course, homemade pies. Carolyn Funnell was the chairperson, Joyce Bressette was in charge of the dining room, and Clara Marshall took charge of the pies (and boy were they good!) Prices for the dinners were: Adults - $4.75, $3 for children, $4 for senior citizen, children under five were free. 280 dinners were served with a profit of $622.76.

 

October 15th, 1983 
Station 2 open house
Auxiliary served 32 dozen donuts and 12 gallons of cider, in addition to “lots” of coffee and popcorn being consumed. 
New Pictures

 

November 1983 
Men’s smoker at Station 1
The auxiliary assisted with the preparation of the food for the function. 466 people were served. Lots of macaroni salad was left over. 
New Pictures

 

November 15th, 1983
Thanks, Sheriff Dillon
The Post-Standard – Editorial Page
To the Editor,
The Moyers Corners Fire Department wishes to thank Onondaga County Sheriff John Dillon for having the the department's helicopter drop in at the Moyers Corners Fire Department's Open House last month.
Few of those who attended the Open House had ever had an opportunity to see this special piece of equipment up close; even fewer realized that "Air-One" is a multi-purpose unit serving as an emergency medical transport when ground transportation is not possible. It is this type of cooperation between local fire departments and specialized county units that has made the county one of the best in New York state in providing emergency services to its residents.

 

RICHARD G. CRISP
Moyers Corners Fire Department

 

December 5th, 1983
Auxiliary Annual Christmas Banquet held at Brothers Restaurant. Donations were collected from members to help six needy families enjoy the holiday season.

 

 

 

 

 

1984

 

Chief Robert French
 First Assistant Chief: Chet Fritz
Second Assistant Chief Ken Brand Jr.
Third Assistant Chief Art Montani
Captains: 1st Captain Ken Filow, 2nd  Captain Larry Earle, 3rd Captain Dick Perkins, 4th Captain Chris Naum, 5th  Captain Ron Turiello, 6th Captain George Gobin, 7th Captain Greg Tiner, 8th  Captain Ed Kazmirski, 9th Captain John Perkins
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant George Race, 2nd  Lieutenant Jerry Miller, 3rd Lieutenant Dave Morgan, 4th Lieutenant Steve Mauser,  5th Lieutenant Tim Chura, 6th Lieutenant Palmer (Mike) App, 7th Lieutenant Bud Neuman, 8th Lieutenant Gary Cottrell, 9th Lieutenant Dean Leeson

 

Executive Board
 President Bob Swahn
Vice President Thomas McKearney 
Secretary Bob Michelson, Assistant Secretary Paul Wiedeman 
Treasurer Art Bump, Assistant Treasurers Mike LeFebvre, David Sparks

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Tom Olsweski

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Martha Arnold, 1st Assistant Sharon Moynihan, 2nd Assistant Sam Jones, 3rd Assistant Richard Crisp

 

Auxiliary: President Norma Guinta, Vice President Beverly Tietz, Recording Secretary Beth Sahm,  Corresponding Secretary Linda Gobin, Treasurer Rosemary Morgan, Chaplain Jo Guinta
1984 Auxiliary New Picture   1984 Charter Member Auxiliary Picture

New Apparatus: 1984 Saulsbury/Autocar Construktor 2 Delivery, Rescue 1 at Station 1. Later became Rescue 3 at Station 3 in 1989, then Became Rescue 4.  1984 Ambulance 2

 

First female firefighter joined the Department – Special Ed teachrt from North Syracuse schools Kathy McMahon

 

January 4th, 1984
Herald Journal
Elderly loner dies in blaze at Clay home
Patricia Rycraft
A Clay man whom neighbors described as an elderly loner is believed to be the victim of a blaze Tuesday afternoon in his home on Route 57 just north of Seneca Mall. The man is believed to be 68- year-old Felix Glowacki, according to Sheriff's Department spokesman Robert Burns. Because the body was badly burned, positive identification may not be made for some time, Burns said. But authorities are fairly sure it is Glowacki. Burns said he talked with Glowacki's sister Tuesday night. She and a brother had not seen him since 1971, he said. The cause of death and the fire were still under investigation this morning.

 

The burned body was discovered by Moyers Corners firefighters about 10 minutes after they arrived at the house at 8149 Oswego Road near the Casual Estates mobile home park. "There were people on the scene who said there was probably someone inside," said Moyers Corner Fire Chief Robert French. "We made a quick knockdown of (the fire) so we could do the search." After the fire, police went into house and confiscated several items for safekeeping. They included, $5,106.08 in cash and change; 13 uncashed checks from Atlantic Richfield Corp.; two .22- caliber rifles and 35 boxes of ammunition. Debris was scattered in the yard of the two-story frame house, including two shopping carts, a rusted refrigerator, wire fencing and a metal storm window frame. Two teen-agers from the nearby Casual Estates had assisted Glowacki in a yard clean-up effort last fall. That was the only time they met him, said Darwin Bartlett Jr., 17, a resident of Coton Court. Tuesday afternoon, Bartlett said he saw the smoke from the house and another friend, Darrin Hubbard, 15, of Cambridge Court in the park, saw the fire. They were going to "rush in" to try to rescue Glowacki but, instead, each went to a neighbor's house to report the fire, he said. Moyers Corners Fire Department shortly after 4:30 p m.

 

When firefighters arrived, the rear portion of the house was fully involved in flames, according to French. Rush hour traffic was rerouted off Route 57 as more than 35 firefighters from Moyers Corners Fire Department battled the blaze. The body was removed from the house at about 7:10 p.m. Bartlett said that one day in the  fall he and another friend offeredto help Glowacki clean up his yard.. "We were walking down the street and asked him if he needed    his yard cleaned up," Bartlett said. The man accepted their help and  offered them one of the cars in his driveway as payment, Bartlett said. But the two youths never went back. There were beer cans and bottles, a snowblower, tractor and a refrigerator in the yard, he said. Bartlett said he didn't know why Glowacki kept the items. "Even if you said 'hi' to him, he "It's an old man who lives by  himself," said Casual Estates resident Barbara Baublitz, who manages the Pick Quick DehMart at 8195 Oswego Road, north of the house. She had only seen Glowacki go to his mailbox, she said. "It always looks like the place is deserted. You wouldn't even know anybody lives there. "It looks like an old hermit's place," she said. Baublitz, who lives in one of the mobile homes closest to the house, said neighborhood children have never seen anyone else near the house. "I've lived here five years and I've maybe seen him four times," said another neighbor, Bethel Rusch of Coton Court.

 

Firefighters searched the house for a possible second body but found none. Moyers Corners firefighters conducted three searches of the house, and four of some portions, to be certain there was no one else minside, French said. ing to him in the driveway within the last week by one of our firefighters," French said. Papers found in the house had two names on them, he said. "You cannot afford to discount that," the fire chief said. "Every square foot has got to be searched." The body was found in the kitchen, where the blaze is believed to have started. Firefighters were unsure at first of the victim's sex, French said. The county's Fire Investigation Unit team is investigating the blaze. The cause remained undetermined Tuesday night. "They do not list it as suspicious," said French.

 

January 25, 1984
Review
Fire department saves time and money with computer
The addition of a Victor 9000 microcomputer has brought a whole new way of doing things- to the Moyers Corners Fire Department. Department President Ed Fleming says the system is saving time and money and most importantly, could save lives. Programming the system has taken countless hours of Fleming's time as well as that of other members of the committee. Ed thinks, however, that the turning point is at hand and that the information that has-been pumped in will save tax dollars in the coming years. The department's accounting system, fund drive addresses, membership lists and budget information is already available at the push of a button. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects, says Fleming, is a system that would tell firefighters the quickest way to arrive at a particular address within the town. "Soon," he says, "we'll be able to punch in an address and have complete directions within seconds."

 

Saving lives is the business of the men and women of Moyers Corners. In the three stations, some 118 members are ready at the call of a siren. Stations 1 and 2 have waiting lists for membership while Station 3 has some openings. The first female firefighter, a special education teacher in the North Syracuse school system, joined the ranks this year. To join the fire department, one must be 18 years old, live in the district and be willing to attend a 12 week course on the Essentials of Flremanship. In addition, weekly drills are held on Thursday evenings and firemen are expected to be at as many fires as possible. For someone interested in a more scheduled activity. Fleming notes that there are spaces available on the medical rescue squad. Members are expected to man three four-hour shifts per month, during which time they will be at the station. In addition, training drills are held and course work is required. Those wishing information on membership in the fire department or on the ambulance squad should call Station 1 at 652-8511, Station 2 at 652-8421 or Station 3 at 457-0051. "We're proud of the service we give our community," says—Fleming,—who, along with Chief Bob French and Ambulance Squad Administrator Martha Arnold, heads the department, "and we hope that those willing to become a part of this fine organization will contact us soon.”

 

April 7th, 1984
Auxiliary Craft Show at Station 1. 57 tables were rented showing a profit of $1200. 800 people attended. The auxiliary donated $500 to the department.

 

April 30th, 1984
Tribune and Town Crier
Moyers Corners Fire Dept. Purchases Great, Big, Beautiful Rescue Squad Vehicle
Ken Brand and Dick Crisp were really proud, as they talked with the Tribune and Town Crier photographer about the newest addition to one of the largest fleets of volunteer fire department equipment in Central New York. Ken, second assistant chief, and Dick, publicity committee chairman were talking about the Moyers Corners department’s new giant rescue squad van truck 32 feet long. It holds up to a dozen firemen, depending on the emergency situation.

 

Dick explained it this way: “This unit rolls on all house or structural fires, or on an auto accident involving extrication of people from the vehicle.” The big new rescue van, was purchased for about $200,000, including equipment (and there’s plenty of that). It will act as a command, utility, first aid and overall rescue center, in case of major accidents or natural disasters (remember last years tornado??) Two sizeable electrical generators, one on each side of the vehicle, provide power for floodlights – 26 of them in all. Several are mounted on the front and along the top; 16 are stored inside and are portable. The new van has several two-way radio sets and a 50-channel scanner, plus five first-aid kits and a collection of other first-aid equipment.

 

Portable oxygen tanks are combined with a built-in oxygen supply system. More gusty items on the fire department van include ‘Jaws of Life’ (for removing passengers trapped in car wrecks, quickly and hopefully as painlessly as possible); super-powerful cutters used to slice up large metal, wood or other material, for achieving quicker access for removal of victims inside autos and trucks. Another handy device is a front-mounted winch, which can pull objects weighing up to 20,000 pounts. Moyers Corners firefighters ride inside the vehicle.

 

The new fan is air conditioned. The manufacturer of the truck portion of the vehicle is the Autocar Corp., with a custom Salisbury body. Based on the type of emergencies encountered by the Moyers Corners department in the course of the year, Ken and Dick estimated that the new vehicle is well worth its cost, when compared with the saving of human life and reduction of pain and suffering now made even more possible with its acquisition.

 

May 1, 1984
They’ll have no truck with this bridge
Firefighters must get out and walk to reach Horseshoe Island
Herald Journal
If your house is burning down on Horseshoe Island, you’d better hope the local firefighters are in good shape for jogging. And it would be nice t o know there was plenty of water in your hydrants, too, because when the fire truck arrives its water tank will be empty. This all comes about because the only way to get to the island  in Clay is across the Horseshoe Island Road Bridge, which can’t take much more than the weight of two or three cars. The state says eight tons is the limit. With a full complement of firefighters and 1000 gallon water tank sloshing to the brim, even the lightest truck belonging to the Moyers Corners Fire Department is far too heavy for the bridge. Officials say the only way they can get the truck to a fire is to pump out the water and tell all the firefighters to get out and hoof it across the bridge. The truck would be driven across separately, and once across the bridge firefighters would climb back on. With the truck empty of water, the only way firefighters could spray water on a fire would be attach their hosed to hydrants. With their gear, firefighters can weigh 200 pounds each, and 1000 gallons of water weights more than two tons.

 

And that’s not the only problem facing residents of the 160 homes on the island. Until something is done to make the bridge stronger, some of them won’t get propane and heating oil. Agway Petroleum Corp says it is no longer sending its propane gas and home heating oil delivery trucks to customers on the island. The Phoenix School District is affected, as well. It has changed the bus route for the area so there are fewer students on boards its 7 ½ ton bus when it crosses the bridge. The bridge has been linking the island with the mainland for more than 70 years. The area was once a peninsula on the Oneida River, and turned into an island when the barge canal was put through.

 

Concern over the strength of the bridge came to light recently when an Agway driver noticed a sign at the one-lane bridge warning of the weight limit. The state says the sign’s been there for some time. Agway decided its delivery truck was too heavy, and some of Horseshoe Island residents started collecting signatures in an attempt to petition the state to replace the bridge. On Monday, a state official said it will be two months before engineers finish checking the strength of the span. One way wot check the bridge is to give it the same kind of inspection that a car dealer gives a trade in – by inspecting it for rust and obvious damage. That’s what was done Monday, according to State DOT regional director Richard Simberg. Simberg said the bridge would have been checked this year anyway. Giving it an inspection now “was a matter of just shifting schedules somewhat,” he said.

 

May 14th, 1984
Auxiliary Annual Installation Banquet held at Jack’s Reef.

 

May 20th, 1984
Mutual Aid to Clay – Ver Plank road structure fire

 

June 1984
Fire at Beacon Mills Silo
Jim Kenyon news interview with Assistant Chief Art Montani:
“Right now we’re emptying the silo out. We’ve wet it down from the top and bottom to remove any chance of dust. We’re trying to remove all the grain so we can be sure we’ve gotten to the seat of the fire and removed any burning material from the silo. With the wetting techniques we’re using we feel like we’ve minimized any chance of it exploding. There is always a danger of exploding, but we feel we’ve minimized it. We have no indication at this time what caused it, it could have been any of the machinery used to move the grain or any number of things. The only real way to extinguish the fire is to remove the grain from the silo.Our problem right now is we had to modify their system of removing the grain so we could remove it directly outside the building which took quite awhile to set up. The company has been excellent with cooperating with us. The maintenance staff has worked with us right from the beginning.”

 

June 28th – July 1st, 1984
Field Days
New Pictures

 

July 5th, 1984
Herald Journal
They’re just perfect for fun – and funds
By Tom Dial
Just as sure as the weather gets warm arid fireworks celebrate the Fourth, of July, summer in New York generates Firemen's Field Days. Across the state, the sound of cow bells, sirens and whirling rides are familiar, as the hordes of volunteer firemen set out to raise - funds for their serious work through the pleasure of play.  "We raise about $25,000 a year with our field days," says Ken Brand, assistant chief and chairman of the Field Days for the Moyers Corner Volunteer Fire Department. "It's difficult to say for sure just how many people we draw, but we estimate 50,000 to 75,000 on the weekend" His Field Days were staged last weekend, with Hawkins Amusements of Rome pro providing the three dozen rides and games. The firemen also stage legal gambling games, such as Big Six, Over and Under, and Beat the Dealer. "We usually hold the Field Days on the Fourth, but it was in the middle of the week this year and we couldn't do it. It turned out fine, though," says Brand "The money we raise during Field Days goes for furniture for our firehouse, extras such as soft drinks and the like for our members, and miscellaneous things like that.

 

All the equipment and fire trucks, and the funds for running the department come from the town. "So raising money is just one function of our Field Days. It's also a social function that brings the department just a little closer to the community, and it's entertainment. Just good fun for the whole family. "We have about 200 members, and most of them spend some time working during the Field Days. We also have a lot of auxiliary members who work for us. "It's like a little State Fair-around here, and people really love it." Although Moyers Corners' Field Days were open last Thursday and Friday from 6 p.m. to midnight, it was Saturday and Sunday that drew the huge crowds, primarily because of special events like the Saturday afternoon parade and Sunday fireworks display. The parade had people of all ages lined up along Route 57 for miles. Military groups used the occasion to make their presence known. The Baldwinsville Community Band played and marched And radio stations urged onlookers to tune in their numbers, while automobile dealers furnished cars for officials to ride in.

 

August 1984
Station 3 members at Hydroplane Races 

 

August 16th, 1984
Child Drowns in Cicero quarry pond
By Erik Kriss
Herald-Journal
Divers felt their way through dark, murky water in a Cicero stone quarry pond before coming upon the body of an eight-year- old Syracuse boy who drowned Wednesday afternoon. Attempts were made to revive John Chinn. of 562 Oakwood Ave., but the efforts were to no avail. According to poJicc and fire officials, Chinn was fishing with two friends at the pond, located south of Route 31 just east of the western intersection of  Lakeshore Road. Between 2:45 and 3 p.m., Chinn, against the advice of his friends, decided to go swimming. He apparently became tangled in the heavy weeds of the pond. One of the friends. David Newport of 7926 Rinaldo Blvd. W.. Bridgeport, made a vain attempt to save Chinn. Newport and Jeff Evans of 7922 Rinaldo Blvd. W. then called police. Officials said Chinn and thre6 sisters were staying with the Evans family. Authorities summoned divers to search for Chinn. "It scared the hell out of me when I found him," said diver John Schoibol, an East Syracuse firefighter who groped through the eight- to 10-foot deep waters for 20 minutes.' "I thought it was my buddy Steve Mauser, a diver from the Moyers Corners Fire Department) when I found him because I clamped on to his shoulder, but he didn't resist. That's when I Itncw I found him." "You couldn't see your hand in front of your face," Scheibel said. So the divemaster submerged a cement block with 50 feet of rope tied to it about 30 feet from shorq, the spot where Chinn's friends last remcm- .bered seeing him. 'Scheibel and three other divers held the rope and probed in a circle around the block. With the weeds and silt, "It was similar to going through a cornfield in the middle of the night," Scheibel said. The pond was 200 or 300 feet by 300 or 400, estimated Richard Beach, assistant county fire coordinator. Emergency medical technicians from North Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps attempted to revive Chinn, before his body was taken by helecopter to Upstate Medical Center, said Onondaga County Sheriff's Department spokesman Bob Burns.Neither the Evans nor the Newpert family could be contacted, and authorities didn't know why Chinn was in Cicero. Beach said Newport "was fortunate to get out" after attempting to save Chinn. "It was panic inducement. I'm sure that's what  happened." Beach said the water was approximately 55 degrees. "Because of the cold water, and the reflex built into people in cold water, we have to treat anyone we find as though there is a potential for continued life," Beach said, explaining the attempts to revive Chinn. The sheriff's department and the Bridgeport

 

Fire Department were assisted by eight to 10 other fire companies, said Beach. Scheibel and Mauser were1 helped by two divers from the Brewerton Fire Department. Sheriff's department, Onondaga County Divers Association and other divers stood by.

 

September 19th, 1984
The Messenger
By Richard Crisp
To the Editor:

 

For the past eight years  I have urged "Total Community Support" for the Moyers Corners Ambulance Fund Drive, recognizing its great importance in the to the Town Wide Public Safety Program. Over thepast twelve months, as active member of the Moyers Corners Medical Rescue Squad, I have grown to realize that the ambulance service is much more than just a "Community Service" but a very "Personal Service" to those who have had' to call on the Moyers Corners Fire Department for assistance Their words of appreciation, gratitude and friendship continue long 'after the illness has subsided or the wound healed. When you receive your 1984 Fund Drive Appeal, I urge you consider this not just another Community Appeal, but a very Personal Appeal - your personal support insuring continued prompt and professional medical care, should you,  a neighbor, or friend fall victim to a medical emergency.

 

September 21st, 1984
Herald Journal
Smoking in bed believed cause of crippled woman’s death
Patricia Rycraft
Carol Bown, a 38-year-old victim of a crippling disease, chose last month to leave Van Duyn Home and Hospital to live with her son. Thursday, Brown, who was confined to a wheelchair, was killed in bed when fire brok out in her son’s apartment on Candlelight Lane in Clay.  Bowen, who had multiple sclerosis, was alone in the basement apartment at the time of the 9:52am fire. She was apparently smoking in bed, said Clay Police Investigator Leonard Storto. Following an autopsy Thursday, the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s preliminary findings are that she died of smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Storto o said. “There’s enough evidence to determine it was an accidental fire.” The fire was confined to the bed in the living room and other articles in the room, said Art Montani, assistant chief of the Moyers Corners Fire Department. Bowen’s son, David, and his girlfriend who also lives there, were both working at the time of the fire. A home health aide from Onondaga County health department woud visit each day.

 

September 21st, 1984
Herald Journal – Metro Section
By Patricia Rycraft
Crippled fire victim wanted a life outside the nursing home.  Carol Bown, a 38-year-old victim of a crippling disease, chose to leave Van Duyn home  and Hospital to live with her son. Thursday, Bowen, who was confined to a wheelchair, was killed in bed when f i r e broke out in her son’s apartment on Candlelight land  in Clay. Bowen, who had multiple sclerosis, was aone in the basement apartment at the time of the 9:52 a.m. fire.She was apparently smoking in bed said Clay Police Investigator Leonard Storto. The cause of the fire is still under  investigation. Storto said. "There's enough evidence to determine it was an accidental fire." Following an autopsy Thursday, the Onondag;1 County Medical Examiner's preliniinary findings are that she died of smoke inhalation. Storto said. The fire was confined to the hcd m the living room and other articles in the room, said Art Montani. assistant chief of t h e ,Moyers Corners Fire Department.Bowen's son. David Monica .Jr.. and his girlfriend, who also lives in the apartment, were both working at the time of the fire. Home health aides and a nurse would visit Mowcn every day. Said Terry Stone, director of the county health department's Home Care Services. liowen had heen a patient at the county's Van Duyn I lome and Hospital on Onoudaga Hill for five and j half months before leaving m August. Van Dnyn personnel wanted liowen to remain in the nursing home, said Jackie Ross, a social worker at Van Duyn. "She hated the idea of being in an institution." said Ross, who was Howen's caseworker. "We tried very hard to get her to stay here. It was hard for people to convince her to stay here ... to get the attention she needed. "She was determined to gel out of an institution." Ross said. Howen's disease was diagnosed five years ago. Multiple sclerosis is an incurable disease of the nervous system. 'She had lost strength in her legs and arms and "didn't have much control over movement." Ross said. Her vision had also worsened, a symptom of MS. Mowen was depressed by the loss of her mobility and independence, said Barbara Stone. Monica's girlfriend. "She took it very hard." Said Storic. "She lost a lot of her will and ambition." I loss agreed that Bowen suffered from depression.

 

November 3rd, 1984 
Harvest Dinner at Station 1
Took in $240 on the raffle of a cabbage patch doll. Sue Davison chaired the event. She reported that 240 people were served with a profit of $636.47. Help was scarce!
New pictures

December 1985
Alice Haney Birthday Celebration at Station 1. The auxiliary presented Alice with a comforter to celebrate her 75th birthday. 
Picture of her with her daughters

 

December 3rd, 1984
Annual Auxiliary Christmas Banquet. Donations were received for a needy family. Bev Tietz celebrated 25 years as an auxiliary member. 
New picture of Bev.

 

December 14th, 1984
Herald-Journal
Clay garage fire ruins cars, snowmobiles
Arlington Mall Apt. Fire (article/pics)
Fire in a large garage at a Clay apartment complex destroyed three cars and some snowmobiles, motorcycles and furniture today, said Bob French, Chief of the Moyers Corners fire department. No one was hurt in the fire at Arlington Mall apartments on Arlington circle, just southeast of the Route 57/John Glenn Boulevard intersection. Flames from the fire, reported at 4:53 a.m., were visible around the area. Firefighters brought the blaze under control about 6 a.m. and returned to their stations at 8:30 a.m, French said. He said arson is suspected because of the way the fire started and spread. Investigators were at the scene. The apartments were at least 200 yards away and were not threatened, French said.

 

December 15th, 1984
House fire
pictures

 

1985

 

Chief Robert French
 First Assistant Chief: Chet Fritz
Second Assistant Chief Ken Brand Jr.
Third Assistant Chief Steve Wisely
Captains: 1st Captain Ken Filow, 2nd  Captain Chris Naum, 3rd Captain Ron Turiello, 4th Captain Greg Tiner, 5th  Captain John Perkins, 6th Captain Tim Chura, 7th Captain Bud Neuman, 8th  Captain Steve Mauser, 9th Captain George Gobin
|Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant George Race, 2nd  Lieutenant Dave Morgan, 3rd Lieutenant Dave Fleming, 4th Lieutenant Mike Chura,  5th Lieutenant Palmer App, 6th Lieutenant Dean Leeson, 7th Lieutenant Greg Shaffer, 8th Lieutenant Mark Goettel, 9th Lieutenant Frank Houde

 

Executive Board
 President Bob Swahn
Vice President Thomas McKearney 
Secretary Bob Michelson, Assistant Secretary Ed Wisnowski 
Treasurer William Arnold, Assistant Treasurers Mike LeFebvre, Kathy McMahon

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Tom Olsweski

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Martha Arnold, 1st Assistant Sharon Moynihan, 2nd Assistant Mike Wolff, 3rd Assistant Mary Hussain

 

Auxiliary: President Norma Guinta, Vice President Beverly Tietz, Recording Secretary Beth Sahm,  Corresponding Secretary Linda Gobin, Treasurer Rosemary Morgan, Chaplain Jo Guinta

 

Scholarship Winners: Kristine Greene, Donna Davison
1985 Explorer Post – Pictures

 

New Apparatus: 1985 Truck 2 Rehabilitation by Young 

 

January 3rd, 1985
Herald Journal
Volunteers appeal for help..continued
One of the major reasons for the drop in availability of daytime firefighting and medical volunteers is that many people who either weren't employed a few years ago or were laid off during the recession are working now, officials said. "We found when we had the big layoffs at local companies we had a lot more people around the station and doing more things," said Michael Grille, chief of the North Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department. About five years ago, the ranks of the North Syracuse department numbered about 80. Today, there are 60 members. "Our big problem is that women have gone back to work to support families or they have children (at home)," said Martha Arnold, administrator of the Moyers Corners Fire Department Medical Rescue Squad. When the Moyers Corners squad and some other ambulance services don't have a crew available at some time during the day to be on duty at the station or corps room, they allow volunteers living nearby to respond to calls from home. If a particular ambulance service can't respond to a life-threatening emergency within four minutes, county Fire Control dispatches another. Waters said. The director of the county's Emergency Medical Services Bureau, M. Betty Christen, said she knows of no deaths that can be blamed on a longer response time caused by a shortage of volunteers.

 

January 7th, 1985 Pinecrest Manor Fire
Candle Started Clay Fire
A fire that left 20 Clay residents homeless and trapped four people wo were rescue by fire ladders Saturday night was caused by an overturned candle, firefighters said Sunday. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Robert French said a candle in a bedroom tipped over onto somewicker furniture. “It took off from there,” French said. The fire started about 9 p.m. Saturday in a bedroom in an apartment shared by two young women at Pinecrest Manor on Cedar Post Road. French said he could not recall the name of the woman whose candle started the fire. The woman’s roommate, Lyne Gachowski, 23, was at the movie at the time of the fire. French estimated that about 15 people were home at the start of the fire which gutted two apartments and caused extensive damage to 10 others. Although firefighters rescued 4 persons who were trapped on balconies by thick smoke, the other residents escaped after smoke detectors were automatically activated. “The smoke detectors saved the day,” French said. “We had person after person tell us that was what alerted them. Had these people not had advanced warning, it might’ve been a different story.”

 

News interview with Chief Robert French:
“When I arrived we had heavy smoke, heavy smoke in the hallways, we were rescuing people off balconies. We’ve got the fire knocked down about now, but there is still a lot of overhaul left to do.”

 

January 9th, 1985
Herald Journal
Patricia rycraft
Horseshoe Island bridge decision immenent
State transportation officials plan to decide in about a month whether the Horseshoe Island Road bridge in the town of Clay will be rehabilitated or replaced. Studies of both options are expected to be completed near the end of January, said Richard Simberg, regional director for the state Department of Transportation. DOT announced in late November it would either rehabilitate or replace the bridge, which provides the only access to the island. The island was created when the state's Barge Canal was built. The island is surrounded by the canal and the Oneida River. Island residents have been pushing for work on the bridge since April, when Agway Petroleum stopped sending its large home fuel trucks over it because the trucks exceeded the bridge's eight-ton weight limit. A bridge rehabilitation project would begin in the winter of 1986-87 with a projected completion date of fall 1987, Simberg said in a letter to Assemblyman Michael J. Bragman, D-Cicero. The cost of renovation is estimated at between $250,000 and $300,000. A project to replace the bridge probably would begin in 1987 and be completed in 1988 or 1999, Simberg said in the letter. The estimated cost of a new bridge is about $1.5 million. The town has no choice. "You can't isolate those people, so the town is continuing to provide absolutely necessary services," DiDomenico said. "On the one hand the state is saying it's illegal but they're not solving their problem. "The town and town residents are left in an impossible situation." DiDomenico said the state is responsible for problems associated with the bridge because the state built the barge canal. Enforcement of the bridge's weight limit is the responsibility of police agencies, Simberg said. The town supervisor said the town will attempt to lighten loads of salt and sand taken over the bridge, but the equipment will still weigh more than the posted weight limit. Island residents have said that there have been long periods of time that the signs with the bridge's weight limit have been missing, DiDomenico said. "There's a history of excessive loads going over that bridge when the bridge wasn't posted," he said. DiDomenico has proposed buying two four-wheel drive trucks equipped with a snow plowing blades and sanding and salting equipment to use on the island. But he wants the state to pay the estimated $40,000 cost for that special equipment. The town recently authorized the Moyers Corners Fire Department to buy an additional mini pumper at a cost of $60,000 to provide protection on the island because the department's large equipment exceeds the weight limit. DiDomenico wants the state to pay for that apparatus as well. 

 

January 30, 1985
The Messenger –– Moyers department buys special truck for Horseshoe
A mini-pumper to serve more safely the residents of Horseshoe Island is the newest purchase at the Moyers Corners Fire Department. The all volunteer group, number some 125 firematic members and another 50 or so in the ambulance squad, is proud of its service to the community. Problems with weight limitations on the bridge leading to Horseshoe Island forced the company to take a good look at the situation. If one of the regular trucks were to cross the bridge, there might be a collapse, property and life could be endangered. “We feel good about the Clay Town Board’s decision to purchase the mini-pumper,” says MCFD President Bob Swahn. He is joined in administrative duties by a corps of officers at various levels, including Fire Chief

 

Bob French and Ambulance Administrator Martha Arnold.

 

The fire department portion of the budget, some half million dollars each year, comes in the form 6f taxes. All monies for the ambulance squad are raised through contributions. Funds from activities such as smokers and field days are used to support a variety of community activities, including Little League and softball teams. Members are required to attend drills and classes designed to keep them ready for any emergency. Bob is especially proud of the work done by the fire department auxiliary and its president Norma Guinta. They arrive on the scene of major fires with foot and coffee, ready to assist in any way they can. The Moyers Corners Fire Department is open to anyone over the age of 18 who is out of high school. For information, call 652-8511

 

February 4th, 1985
Herald Journal
Two children hurt as sled hits car
Two 6-year-old children were seriously injured Sunday when the sled they were on slid into a passing car, town of Clay police said. Jacqueline Smith of 8292 Larkspur Drive, Clay, was in critical condition at State University Hospital today, said a hospital spokeswoman. Joseph Jenners of 12 Kumquat Lane, Liverpool, was listed in serious condition at the hospital, the spokeswoman said. Police said he suffered head injuries. Police said the two were sledding in the driveway of the Smith house when the sled entered the road about 1:19 p.m. A car driven by Franklin L. Page, 34, of 8270 Larkspur Drive was passing by at about 20 mph at the time, police said. Police said Page heard a thud under the car, stopped and saw the boy in the road and the girl under the car. Police said both children were unconscious. Page was not charged. Both children were taken to the hospital by Moyers Corners Fire Department ambulances.

 

February 12th, 1985
Horseshoe Island bridge will be rebuilt, but it will take three years
Herald Journal
By Jonathan D. Salant
Albany Bureau
ALBANY — Help is on the way for the 160 families of Horseshoe Island in the town of Clay, but it will take three years to get there. State Transportation Commissioner James Larocca Monday said the state would rehabilitate the 74- year-old Horseshoe Island Bridge, a process expected to take three years. Rehabilitating the bridge would cost one-fifth as much and be twice as fast as building a new structure, LaRocca said. By using an innovative design, state transportation officials said they would be able to do the work with only short, scattered bridge planning.  Vehicles weighing more than eight tons are prohibited from using the bridge. That means the Moyers Corners Fire Department, which provides fire protection to the island's residents, can't use a regular 17-ton fire pumper or a 30- to 34-ton hook-and-ladder firetruck. When the work is completed, the bridge will be able to handle traffic weighing the state maximum of 40 tons. With two years needed to draw plans and one year for actual construction, the project is expected to be completed in 1988. The cost is estimated at $300,000 to $400,000. While construction is going on, the bridge will not have to be closed to traffic except for one- to two-hour periods on about 20 separate days during the one-year construction period, transportation officials said.

 

February 27th, 1985
Herald Journal
Trailer burns
A Moyers Corners firefighter suffered minor injuries Tuesday night as a grease fire destroyed a 60-foot mobile home in Casual Estates in the town of Clay, fire officials said. The fire, at 1513 Cheshire Court, started at 5 p.m. The owner, Silvia Sapucilli, and her daughter were home at the time, according to the Moyers Corners Fire Department. The daughter, 15-year-old Tammy Shurley, was cooking hamburgers when she spilled grease on the stove, fire officials said. She made a futile effort to put out the fire herself, then woke her sleeping mother, according to firefighters. Both women left through a back door. Neither was hurt. Firefighter Kevin Sahm suffered minor burns to the ears while fighting the blaze, officials said. Phoenix and Liverpool departments assisted.

 

April 1985 Balcony Collapse 

 

May 13th, 1985
Annual Auxiliary Installation Banquet at Beef Steak Mining Company in Cicero. Natalie Hunter celebrated 25 years as a member. 
New picture

 

June 25th, 1985
Herald Journal
Clay woman hurt in Morgan Road crash
Jeff Light
A town of Clay woman was critically injured Monday in a car crash at the entrance to her apartment complex. Five other people, including two small children and a 17-year-old driver, were hurt in the two-car crash at 8:45 a.m. at Morgan Road and Piccadilly Square outside the Westminster Place apartment complex, Clay police said. Diane Holmberg, 33, of Westminster Place, was reported in critical condition today at State University Hospital, where she was flown by a state police helicopter after the accident. Holmberg's children, Kenneth, 2, and

 

Breanna, 5, were treated for minor injuries and released. The driver of the second car, Lisa Hubeny, 17, of 14 Indian Orchard Lane, Clay, suffered cuts to the face and head, said Clay Police Detective Jack Hickock. Her condition was being evaluated at the hospital. Hickok said two of Hubeny's passengers, David J. Hubeny, 18, and Jeff Lannier, 15, complained of back and leg pain but did not appear to be seriously injured. The accident occurred when Holmberg pulled out of the apartment complex and into the path of Hubeny's car, which was southbound on Morgan Road, Hickok said. "She (Holmberg) was coming out of the complex and stopped at the stop sign to make a left turn," Hickock said, "She looked south for on-coming traffic but apparently did not look to the north." The impact of the collision drove Holmberg's car across the four-lane road and into a wooded area off the north  shoulder. Hickok said emergency workers from the Moyers Corners Fire Department took an hour to cut the roof off the car and free Holmberg. Hickok said the drivers and passengers of both cars were wearing seat belts or Harnesses as required by law. The 2-year-old child was in a baby seat.

 

Note: Dave Hubeny is an honorary member and past lieutenant of the Moyers Corners Fire Department. 

 

July 1985
Moyers Corners Fire Department and Auxiliary scholarship
In the spring, the first scholarship committee was formed by the auxiliary to benefit a son or daughter of a fireman, auxiliary, or squad member as outlined by the guidelines drawn up. These scholarships of $1000 ($500 from the fire department and $500 from the auxiliary) each were awarded to Donna Davison, daughter of Bob and Sue Davison, and Kristine Green, daughter of Jerry and Joan Green. 
New Pictures

 

July 1st, 1985 
Field Days
Grill – Joanne Donahue, Doris Jackson, Sue Romanick
Counter – Joyce Bressette, Beth Sahm
French Fries – Sue Davison, Ethel Viel
Pizza – Yvonne Kenyon, Debbie Neuman, Norma Guinta, Cindy Houde ($3464.62 profit)
Kitchen – Bev Tietz, Rosi Morgan
Chicken Booth – Martha Arnold
Candy and popcorn showed a $1554.05 profit. 12 outsiders helped out during the field days. New pictures

 

September 7th, 1985
Fashion Show held at Station 1
Chaired by Norma Guinta. She said it wasn’t very successful.

 

September 11th, 1985
Letter to Herald Journal
This has been a very special year for the Moyers Corners Fire Department Medical Rescue Squad Special as this was the first time within a 12-month period that there was a need to replace two advanced life support ambulances, each costing more than many homes within the town of Clay Special too as this was the first time Onondaga County Emergency Medical Service offered to the volunteer fire departments the advanced level of training needed to achieve the des ignation of "paramedic," greatly enhancing the quality and cost t>f medical care in the field But it has been more than just a special year for the department, it has also been a very costly year making the 1985 annual fund drive (goal of $80,000) both very special and so critical

 

Richard Crisp

 

September 13th, 1985
The Post-Standard – Neighbors North
Moyers Fire Department needs public support

 

Letter to the Editor:

 

Having been involved in various aspects of public safety within the town of Clay for the past 10 years. I am often asked this question: Isn't it depressing to witness the many and varied misfortunes people face — especially when it is a serious accident or illness? My reply is naturally "yes," which often leads to a second question: How do you handle it? The answer here is simple: I am just grateful that I have had the necessary medical training to be in that position of being able to help others." Each year as the Moyers Corners Fund Drive begins, those who have physically experienced the benefits of the service extend their appreciation and support. But for some who have not personally experienced the need for this type of prehospital care, the impact of the Moyers Corners Fund Drive appeal naturally is not as great I would urge all residents, those who have used, and those who have been more fortunate, to consider their donation to Moyers Corners Fire Department as an "insurance policy" which will pay high dividends should you fall victim to a medical emergency. The members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department Medical Rescue squad will be most grateful for your support just as they are grateful that they are in a position to help you when ever needed.

 

- Richard G. Crisp EMT
Chairman
Town of Clay Public Safely Committee

 

October 13th, 1985 Open House Ad 

 

October 15th, 1985
Open House – Station 2
“Come Visit Us Before We Visit You”
Ad picture 

 

October 26th, 1985
Auxiliary Harvest Dinner at Station 1. 
Served 380 dinners with a $1191.62 profit. Carolyn Funnel was chairperson and Rosi Morgan acted as hostess. There was a raffle for a Marriot weekend. 
New pictures

 

October 29th  1985 – Pesticide at LHS
Herald Journal
Liverpool High School students had a day off again today as testing continued for traces of a herbicide that has contaminated the building since Friday. The building remained closed, keeping 2,800 students out of school, because work crews found traces of the herbicide, pentachlorophenol, in the school's business education and house floors. An inspector from the state Department of Environmental Conservation was also at the high school Monday checking that all regulations were followed when the weed killer was sprayed. The department will try to determine "what was sprayed, how it was sprayed, and who sprayed it," said Richard Brickwedde, regional attorney for the department. Fumes from the herbicide sprayed in the courtyard at the Wetzel Road building were drawn into the school Friday through the ventilation system. Twenty-five people were treated at the scene and nine/were taken to hospitals after complaining of nausea, light headedness and other symptoms. School officials have said the weed killer, Certifen, was sprayed by maintenance department personnel Friday. The fumes were carried by the wind into the ventilation system. Brickwedde said the workers were using a non-restricted pesticide, which can be purchased by the public for at-home use. But personnel must be certified or working under the supervision of a certified pesticide applicator when using the weed killer at the school owned buildings, he said. "We have a regulatory interest in what went on. We want to know if it was done properly by properly trained people or under the supervision of properly trained people," Brickwedde said. Brickwedde said today he did not yet have the result of the inspector's probe. Liverpool School Superintendent Jerome Melvin said the school's maintenance supervisor is a certified applicator. Melvin said he did not believe the supervisor was in the courtyard when the other workers were spraying. Melvin said he decided to close the school again today when a swab test showed traces of the pesticide on surfaces in the business education and house floors. "It became apparent that when those two areas were cleaned, a detergent was not used, just hot water," Melvin said. The areas were cleaned again Monday and today and were retested. Melvin said a decision on when to re-open the building would be made when the test results are available. He said the missed time for students would probably be treated as snow days and not be made up.

 

December 2nd, 1985
Auxiliary Christmas Banquet at the Bonanza Restaurant, Liverpool. “We ate good and had a good time.” Donations were received to help a need family. 

 

1986

 

Chief Chet Fritz
 First Assistant Chief: Ken Brand Jr.
Second Assistant Chief Steve Wisely
Third Assistant Chief George Race
Captains: 1st Captain Greg Tiner, 2nd  Captain Fred Bressette, 3rd Captain Bud Neuman, 4th Captain Ron Turiello, 5th   Captain John Perkins, 6th Captain Dave Fleming, 7th Captain Tim Chura, 8th  Captain Mike Chura, 9th Captain Dave Morgan
Lieutenants: 1st Lieutenant Greg SHaffer, 2nd  Lieutenant Steve Mauser, 3rd Lieutenant Frank Houde, 4th Lieutenant Ron Jennings,  5th Lieutenant Don Mace, 6th Lieutenant George Gobin, 7th Lieutenant Dean Leeson, 8th Lieutenant Dan Bartholf, 9th Lieutenant Mike App

 

Executive Board
 President Bob Swahn
Vice President Tom Taranto 
Secretary Bob Michelson, Assistant Secretary Ed Wisnowski 
Treasurer Mike LeFebvre, Assistant Treasurers Kathy McMahon, Greg Dressel

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Tom Olsweski

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Linda Foster, 1st Assistant Bonnie Caza, 2nd Assistant Barbara Chura, 3rd Assistant Michelle Betts

 

Auxiliary: President Rosemary Morgan, Vice President Debbie Neuman, Recording Secretary Cindy Houde,  Corresponding Secretary Linda Gobin, Treasurer Sue Davison, Chaplain Carolyn Funnel Woods

 

Scholarship Winners: Michelle Brand, Shawn Crispin

 

Volunteers who are willing to make a commitment to participate in training and serve in the Movers' Corners Fire Department or Medical Rescue Squad will find some openings says MCFD President Bob Swahn "No training is required initially as long as the volunteer is willing to participate in training programs All we ask for is a commitment,” he says.

 

The department responded to over 1800 calls and medical emergencies in 1985. The all volunteer group numbering some 125

 

March 14th , 1986
Herald Journal
McIntosh Road Fire
If Susan Ohlsen was ever superstitious about her address, she has been cruelly provided with good reason. Her split level, single family home at 13 McIntosh Street, Liverpool, was severely damaged by fire Sunday afternoon. Ohlsen and 4 year-old Heather Pagano of Village Green, Van Buren, whom she was babysitting, both had their hair singed, said Moyers Corners Assistant Fire Chief Chester Fritz. A cat, dog, bird and goldfish were killed in the fire. Ohlsen and her own children now will have to live elsewhere. The fire began while no one was home, but fire investigators have yet to determine its cause, Fritz said. He said the blaze started in a first floor family room. “Very, very extensive damage,” Fritz said. “It’s not going to be livable for the immediate future.” Fritz said Ohlsen and Pagano had just come home when she smelled smoke on the second floor. “She got the baby out and she got out,” the chief said. Firefighters were greeted by heavy flames an the first and second floor, creeping up to the attic. Fritz said firefighters battled the blaze for 15 to 20 minutes before they were able to get it under control . Onondaga County fire investigation unit and the Town of Clay police are investigating, Fritz said.

 

News Interview with Assistant Chief Chet Fritz:
“When I pulled up on the scene the fire was coming out of the game room window extending to the second floor. I made sure everybody was out of the house. We operated with two inch and three quarter lines and a two and a half inch line inside, opened the roof up, got the fire going straight up and knocked it down. I’d say it was probably an excellent save, tremendous amount of damage, but for what we had when we showed up, I’ve got no complaints. The guys really did a job. I talked very briefly the first ten seconds I got here with the woman of the house to make sure that everybody is out of the house.  We gave it a primary and secondary search and confirmed that everybody was out of the house. That’s about all I’ve had time for at this time.”

 

April 1986 
Scholarship Awards
Shawn Crispin and Shelly Brand were the recipients. Shelley is the daughter of Phil and Barbara Brand. The each receive $1000 to help defray college expenses. 
New Pictures

 

May 30th, 1986
 Mcfd Loses One of Their Own in MVC  May 30, 1986 FF Mike Wolff Death MVC Liverpool Bypass
pictures

Medical Rescue Squad Promotional Video
Made by Syracuse University
Just like a good neighbor..the Moyer’s Corners Medical Rescue Squad
Linda Foster, Ambulance Administrator: “Welcome to the Moyers Corners Medical Rescue Squad Ambulance. It’s a part of the Moyers Corners Fire Department. The people who ride on this ambulance are all volunteers. The have their own paid jobs, and in their spare time, they take additional training and they go out in the community to help people that are sick and injured. We are in desperate need of extra help, particularly in daytimes. The volunteer service all over has a chronic daytime shortage. We would like to know if you would like to help.”

 

Jim Michel, EMT: “In the beginning, ambulances were basically station wagons/hearses. It was a scoop and run procedure. At the present time, it has worked up to an advanced science. An ambulance is an extension of the hospital, of the emergency room. There is almost no procedure in the emergency room that cannot be done on the ambulance with properly trained personnel. “

 

Mike Powers, EMT: “Its not a game, you know. It’s serious and real life. It would be great if we had enough members to cover everywhere. But it’s impossible right now. I’m not saying its for everybody because it’s not. Not everybody could deal with what we have to deal with.”

 

Linda Foster: “You have to give a great deal of yourself in this business. And it takes that ability inside to be unselfish and to care about other people. It’s not an easy job, but it’s a necessary job.”

Jim Michel: “I originally started out as a firefighter, but went into the ambulance service after seeing what they needed. It gives me a lot of self-satisfication to help people on a call. You never know what you are going to get when you get there. It could be anything from hurt to death.”

Mike LeFebvre: “You work with people for so long you develop a system on the ambulance so you don’t have to talk on a call. It’s communication. You know what everybody is going to do. We know how each and other work, what’s coming up next…it’s great.”

Linda Foster: “Since the medic program came into being, more people survive. They survive heart attacks, they survive trauma. Corp ambulance service used to be called ‘scoop and run’ and that is exactly what it was. The people got there, the rescuers got there, they got the patient on the stretcher and got to the hospital as fast as they can. Modern technology has changed that. Now we stabilize the patient in the field.”

Jim Michel: “Basically I think it’s a need to help, to share. If you have ever stood on an emergency, or car accident and wondered if you could do something, with a little bit of proper training…you can. You can make a difference.” 

 

Mike Powers: “If anybody wanted a challenge, it’s the way to go. It’s probably the biggest challenge you can make in your life. To ride on that ambulance, to serve your community..and maybe save a life or two.”

 

Linda Foster: “You’ve gotten a small view of the big picture of what we do here at Moyers Corners regarding emergency medical work. Would you like to be a part of it? We would like to see if you fit in. Stop by, talk to us, we’d be glad to see if you fit into the big picture”. 

 

June 2nd, 1986
Herald Journal
Firefighters help bury colleague, crash victim
Members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department today laid to rest a colleague who died in a motor vehicle accident Friday. Wearing their dress uniforms, the volunteer firefighters loaded the casket of Michael J. Wolff onto the rear of a fire truck outside the Maurer Funeral Home in Moyers Corners before burial. Wolff, 27, of 7475 Morgan Road, died in the 12:45 p.m. crash on Morgan Road, near the Liverpool bypass. He was a volunteer medic with the department. Authorities said a 1983 Chevrolet Citation driven in a southerly direction by Wolff collided with a second car driven by Edith DeLong of 8948 Morgan Road, swerved across lanes and slammed into a utility pole. DeLong’s car clipped the rear of Wolff’s vehicle as it was turning, police said. Wolff’s car traveled 200 feet as it crossed three lanes. Wolff was wearing a seat belt at the time. Wolff was flown by helicopter to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 2 p.m.

 

June 9th, 1986
Moyers Corners Fire Department Auxiliary
Installation Banquet “A Tribute To Life Members”
A few years ago, we passed a new by-law entitling members in good standing for 20 years to become “life members”. Other than giving them a few priveleges, nothing more was done. Tonight we would like to show our appreciation to all the life members and give them some recognition for all their hard work. We have for each one, a framed certificate and an engraved membership card as a way of saying thank you. As your name is called, would you please come up and accept?

 

Bev Armstrong has been a member for 24 years. She served as corresponding secretary and has worked at many various functions. Bev has dished up so many salt potatoes at field days that she is now known in July as “The Salt Potato Lady”. Thank you Bev.

 

Barbara Brand has been a member for 22 years. She held the office of corresponding secretary for many years and served on many committees. She fights very strongly for the good of the auxiliary without any hard feelings when the meeting is adjourned. But for a lot of her auxiliary years, poor Barb was buried…in rummage, in popcorn and now in dishwater. Thank you Barb.

 

Joanne Donohue has been a member for 21 years. She has been in office both as Vice President for several years and Corresponding Secretary. She was the first to promote our 1-year membership pins and our recogniztion of life members tonight. In fact, Joanne is instrumental in starting a lot of things – like controversial discussions. Thank you Joanne.

 

*Both Barb and Joanne used to assist the auxiliary long before they were members. They used to carry the auxiliary banner for the marchers when they were girl scouts.

 

Helen Fulton has been a member for 23 years. She has taken charge of our fish pond at field days for many years and works at all the functions. Although Helen is very quiet, she is always there to help when you need her. Thank you Helen.

 

Louise Gillespy has been a member for 38 years. She was our Chaplain for several years. Although she is very reluctant to be chairman of things, she works at every function going. Also, many years ago, Louise used to make the coffee for working fires at her house. Thank you Louise.

 

Alice Haney has been a member for 38 years. You know whenever we saw Alice, we saw purple, not because we were angry, but because it was her favorite color. She is a past President whol hld that office for the longest consecutive term from 1959-1977; and in all that time, she only missed one meeting. Thank you Alice.

 

Betty Hanlonhas also been a member for 38 years. She has held office many times including being our first President. Some of the first meetings were held in her home. Betty will do almost anything if it will help our auxiliary including going on television to raise money. Betty – How did if feel to be queen for a day? Thank you Betty.

 

Natalie Hunter has been a member for 25 years. She has served as Vice President and as Corresponding Secretary and headed many committees through the years. Natalie has been Captain of marching too – one of my favorite things – but I still don’t know about those cake walks. Thank you Natalie.

 

Doris Jackson (who always has a smile on her face) has been a member for 29 years. She headed our first big bazaar in 1974 and now takes charge of the rummage sales. She has cooked the hot dogs at the field days for so many years that she is our own personal competition for Heids. Thank you Doris.

 

Hattie Karker has been a member for 38 years. She is also a past President and has chaired many committees, especially suppers, where she taught all of us the easiest way to cook for a crown. Although Hattie may be best known for how far she can stretch a cake or how fast she can chop vegetables, she also knows how to keep us in line. She is the one who arranged for the purchase of our gavel. Thank you Hattie.

 

Clara Marshall has been a member for 38 years. She is also one of our past Presidents and kept the records of our meetings for approximately 24 years which is a record in itself. She chaired the xuiliary booth at the field days for many years and has sort of been my guide regarding by-laws, procedures, past policies, etc. Thank you Clara.

 

Grace Melvin has been a member for 38 years. She has served as Vice President, Treasuer and Dispatcher. When the fire phone rang in their house, Grace activated the siren for the men to come man the fire engine that was housed in their bard – the first Station 2. Thank you Grace.

 

Ellie Oakes has been a member for 30 years. While Ellie never ran for office that we could tell from our records, she hardly ever missed a meeting or function. She has been a participant of almost everything from county to marching and pushball to fashion shows and smokerettes. She must have liked short meetings because she almost always made the motion to adjourn. Thank you Ellie.

 

Marge Rybinski has been a member for 36 years. She has served on many committees through the years and is still one of our most willing participants. She is one of our early morning workers at the field days and her flowers have brightened the tables at all our suppers. Thank you Marge.

 

Katie Schmidt has been a member for 38 years. She has been Treasurer, Vice President and was our Chaplain for many years. Katie was our fish and french fry lady at the field days. She too was always smiling, as I remember and too stubborn to sit down when she was tired. Thank you Katie.

 

Lorraine Sahm has been a member for 33 years. Lorraine is also one of our past Presidents. She has chaired more committees than I care to count including some that most of you won’t rmember like the refreshments when we had bingo – and the nite-club nights. Lorraine is a member of a whole family of Moyers Corners people from her mother and husband to three of her four children. Thank you Lorraine.

 

Bev Tietz has been a member for 27 years. She has been a Vice President and was chairman of the smoker committee for several years. Bev kept moving away from us but she always come back again and she is the only life member who still marches. Thank you Bev.

 

Ethel Viel has been a member for 25 years. She was our Treasurer for several years. Ethel was Katie’s protégé for french fries where she still works every year at the field days. While she is nother member who is quiet and stays out of the limelight, there is one thing that sets her apart from the rest of the life members – she was never a marcher. Thank you Ethel.

 

July 14th, 1986
Messenger
Tornados rip Syracuse Area
About 6:45 p.m., tornado winds slammed into the Casual Estates Trailer Park in the town of Clay, knocking over six mobile homes,  according to Ken Brand, fire chief of the Moyers Corners Fire Department. Brand said one person required medical attention. He did not know the extent of the person’s injuries.

 

August 1986
Gananaque, Canada Field Days
Pictures

 

August 5th, 1986
Vehicle Accident at Three Rivers Bridge
pictures

 

September 3rd, 1986
The Miller’s hot air ballon will be on display when the Moyers Corners Fire Department holds a chicken barbeque to benefit the rescue squad. The date is Sunday, Sept. 14th, from noon until all is served, at Station 1, Routes 31 and 57. A raffle will take place on a 1 hour champagne balloon flight for two.  Take out orders of the fried chicken will be available. Picture of balloon

 

October 8th, 1986 Auxiliary Picture

 

November 20, 1986
Herald Journal Suburban Edition
By Debra Adams, Staff Writer
Island residents worst fears come true in fire
A house fire Wednesday on Horseshoe Island was one of the residents’ worst fears come true. But even if firefighters had had better access to the island they don’t think they could have saved the house. For several years, access to Horseshoe Island has been restricted since the state limited the weight allowed on the frail 75-year old bridge over the Oneida River. The state put a limit of eight tons on vehicles using the bridge, and most of the fire department’s trucks weigh about 16 tons. Fire officials called the house at 3436 Horseshoe Island Road “a total loss.” But even a better bridge could not have helped firefighters save the house, said Ken Brand, Moyers Corners first assistant fire chief. By the time Mary Mardin noticed the smoke coming from the house next door, it was too late. The Moyers Corners Fire Department estimates more than $30,000 in damages resulted from the fire. The department bought a mini-pumper in early 1985 in case of fire on Horseshoe Island, and the mini-pumper saw its first major tour of duty on the island. The Phoenix Fire Department assisted in snuffing the blaze with its mini-pumper which was able to cross the bridge without violating the state’s weight requirement. The North Syracuse Fire Department also pitched in and Liverpool firefighters were standing by in case they were needed, Brand said. Mini-pumpers cannot carry as much water as larger trucks, so additional smaller trucks are needed to make up the difference. The fire came less than a week after the state DOT officials announced they would replace the dilapidated bridge with a new $1.5 million structure. When completed, the new bridge would be able to accommodate vehicles up to 40 tons, the maximum allowed under state law.

 

      In 1984, the state agreed to rehabilitate the bridge when sever Horseshoe Island residents complained of being denied fuel service because of the weight restrictions. Snow plows, school buses, fuel tanks and fire trucks have had to modify the amount of service provided to the residents because of the weight restriction. The new bridge will be completed at the end of 1988. Until then, the residents on the island are a little uneasy about their protection. “It’s too bad they couldn’t get it done a little quicker,” Horseshoe Island resident Robert O’Connell had said in an interview last week. And Wednesday, many island resident s echoed that concern. “If you own property, you feel you should be protected," Mardin said. Brand assured residents that --"the response time was just as good as if we had the major trucks. Neither of the residents of the house, George Michaelhart nor Robert Moica, were at home Wednesday when the fire started. "One's a student and the other one left for the day," Brand said, adding that the cause of the fire should be determined in the next few days. County fire officials, the Moyers Corners Fire Department and the Clay Police Department are investigating the fire's origin.

 

December 15th, 1986
Auxiliary Christmas Banquet at the Bonanza Restaurant. Donations again received to help a needy family enjoy the holiday season

 

 

 

1987

 

Chief Chet Fritz
 First Deputy Chief: Ken Brand Jr.
Second Deputy Chief Greg Tiner
Battalion 1 Chief Dick Perkins
Battalion 2 Chief George Race
Battalion 3 Chief Steve Wisely
Station 1 Captains Bud Neuman,  Mike Chura
Station 2 Captains Chris Naum, Ron Turiello
Station 3 Captains John Perkins, Tim Chura 
Station 1 Lieutenants: Bill Henry, George Gobin, Kevin Wilcox, Steve Rubacky
Station 2 Lieutenants: Ron Jennings, Don Mace, Ken Filow, Dave Morgan
Station 3 Lieutenants: Frank Houde, Jerry Hole, Dan Bartholf, Mark Goettel

 

Executive Board
 President Bob Swahn
Vice President Bob Michelson 
Secretary Colin Bailey, Assistant Secretary Dexter Blake 
Treasurer Mike LeFebvre, Assistant Treasurers Kathy McMahon, Ron Sorrentino

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Tom Olsweski

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Linda Foster, 1st Assistant Bonnie Caza, 2nd Assistant Christy Leeson, 3rd Assistant Sharon Moynihan

 

Auxiliary: President Rosemary Morgan, Vice President Debbie Neuman, Recording Secretary Cindy Houde,  Corresponding Secretary Linda Gobin, Treasurer Sue Davison, Chaplain Carolyn Funnel Woods

 

Scholarship Winner: Kim Neuman

 

New Apparatus: GMC 3500 Squad 3, later became Squad 2.

 

Hazmat Trailer, Wells Cargo. Hazmat 1 then Hazmat 2. 

 

3 Battalion System Started 

 

1987 Station 1 Qualified Drivers:

 

Engine 11/12: Ken Brand Jr. , Mike Chura, George Gobin, Bill Henry, Scott Krell, Steve Mauser, Greg Mazza, Bud Neuman, Dick Perkins, George Sahm, Keith Sahm, Greg Shaffer, John Olgren, John Metzler, Ed Jones, Gary Johnson, Paul Tomachesky, Kevin Wilcox
Mini 1: Dexter Blake,Ken Brand Jr. , Rich Chicallo, Mike Chura, George Gobin, Bill Henry, Joe Jeffski, Scott Krell, Steve Mauser, Greg Mazza, Denny Moore, Bud Neuman, Dick Perkins, George Sahm, Keith Sahm, Greg Shaffer, John Olgren, John Metzler, Ed Jones, Gary Johnson, Paul Tomachesky, Kevin Wilcox, Ron Williams
Rescue 1: Ken Brand Jr. , Mike Chura, George Gobin, Scott Krell, Steve Mauser, Greg Mazza, Bud Neuman, Dick Perkins, George Sahm, Greg Shaffer, Kevin Wilcox, John Olgren, Steve Rubacky, Bill Henry, Ron Williams

 

 

 

Installation Banquet pictures 

 

January 7th, 1987
 Herald Journal
By Debra Adams
Clay ambulance squad needs help
A personnel shortage in the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department's Medical Rescue Squad has prompted the department to begin a recruitment drive With the population of the town of Clay increasing from 36,274 in 1970 to 52,838 in 1980 and expecting to reach 62,681 by the year 2000, one would think it's easy to get some people to donate a few hours for a good cause, but that hasn't been the case "The volume of calls has grown so dramatically that we don't have enough personnel to handle everything," said Linda Foster, administrator of the Medical Rescue Squad "The district is more populated than in the past" About 15,000 brochures were sent out as part of the fire department's recruitment and fund drive. So far, only 10 responses have been received from people interested in volunteering. Currently, the department has 160 volunteers, Foster said Members of the rescue squad are required to give 16 hours per month for scheduled ambulance shifts. They also attend bi-monthly training drills, monthly departmental meetings and classroom and hospital training to maintain state certification in addition to being ready to respond at any time Foster said some local residents are unaware of the volunteer shortage "The people in the area are used to getting our service but they don't realize there is a shortage," she said She said the largest shortage of fire and emergency service personnel exists during the day. Foster added that people hesitate volunteering because they're aware of the hard work involved "People have a reluctancy to join because they know they have to become trained," she said "It's not the bridge club "  Foster, a paramedic, puts in more than 40 hours a week as a volunteer She said a great deal of paperwork is necessary to keep everything running smoothly "It is a business, and it has to be run as a business," she said  "The organization has to have leadership, and those who are elected to leadership have to put in the extra time," Foster added In the past the medical rescue squad has run ads asking for volunteers "We bring members into our department every month," Foster said But the number of volunteers has remained constant even though the town's population has grown 

 

January 28th, 1987
Herald Journal
Debra Adams
State plans replacement for Horseshoe Island Bridge
Plans are underway to search for a replacement for the Horseshoe Island Bridge. New York state Department of Transportation officials are planning an informational meeting to address concerns by Horseshoe Island residents about the bridge. The forum will be Feb. 4 at the Moyers Corners Fire Department at the corner of County Route 57 and slate Route 31. The state DOT announced in November that a new $1.5 million structure would replace the decaying, 75-year-old bridge.  The bridge, which spans the -Barge Canal, connects 200 residents who live on Horseshoe Island with the rest of the county. For several years, access to Horseshoe Island has been restricted since the state limited the maximum weight using the bridge to 8 tons. In 1984, state officials agreed to rehabilitate the bridge when residents complained of being denied fuel service because of the weight restriction. Snow plows, school buses, fuel trucks and fire trucks have had to modify the amount of service provided. In 1985, the Moyers Corners Fire Department purchased a mini-pumper to service Horseshoe Island residents. A regular-sized fire truck weighs about 16 tons, twice the restricted weight. ' A fire late last year turned residents' fears about the bridge into reality. Several local fire departments crossed the bridge with mini-pumpers to douse the blaze at 3436 Horseshoe Island Road which firefighters called "a total loss." Mini-pumpers cannot carry as much water as the larger trucks, so additional mini-pumpers are needed to make up the difference, Moyers Corners fire officials said. Ken Brand, first assistant fire chief of Moyers Corners, said the 'response time to the fire was not delayed by the weight restriction. Included in the meeting will be information about the bridge's location, design standards, pavement changes and proposed right- of-ways. The state plans to replace the current structure with a "new design" to be built east of the present site so that the old bridge will continue to carry traffic, said Richard Simberg, regional director of the state DOT. . Simberg said he anticipates a ' good turnout at the Feb. 4 meeting. Work on the bridge should begin this spring and is expected to be completed late next year. The structure would be able to accommodate vehicles up to 40 tons, the maximum allowed under state law.

 

January 28, 1987
The Messenger – Progress Edition –– Moyers Corners Explorer Post is oldest in county
Nearly 20— high- school students give up their Saturday mornings each week to gather at the Moyers Corners
Fire Department to learn the basic skills of safety in fighting fires. They are members of the MCFD Explorer Post, the oldest firematic post in Onondaga County Leader Kevin Wisely, himself a former Explorer, and a current member of the department, says. "One of the most valuable lessons these young people learn is how to work together and help each other. That kind of cooperation is very important in working as a team to fight a fire." Kevin has led the post for two years with the assistance of other members of the department."Everyone helps out in his own area of expertise." He adds The explorer post, open to students age 14 through ,18 who have completed eighth grade, is patterned after the fire department in organization. Members elect officers and plan their programs at business meetings where they follow Roberts' rules-of order. They enjoy a few social functions, but for the most part, membership is a commitment to the station and to learning the" static necessary to fight a fire."Many of the young people join as volunteers,” explains Kevin. “In fact, many of the officers of the Moyers Corners Fire Department were once Explorers.” Some members get so excited about their involvement that they want to spend most of their time at the station. That is discouraging, however, as Kevin feels the students must first fulfill their obligations as students and members of a family."We set limits on the number of hours they can be here because we believe that family and school must come first," he says. Firematic Explorers perform helpful tasks around the station as part of their service. For example they assist in keeping equipment ready for instant use and help clean the engines after a call. Their main goal, however, is to learn the techniques and skills they will need in the future when they become firefighters themselves. Four members will leave the group this summer when they turn 18. One of them has expressed his intention to join the volunteers and two are going to school for four years to study fire science. Kevin, who says he "grew up in it" because his father was a firefighter for 25 years says he accepts the assignment as chairman of the Explorer committee because he enjoys working with the young people and he feels a great sense of accomplishment in helping them develop their skills. “These are great kids who are already contributing to their community,” he declared.

 

Moyers Corners FD MRS says thank you Article Picture    

 

February 12th 1987 Brookwood Village Fire
Channel 3 News Interview with Chief Chet Fritz:
“Up on the roof we got advance, we went down a few other apartments.  The fire was in Apartment 2  it was my understanding. We went down to apartment 3, 4 and 5, pulled some walls, pulled some ceilings and cutthe fire off.

 

Channel 5 News Interview with Chief Chet Fritz:
“I’m not sure exactly where it started, preliminarily it started in Apartment 2. Extensive damage…it got in the cockloft and ran the cockloft. We had to cut it off. We trench cutted it in a couple places and we stopped it because we felt it was not fire-stopped. We know that it is not fire-stopped up there and it was close to going the length of the building. But we stopped it at Apartment 4. There is heavy damage in Apartments 1, 2, 3, and 4. I don’t know what started it. We’ve got the County Fire Investigators in here now and they’re staring to look it over. We’ve been so busy that the cause and origin team is just taken over.“ 

 

February 16th, 1987
Cold Brings Fire and Ice to CNY
Post Standard
Mike McAndrew and Brenda Cawthon
A blaze that left at least 35 residents of a Clay apartment building temporarily homeless Monday was accidentally started by a maintenance man thawing water pipes with a gas torch, Onondaga County Fire Coordinator Mike Waters said. The fire started shortly after 10 a.m. in Building 5 of the Village Highlands apartment complex, about one mile north of Liverpool on Avon Parkway. A maintenance man used the torch Sunday night and again Monday morning to try to warm a frozen water pipe in the Village Highlands rental office, fire officials said. The fire quickly spread from the rental office to an adjacent apartment rented by a family of four and then traveled through a loft to two other apartments in the 10-unit building. No one was injured. Fire investigators refused to identify the maintenance man. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Chester Fritz, the first firefighter on the scene, said he was driving past Village Highlands at 10:13 am when he saw smoke coming from the roof over the row of apartments. “It was moving,” Fritz said of the fire. “We brought guys on the roof early on, and we managed to get ahead of the fire.” Firefighters brought the blaze under control within an hour. Fire Investigator Palmer App said the blaze could have razed the entire building if firefighters had not quickly knocked holes in the roof to stop the fire’s progress. David Herring was in Apartment 2, next to the rental office, when the fire was discovered. Firefighters arrived a few minutes after he ran outside. Herring said he figured many of his and his fiancée’s possessions were ruined by the blaze. But he said he was just thankful no one was hurt. The rental office bore the brunt of the damage, but Apartments 2 through 4 also suffered fire damage, and gaping holes were knocked in the roof above apartments 5 and 6. Brookwood Management, Inc. of Long Island purchased the 300 unit Village Highlands apartment complex January 1st, according to fire investigators. Firefighters from Moyers Corners, Mattydale, Phoenix, Liverpool, Clay and Baldwinsville responded. 

 

 

 

Herald Journal
Blaze ravages complex 
By Jeanne Sheridan
Residents of at least 10 apartments were forced out into zero-degree temperatures today by a fire that blazed out of control, destroying the Village Highland Apartment complex. Fire officials were unable to say what caused the fire , but residents said they thought it was caused by electrical problems. In recent days, they said, a number of complaints of electrical problems have gone unheeded, wall sockets have felt hot to the touch, the electricity has gone out and residents were told to switch circuit breakers back on. Residents said they learned of the fire by people pounding on their doors; the alarms did not go off. More than 100 firefighters from seven departments were called to the scene off Morgan Road. No injuries were reported, fire officials at the scene said. 

 

The blaze in Building 5, which contains 10 apartments as well as a rental office, was reported shortly after 10 a.m. A mutual-aid call asking for help from all available firefighting crews was issued about 10:15. By 11:30 a.m., thick black smoke still filled the sky and flames were shooting from the roof. Assistant Fire Coordinator Dick Beach, the first fire coordinator on the scene, said that an initial search showed everyone appeared to be evacuated. The Village Highlands, which was formerly called Hollyrood Park, is located between Steelway Boulevard and Avon Drive, along Morgan Road in the town of Clay. Tenants evacuated from the building huddled outside trying to keep warm in the cold. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Chet Fritz said the fire apparently started in an attic portion of the building and spread the entire length of the two-story structure. Fritz said the cause of the blaze could not immediately be determined, but residents of the building said they suspected the fire was started by a malfunction in the building's electrical system. Linda Stanton and John Prunner, who live in one of the apartments with their five children, said they were awakened by a neighbor pounding on their door. Although her living room was filled with smoke, Stanton said, the fire alarm never sounded. ``A guy pounded on the door and told us to get out,'' Stanton said. ``We were still asleep, because we work nights.'' Stanton said she and other tenants had trouble with electricity going off throughout the day Sunday. When they reported the problem to maintenance people, they were told to switch the circuit breakers back on. 
The apartment had been hot even when nothing was plugged into them and that there are exposed wires in parts of the building. Other residents reported similar incidents. Karen Muldoon, who lives in the building, said her family has experienced problems with wiring for the last month. She said that on several occasions sparks flew from the sockets when her son Chris plugged something into them. ``They've come a couple of times to fix things, but we've still had more problems,'' she said. Several tenants and owners of other apartment complexes confirmed that a new owner, thought to be from Long Island, took over The Village Highland in February. 

The complex, which at one time was called the Hollyrood Park Apartments, is located between Steelway Boulevard and Avon Drive, along Morgan Road in the town of Clay. Town of Clay Assessor Ernest Casale said, ``We have no knowledge of who the (new) owners are'' because of a three-month lag in receiving copies of deeds from the Onondaga County Clerk's office. Both Casale and Julian Kempisty, town enforcement officer, said they were unaware of any past fire code violations at the apartment complex. But several tenants of adjoining apartment buildings said there has been a history of electrical problems, particularly in the kitchens. 

Casale said inspecting electrical work would not be the responsibility of the town, but of the New York Board of Fire Underwriters. Fire Chief Fritz said firefighters from Moyers Corners , Mattydale, Clay, Liverpool, Baldwinsville, Phoenix and North Syracuse responded to the scene. ``When we got here, it was going good,'' Fritz said. ``After we got sufficient manpower, we were able to get up on the roof and start knocking the fire down.'' Fritz said the rental office sustained most of the damage.

 

February 17th, 1987
Herald Journal
Movers help burned-out tenants haul goods to vacant apartments
Movers hired by the management of a fire-ravaged apartment building were'hauling tenants' belongings to new quarters today, as residents tried to salvage what they could. Tenants in 10 apartments at the Village Highlands complex off Morgan Road in the town of Clay will be lodged in vacant apartments until their building" can be repaired. Fire officials determined that the blaze that swept through the building Monday was caused by a maintenance worker's blow torch. Eugene Fletcher of A&W Moving and Storage said he was told it would be about three weeks before the building could be repaired. "We were here until midnight last night, and we came back early again this morning," Fletcher said. Another mover, Joe Neddo, said residents in apartments seven to 10 sustained little damage to their belongings, but they were forced to move anyway because power to the building was shut off. Neddo said the belongings of people who resided in the first six apartments in the building were damaged extensively. "It's a real mess in those apartments," Neddo said. "Some of those people lost just about everything." Chet Fritz, Moyers Corners fire chief, said a maintenance man was working on a copper water pipe between the bathrooms of apartments one and two in Building 5 when the wall caught fire. Fritz said the man was using a blow torch to thaw pipes.

 

March 21st, 1987
Men’s Smoker at Station 1
Great New Pictures

 

April 19th, 1987
Herald American
Explorer program trains firefighters for the future
By Debra Adams
A half-dozen junior firefighters, armed with water hoses, charged through heated air Saturday to extinguish a propane gas fire. The event was part of a live drill at the Cicero fire training tower Saturday for the Moyers Corners Fire Department and the Taunton Volunteer Fire Department Explorer posts. Saturday's training was one of many regular training sessions that prepare youth to serve as adult firefighters. "About 30 Explorers attended. "The most important reason for having them is that it's the prime source of manpower for fire departments," said Dexter Blake, adviser to the Moyers Corners Fire Department Explorer Post. "They automatically get admitted to the fire department and they're already trained. Captain John Perkins, a Moyers Corners training officer at the drill, said Explorer posts provide desperately needed firefighters. "These days of trying to get members is tough. "We try to get them young, when they're interested." "They go through all the training an adult goes through," Blake said. "They can do what the average citizen takes six months to learn."

 

Chip Pirano, second assistant chief for Taunton Volunteer Fire Department, said Taunton has about five firefighters who were Explorers. Piraino said the Explorers are very involved in what they are doing. "You can't slow these kids down," he said. "You see them at more drills than you see firefighters. Piraino said if a fire is large, firefighters will call the Explorers over the radio to come and help them do little things. Fire officials are not the only people pleased about the Explorers. Some parents are too. "I love it," Nick Pagano of Manchester Road, Westvale, said of his 14-year old son's participation at Taunton. "It's like a godsend to the parent of a teenager. It's positive activity." Fire officials said a few Explorers got their parents involved with volunteer fire fighting. Parents and firefighters are pleased about the Explorer posts, but not as much as the Explorers themselves. "It's great," said Edward Flaherty, 16, of 121 E. Clover Road, Westvale. "I've learned a lot that I didn't know." Flaherty has been in the Taunton Explorer Post for about two months. Jason Blake, 17, of 7468 Buckeye Road, Liverpool serves as first lieutenant of the Moyers Corners Explorer Post. Blake, who has been an Explorer for two years, said he plans to join the volunteer fire squad in June. Four-year Explorer Steve Fedorko, 17, of 3919 Merganser Drive is the Moyers Corners explorer chief. "I plan on getting into the fire service," Fedorko said. "I've been accepted to Onondaga Community College for the fire protection (program)." Fedorko said eventually he would like to get into a paid fire department.

 

April 21st, 1987
Syracuse Herald-Journal
By Mark Weiner
Victim, firefighter recal 1973 blaze
For 72-year-old Les Caines of Skaneateles Falls, the propane gas explosion in DeWitt brought back memories he spent years trying to forget. On a hot summer day almost 14 years ago, Caines suffered second-degree burns on his face, hands and upper body in an explosion and fire at the Moyers Corners Suburban Propane Gas Co. in Clay. Firefighters from throughout northern Onondaga County spent more than 12 hours battling the county’s last major propane explosion. Caines spent three weeks in the hospital. He was the only person seriously injured in the July 17th, 1973 fire at the propane gas warehouse and sales facility at the south east corners of route 57 and 31. The retired truck driver said he was unloading and filling empty propane gas tanks when one 20-pound tank overflowed. "I went to pour some out and then what happened, I don't know. She just flared up," Caines recalled. Although he was seriously burned, Caines said he helped two co-workers shut off valves to four main propane holding tanks at the site - averting what fire officials said could have been a disaster. The blaze, however, was so intense and dangerous that firefighters waited about an hour before going on the grounds, said Kenneth Brand Jr., deputy fire chief of the Moyers Corners Fire Department in Clay. "It was a hell of a lot bigger than the one they had there in DeWitt," Brand said Monday afternoon. "I remember because I was right in the middle of it." Brand, son of the Moyers Corners fire chief who directed the 12 fire departments fighting the blaze, said 100-pound propane gas cylinders were exploding when he arrived. Some of the cylinders went skyrocketing into empty fields about one-half mile away, he said. The warehouse, three company trucks and a company-owned car were destroyed in the fire. A number of similarities can be found when accounts of the 1973 fire are compared with Monday's events,

 

April 27th 1987
Herald Journal
Four left homeless in Clay
Gary Gerew and Jeanne Sheridan
Moyers Corners firefighters struggled for more than an hour today with a fast-moving fire that destroyed a two-story house at 4110 Willowbrook Drive in the town of Clay. No serious injuries were reported in the blaze, which left Robert and Celia Levme and their two grown sons homeless. But one firefighter was treated for a knee injury when his leg became pinned between a hose and a fire truck. The cause of the fire was still undetermined, but investigators said the blaze began in the basement. Firefighters speculated it may have started in an electric blanket. A final determination was being withheld until investigators could probe the burned basement area. The fire was reported at 6:49 a.m. when Mrs. Levine and her two sons, Randy and Jack, got out of the house and told neighbors to leave their homes because of the spreading fire.  "When they came over, the top of the house was just engulfed with smoke. You couldn't see any flames," said William Seibert who lives next to the Levines. Firefighters said that when the siren sounded, the sky already was filled with dark black smoke.  "We don't know why it spread so rapidly a this time, but it started in the basement and worked all the way through," said Moyers Corners Deputy Fire Chief Ken Brand. Heat from the fire was so intense that lawn furniture on the rear deck of the house was partially melted. 

 

April 28th – Willowbrook Fire
Post Standard

 

April 28th, 1987
Gary Gerew and Jeanne Sheriden
Moyers Corners firefighters struggled foR more than an hour today with a fast moving fire that destroyed a two story house at 4110 Willowbrook Drive in the town of Clay. No serious injuries were reported in the blaze, which left Robert and Celia Levine and their two sons homeless. But one firefighter was treated for a knee injury when his leg became pinned between a hose and a fire truck. The cause of the fire was undetermined today, but investigators said the blaze began in the basement. Firefighters speculated an electric blanket may have caused the fire. A final determination was being withheld until investigators could probe the burned basement area.

 

Herald Journal
Investigators believe the fier was started by a malfunctioning electric blanket in a basement bedroom of Robert and Celia Levine of 4110 Willowbrook Drive, Clay. The Levine’s and their two sons lost almost all their possessions in the 6:47 a.m. blaze, said George Race, third assistant chief of the Moyers Corners Fire Department. Celia Levine and her children escaped without injury, firefighters said. Randy Levine, a sophomore at Liverpool High School, said he heard the smoke alarm, went to the basement and saw flames shooting from the bed. The blaze was brought under control within 20 minutes, Race said.

 

News interview with Deputy Chief Ken Brand Jr.:
“We had a working fire upon arrival. We are on the scene of a single family home here. It started in the basement and rapidly moved to the first floor and second floor and out through the roof. The first battalion chief on the scene called it a working fire upon arrival. We’ve been here approximately an hour now and we still have a small fire in the basement. We don’t know the reason for the rapid spread, we’ve got the investigators here now. If we get the fire knocked down in the basement we may be able to tell. At this time we don’t have any idea. Anytime you have a fire in a basement and it goes all through the house, it’s just so hard to get to…when you have the ceilings and second floor falling down to the first floor. It’s hard to get to the basement and we don’t want anyone to get hurt. We are working from the outside at this time to get the fire out in the basement.”

 

April 1987 
Scholarship Winners
Kim Neuman is the daughter of Debbie and Bud Neuman. Steve Fedorko, son of Mary and Bob Smith.

 

New Pictures

 

April 19th, 1987
Explorer Program Trains Firefighters of the Future
Syracuse Herald American
By Debra Adams
A half-dozen junior firefighters, armed with water hoses, charged through heated air Saturday to extinguish a propane gas fire . The event was part of a live drill at the Cicero fire training tower Saturday for the Moyers Corners Fire Department and the Taunton Volunteer Fire Department Explorer posts. Saturday's training was one of many regular training sessions that prepare youth to serve as adult firefighters. About 30 Explorers attended. ``The most important reason for having them is that it's the prime source of manpower for fire departments ,'' said Dexter Blake, adviser to the Moyers Corners Fire Department Explorer Post. ``They automatically get admitted to the fire department and they're already trained. Captain John Perkins, a Moyers Corners training officer at the drill, said Explorer posts provide desperately needed firefighters. ``These days, trying to get members is tough," he said. "We try to get them young, when they're interested.'' ``They go through all the training an adult goes through,'' Blake said. ``They can do what the average citizen takes six months to learn.'' Chip Piraino, second assistant chief for Taunton Volunteer Fire Department , said Taunton has about five firefighters who were Explorers. Piraino said the Explorers are very involved in what they are doing. ``You can't slow these kids down,'' he said. ``You see them at more drills than you see firefighters." 
Piraino said if a fire is large, firefighters will call the Explorers over the radio to come and help them do little things. Fire officials are not the only people pleased about the Explorers. Some parents are, too. 
``I love it,'' Nick Pagano of Manchester Road, Westvale, said of his 14-year old son's participation at Taunton. ``It's like a godsend to the parent of a teenager. It's positive activity.'' Fire officials said a few Explorers got their parents involved with volunteer fire fighting. Parents and firefighters are pleased about the Explorer posts, but not as much as the Explorers themselves. ``It's great,'' said Edward Flaherty, 16, of 121 E. Clover Road, Westvale. ``I've learned a lot that I didn't know.'' Flaherty has been in the Taunton Explorer Post for about two months. 

Jason Blake, 17, of 7468 Buckeye Road, Liverpool serves as first lieutenant of the Moyers Corners Explorer Post. Blake, who has been an Explorer for two years, said he plans to join the volunteer fire squad in June. Four-year Explorer Steve Fedorko, 17, of 3919 Merganser Drive is the Moyers Corners chief. ``I plan on getting into the fire service,'' Fedorko said. ``I've been accepted to Onondaga Community College for the fire protection (program).'' Fedorko said eventually he would like to get into a paid fire department .

 

May 7th, 1987
Bicyclist Hits Fire Truck, Faces Charges
The Post-Standard
A 79-year-old bicyclist was charged April 21 with riding against the flow of traffic on Old Liverpool Road, Salina. John Maslowski of 210 Bartlett Ave., Liverpool, was charged after his bike struck a Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department vehicle, driven by Dexter Blake of 7468 Buckeye Road, Liverpool, as it was exiting the Lakeview Apartments parking lot. Maslowski was not injured

 

May 11th, 1987
Auxiliary Installation Banquet
Joyce Bressette received life membership certificate and card. Joyce Bressette, Sandy Henderson and Tudy Brutcher installed the officers.Picture of Joyce

 

May 12th, 1987
Softball Team pictures

 

May 28th, 1987
Memorial Day parade, pictures 

 

May 31st, 1987
Fire-Volunteers Shortage Critical
Syracuse Herald American
By Henry Davis
Rich Flanagan didn't want to believe what he saw.  While he watched his son play football at a rival school, a boy on the other team was injured.  The team's trainers rushed onto the field. It seemed the boy had a back or neck injury. Nobody wanted to move him.  Someone called for an ambulance. The siren sounded. No help came.  A few minutes passed. The siren sounded again. No help came. The siren blew a third time. Still, no one responded. Finally, someone called Eastern Ambulance, the commercial service in Syracuse. Fifty minutes after the boy was injured, help arrived. 

Flanagan tells the story to show what he says is a frightening emergency these days: the 57 volunteer companies that fight the fires and operate the ambulances around Onondaga County don't have enough members. Flanagan knows the seriousness of the shortage first hand. He is first assistant chief of the Otisco Fire Department and president of the Onondaga County Fire Chiefs Association. ``Maybe there was no one around to man the ambulance,'' said Flanagan of the evening his son's opponent was injured. ``Maybe they didn't respond because they felt deep down it wasn't an emergency. I don't know. I do know that 50 minutes is too long a wait.'' The waits could become more frequent unless something is done to lure volunteers. The solution to the problem may be expensive paid fire and ambulance crews, like those operating in the city of Syracuse. ``The situation is grave,'' said Richard Beach, the assistant coordinator for county Fire Mutual Aid and Training. ``We are on the threshold of facing two alternatives -- having no protection or paying for it.'' 

The North Syracuse Fire Department operates with little more than half the 80 members it should have, said Chief Eric Smeltz. Without mutual aid -- whereby departments back up each other -- North Syracuse would rarely be able to send the minimum 12 firefighters required to battle a building fire. ``The work is spread out among a few people,'' Smeltz said. ``It's tough, but I worry about the day when I can't replace the small core of really active people.'' Moyers Corners Fire Department responds to 1,800 ambulance calls a year -- second only to NAVAC, the North Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Residents don't pay for the service; the fire department supports it by conducting fund drives. Linda Foster, administrator of the department 's emergency medical services, takes pride in the quality of the service and commitment of the volunteers. But like nearly every volunteer ambulance corps in the county, this one is short staffed, especially in the daytime. Its two ambulances don't leave their bays unless they carry at least two people -- a driver and emergency medical technician. 

``If we're on one call, it sometimes means we can't answer a second or third call,'' Foster said. Officials cite the following reasons for the lack of volunteers: - It's a more mobile society. ``People no longer live in the community they grew up in. There's less sense of community obligation,'' said Bernie Horak, director of the county's Emergency Medical Services Bureau. - People don't have the time. Most households now depend on the income of both wife and husband. Also, many people work two jobs. - The fire hall no longer is the social center of a small town or village. - The cost and training time scare away new recruits. Fire equipment costs about $500 per person; ambulance gear about $300. It takes 109 hours of training to become a basic emergency medical technician; six months is the average length of fire -training courses. - The volunteer departments kept a low profile and waited too long to address their thinning ranks. 

The fire departments and rescue squads have countered low numbers with the mutual aid system. But that may not be good enough. ``It's common to activate one to three departments for a fire to guarantee manpower, but we're losing ground,'' Beach said. Moreover, 70 percent of the calls in the county are for emergency medical service. With increasing frequency, the medical calls include non-emergency -- some officials say needless -- services such as transporting patients. ``Does someone want to volunteer for this?'' Flanagan asks. ``Volunteers want something important and real.'' County volunteers share their woes with others in the state. There are 150,000 volunteer firefighters -- about 90,000 of them active -- in the state. Because they don't get paid, they save the taxpayers nearly $1 billion a year, according to figures provided by the state Assembly Volunteer Firemen Subcommittee. ``The public has to recognize the cost savings and professional service,'' said Paul D. Tonko, D-Amsterdam, chairman of the subcommittee. 

The age of the average firefighter is mid-to-late 40s, according to Tonko. ``That's frightening, with fewer young people coming in and more people retiring,'' he said. State and local officials said they hope they can reverse, or at least slow, the slide. Most of the solutions, though, come with a price tag. Tonko has two bills in committee. One would give volunteer firefighters -- and if amended, ambulance personnel -- a $1,500 personal income tax credit. The other calls for the creation of a temporary state commission on recruitment and retention of volunteers. And, the Senate recently formed a task force to study volunteer emergency services. ``I hope we can drum up interest, but passage (of the bills) may be difficult this year,'' Tonko said. ``Fiscal concerns do play a part in this.'' Tonko also is conducting hearings on the issue throughout the state, with one scheduled for Syracuse in the fall. More immediate answers may come on the local level. Moyers Corners has been advertising for recruits in the local weekly newspaper; and a large sign outside the North Syracuse fire station reads: ``Help wanted. We need volunteer firefighters.'' Last week, the county's Fire Chiefs' and Firemens' associations confirmed plans to open a recruitment hotline in the next few weeks. That move, said Flanagan, will be coupled with a ``media blitz.''

 

June 11th, 1987
Woman ‘Critical’ in Car-Bus Crash
The Post Standard
by Rick Moriarty
A school bus collided with a car that was backing onto a busy Clay road at rush hour Thursday afternoon, critically injuring the 66-year-old driver of the car. Ida H. Letizia of Virginia Beach, Va., suffered serious head injuries when the car she was driving collided with a Liverpool School District bus on Route 57 in Bayberry, police said. Letizia was rushed by Moyers Corners Fire Department ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital, where she was in serious to critical condition early today. Clay police Lt. Richard Schad said the bus was carrying no passengers when the accident occurred about 4 p.m. The bus driver – Diane L. Couch, 39, of 8421 Sweet Mill Lane, Clay – reported chest pains following the crash, police said. She was teken to St. Joseph’s Hospital by the Liverpool Fire Department ambulance, treated and released. Schad said Letizia was backing out of a driveway at 7689 Oswego Road and was in the southbound lane when the southbound bus struck the right side of her car. Police said letizia apparently did not see the bus coming. No one else was in her car, officers said. Police filed no charges pending further investigation of the accident. The front end of the buss was damaged. Schad said he did not know where the bus was heading when the crash occurred.

 

June 19th, 1987
Letter from Gene Young to Herald Journal
I am an eight-year member of the Moyers Corners Fire Department and a 36-year-old attorney. I read with interest your June 3 editorial, where you fix much of the blame for lack of fire and ambulance volunteers on young suburban professionals This will be news to the professional engineers, architects, accountants, medical doctor, meteorologist, computer technicians, teachers, police officers and dozens of other young professionals in my fire department. In fact, about 80 percent of the 230 members of Moyers Corners are "Yuppies." I can personally guarantee you that none of us has any time to vegetate on couches

 

June 22nd, 1987
Auxiliary June Picnic at Station 1
lots of delicious foot, everyone brought a dish to pass.

 

July 1987
Minoa parade, pictures

 

July 2nd  -  4th, 1987
4th of July Parade, new pictures

 

August 1987
Clay Marsh brush fire
pictures

 

August 8th, 1987
Herald Journal
Ladder hits powerline, roofer dies
Continued from Page Al "They were coming down the ladder and I guess one-of them slipped," said Travis Bellinger of 21-8 Plantation Blvd., Clay. "The ladder fell backwards and hit the wire." While Bellinger rushed home to tell his parents to call rescue workers, another neighbor who was driving by tried to help the injured men- Linda Yellin, 42, of 6 Graham Court, Clay, said she was returning from the grocery store.when she saw the ladder fall into the electric line, sending sparks into the air. She said the large aluminum ladder, which had been extended to the top of the two-story building, landed on top of two of the men. '-'I just parked my car and ran over," Yellin said. "Two of the guys were unconscious, and the other was in shock." She ran to her home and telephoned the operator for help. Yellin said she returned with-a bucket of water and towels and tried to revive the men. Yellin said she knew how to check for vital signs and administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation because she worked, as an X-ray technician at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center for six years- She said her daughter's friend, Jennifer Dantuono, 16, of Apartment H-3, Spruce Tree Circle, Liverpool, was passing the apartment building in another car and got out to administer CPR to Vault. Meanwhile, Yellin tried to help Sherlock and Keeler until rescue workers from the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department arrived. She said Keeler, who was walking around, appeared to be in shock. "He was moving like he was kind of delirious," Yellin said. "We took his shoes and socks off. and there were burns on his feet." Yellin said Moyers Corners firefighters were able to revive Sherlock. Vault never regained consciousness. Clay police said. He was pronounced^ dead on arrival at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center. Clay Police Capt_ Thomas Bottar said the roofers were employed by Valley Home Improvement Co. Company officials could not be reached for comment. Bottar said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration will probably be called in to investigate the accident.  Evelyn Titch, the rental agent for the apartments, said the men had been doing roof work on several buildings in the complex. The power line struck by the ladder is a. primary line that carries 13,200 volts of electricity to the apartment complex, said Niagara Mohawk Power Corp-, spokesman Frank Duesel. The voltage is "stepped down" by transformers within the complex. Duesel said the line, several feet above the roof of the building, was installed at a standard height. The line was not broken in the accident, and service continued uninterrupted to the area. 

 

August 9th, 1987
Herald American
One killed, 5 hurt in Clay crash
THE ACCIDENToccurred north of Liverpool on Oswego Road (Route 57) about midway between the Liverpool By-Pass and Long Branch Road, in front of the Kwik Fill service station and Public Storage rental business. The car driven by Walker was leaving the station when it was struck broadside by the northbound car driven by Trusewicz, Bottar said. Bottar speculated that the cars collided in the northbound driving lane of the five-lane highway. Bottar said he did not know how fast either car was traveling, but noted the area is a 45-mph zone. An attendant at the gas station just before the accident. "He and his son came in," said the shaken attendant. "He paid for the gas. then said he felt lucky so he bought two (instant) lottery tickets. He won S2 on one so he bought two more. He didn't win anything on those, and he left. I think that's what upsets me the most- He thought it was his lucky day and it wasn't." THE ATTENDANTsaid as Walker's car left the station, she heard brakes screech. She said she saw Trucewicz's car skid about 100 feet before it collided with the Walker car. She called the Clay police and said rescuers arrived in about two minutes. Gary Fix of Hummingbird Path. was driving southbound and came upon the accident seconds after it happened. Fix was one of several passers-by who stopped to help. "The driver of the blue car (Trucewicz) was lying on the road." Fix said. Walker "came out of the passenger's side of his car. He kept wanting to get up and I kept holding  him down. He wanted to know if everyone was alive in his car, and I told him that everyone was breathing." THE ENTIRE driver's side of the Walker car was crushed halfway to the other side- Fix said Cheryl Walker was twisted and slumped over the wheel. "She didn't look too good." He said. "Her mouth kept opening and closing." Fix said another passer-by helped Michael Walker Jr. out of the car. "He was shaking and had a few cuts but seemed OK," Fix said. Eric Walker, who was pinned in the rear seat of the Spectrum, was crying, while Kimble, also in the rear seat, was breathing, but not moving or making a sound. Fix said. RESCUERS ARRIVED quickly and worked feverishly to aid the victims- Cheryl Walker and Michael Jr. were evacuated by helicopter. Eric Walker "was pinned between the seats," said Moyers Corners Battalion Chief George Race. "He had severe leg injuries but was conscious and talking. "More than a dozen rescue workers were constantly around the car as they tried to keep Eric stable while freeing him from the twisted wreckage. The rescuers cut the roof from the car which allowed them better access to the boy. They then freed his legs by prying apart the collapsed interior. Three ambulances from Moyers Corners Fire Department and two each from Eastern Ambulance and the Liverpool Fire Department were at the scene. Close to 200 people gathered around the accident scene and watched as victims were aided and police investigated. Traffic was halted for 3 hours between the Liverpool By-Pass and the area of Long Branch Road and John Glenn Boulevard. 

 

August 12th, 1987
Herald Journal
Mark Weiner
A tragic weekend ends with praise for Moyers Corners Volunteers
If you've never seen Moyers Corners firefighters, rescue and ambulance workers in action, a quick glimpse of the weekend news reports should give you an idea of how valuable the volunteer force is to Clay residents. On Friday, Moyers Corners volunteers helped save the lives of two roofers after their aluminum ladder struck an overhead power line at the Brookwood Village apartment complex on Grampian Road. A third roofer was electrocuted in the accident. But it was the teamwork of the Moyers Corners crews that helped revive one roofer who was unconscious at the scene.

 

The next day, six people were injured in a two-car crash on Route 57 near Hiawatha Plaza. Witnesses said Moyers Corners volunteers were at the scene within five minutes and quickly decided which victims a matter of a few more minutes, five of the injured were being rushed to Syracuse hospitals. And over the next half hour, rescuers worked feverishly to free the sixth victim, a 7-year-old boy, whowas trapped in the back seat of a car. Two of the injured later died, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort from the rescue and ambulance workers. It's rare that such tragedies strike back-to-back in Clay. But when they do occur, it is reassuring to know that Moyers Corners crews are standing by.

 

August 12th, 1987
Passers-by help save lives of 2
Roofer dies as ladder strikes a power line
Post Standard
By Mark Weiner
A Syracuse roofer was electrocuted and a passing motoris and 16-year-old girl helped save the lives of two others Friday after an aluminum ladder fell onto a 13,200 volt power line in Clay. Daniel Vault, 32 of 376 W. Matson Ave. was killed in the 2:30 p.m. accident at the Brookwodd Village Apartments on Grampian Road. Police and witnesses said two men were on the ladder and a third was holding the bottom when it tipped back and touched the line. Volunteer emergency workers from Moyers Corners revived one of the victims, Steven Sherlock, 28, of 1659 W. Colvin St., after his heart stopped. He was in critical condition at University Hospital where he was taken by Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department helicopter. Richard Keeler, 32, of 4322 S. Salina Street, who was on the ground holding the ladder, was in good condition Friday night at Community General Hospital with severe burns to his feet. Keeler was sent flying several feet by the jolt, according to neighbors who witnessed the accident. A 10-year-old boy riding his bike in front of the two-story apartment building at 35 Grampian Road said he saw the accident happen

 

 pictures

 

August 19th, 1987
Herald Journal
Police say disoriented man set trailer afire
Debra Adams
An elderly, disoriented man set a fire early today that destroyed his home at the Casual Estates Mobile Home Park in the town of Clay, police said- Clay Police Capt Thomas Bottar said 67-year-old Walter A. Drengel was taken to the Veterans Administration Hospital, where he was being treated for smoke inhalation. Bottar said police had talked to the man shortly before the blaze broke out in the mobile home at 4809 Amersham Court and that the man feared someone was trying to injure him. Less than an hour later, Drengel lit a propane torch inside the trailer and ignited an enclosed porch on the side of the trailer, he said. Bottar said police were called to the mobile home park at about 11:20 p.m. Tuesday regarding a noise complaint but found no sign of a disturbance. They returned to the area at 11:43 p.m. when they received a second complaint, Bottar said. Police said their investigationled them to Drengel's where the man told police "he feared that someone in the trailer , park was out to get him. Police had left Drengel's home' but were still in the trailer park when they heard a smoke alarm - go off at 12:43 a-m- and officer. re-entered the trailer to pull lheman from the burning structure. Firefighter George Race of the Moyers Corners Fire Department said the mobile home was ruined. "It was basically totaled," Race said of the trailer. "Once you do damage like that you don't replace it. Smoke and water damage was extensive." He said flames destroyed the porch. Fire spread about 10 feet into the trailer.

 

August 25th, 1987
TWO CYCLISTS DIE IN CRASHES SEPARATE CRASHES KILL CLAY BOY AND SYRACUSE MAN
Herald-Journal
By Debra Adams
At about 10 p.m., Paul J. Raymond, 16, of 3117 Berkley Court, was riding westbound on Wetzel Road when he rode through a red light and was struck by a station wagon, sheriff's deputies said.   Daniel P. Tassone, 23, of Yacht Club Drive, Clay, was driving the station wagon south on Morgan Road. He drove through the green light and collided with Raymond, deputies said.  Raymond was thrown from his 10-speed bicycle and landed in a drainage ditch about 30 feet away. The bike landed about 60 feet farther south.  He was apparently on his way home at the time of the accident. Raymond would have entered the 10th grade at Liverpool High School next month, said Daniel D'Agostino, House IV principal at the high school. Raymond was a member of the school's Junior Air Force ROTC program, D'Agostino said. Raymond, who suffered multiple injuries, was treated by the Moyers Corners rescue squad. He was flown by helicopter to University Hospital were he was pronounced dead at 10:45 p.m., said Bob Burns, spokesperson for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department . No evidence of alcohol was found in connection with either of the accidents. No tickets were issued.

 

September 1987
Accident involving MCFD A2
pictures

 

September 9th, 1987
Herald Journal
Mark Weiner
The emergency is simulated, but the fire is real in Moyers Corners
Don't be alarmed if you see a large barn fire raging near Moyers Corners in Clay tomorrow night- The fire department already knows about it. In fact, the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department plans to set the blaze in an old barn on the west side of Route 57, just south of Route 31. Rick Chicallo, a Moyers Corners firefighter, said it's all part of "a scheduled training session for the department. The drill is expected to begin at 7 p.m. Traffic at the busy intersection is not expected to be disrupted by the fire. Eventually, the undeveloped southwestside of Moyers Corners surrounding the barn will be occupied by the $14.6 million Kimbrook Shopping Center. Residents of the Kimbrook townhomes behind the site have protested against the center, saying its design would be disruptive to their neighborhood. They've asked the developer to change plans for the shopping center, allowing for a larger buffer zone between the homes and the shopping center. The Clay Planning Board is expected to receive a revised design plan at its Sept, 23 meeting. 

 

September 16, 1987
Herald-Journal
Richard Crisp
Over the past year, the Moyers Corners Fire Department, as have all the neighboring departments, ran an extensive recruitment campaign to help fill the ranks in the medical rescue squad. A number of excellent volunteers were recruited and are now undergoing extensive training in the field of emergency medicine. However, the drive fell short of the expectations. So for now, the current active members are often doing double duty to insure that this essential ambulance service is maintained at the high level of efficiency to expect and deserves. Unfortunately, last year's Ambulance Fund Drive, too fell short of its expectations. The Moyers Corners Medical Rescue Squad needs a 100% commitment from this community during the September October 1987 fund drive. Your donation is needed and will be greatly appreciated by the Moyers Corners Fire Department and those who use its services

 

September 30th, 1987
Herald Journal
Man dies after load of lumber pins him
Gary Gerew
A 59-year-old Syracuse man was killed Tuesday after lumber he was helping 10 unload from a tractor trailer shifted and pinned him against the wall of a Clay lumber company. Clay police said. Robert EL Dieferibacher of Furman St. was critically injured in the 10:05 a.m. accident at Gerrity Lumber Co., 7707 He.iry Clay Blvd. He was taken by Moyers Corners Ambulance to University Hospital in Syracuse, where he died a short time later, police said. An autopsy was expected to be performed today. Investigators from the federal Occupational Saftey and Health Administration also will probe the accident. Robert Apgar, the lumber company's manager, said it still isn't known what caused the wood to shift and fall against Diefenbacher. "I don't know anything more than I knew yesterday," Apgar said. "What caused it to happen may be one of those things that no one will ever know." Apgar said Diefenbacher, who had worked for the company since 1969, was alone inside the trailer while other workers operated a forklift to lift sheets of cedar siding out. The siding was banded together, Apgar said, and about 300 pieces were in the pile that slipped on the forklift and pinned Diefenbacher against the trailer. Other workers immediately lifted the wood away to free Gerrity and began attempts to revive him before ambulance crews from the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department arrived, Apgar said. Apgar said the three employees who had been working with Diefenbacher have been given the rest of the week off, "because they were pretty upset by what happened." "He was a real nice guy — a 'Papa figure' for the guys here," Apgar said.

 

October 7th, 1987
Herald Journal
By Mark Weiner
If you're looking for something to do this weekend, you may want to take the family to the Moyers Corners Fire Department on Sunday afternoon.  Department members will be demonstrating fire and personal safety techniques at an open house from 1 to 5 p.m. at Fire Station 1, just north of the intersection of routes 57 and 31.  It's a chance to meet the dedicated volunteers who provide the Clay area with emergency medical and fire services.  And if you've been following the headlines lately, you know the department could use all the new members it can get.  For those people who might consider serving as a volunteer firefighter, emergency medical technician or paramedic, it's a good chance to ask some questions to those people who are serving the community every day.  Members of the department will be at the open house to answer any questions about the job.

 

October 17th, 1987
Harvest Dinner at Station 1

 

October 30th, 1987 – Man Down – Joe Jeffski
Herald Journal
Janetta M. Hammock
Liverpool apt. fire sends 27 into cold
Tom and Sandy Strauss were looking forward to this weekend". It was a weekend the apartment renters were to move into a home on Route 31 in Clay. But a morning fire swept through their apartment building — the Glengarnock building in Brookwood apartment complex off Morgan Road near the village of Liverpool. Now they are unsure if they will have anything to move to their new home. The fire, which started about 3ilO a.m. today, caused major damage to the eight apartments in the building, said Moyers Corners Deputy Chief Stephen Wisely. About 27 people lived in the building, he said. "Damages are unquestionably extensive," he said. The fire appears to have started in the basement, Wisely said. He" said firefighters should know the cause late today- No major injuries were reported. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation, Wisely said. Moyers Corner firefighter Joseph Jefski was on the first floor and fell to the "basement. He suffered a dislocated shoulder and was treated at St. Joseph's Hospital and Health Center and released, Wisely said. FIREFIGHTERS BATTLED the blaze for about four hours.

 

 Firefighters from Moyers Corners, Liverpool, North Syracuse, Lyncourt and Phoenix were on the .scene. The Oswego County Air Crusade and the Red Cross were also at the site. The building has a garage and storage space in the basement. This made the fire difficult to put out, Wisely said. "We had a considerable amount of manpower," he said. "Because of the construction of the building, the fire traveled vertically and then horizontally. We didn't make a lot of headway immediately. "The contents have received extensive damage. There’s a couple of feet of water in the basement and certainly the cars (parked near the building) won't be in pretty good shape." Strauss is worried about damage to his 1987 Mazda pickup truck and a 1979 Datsun truck. He said he was also worried about furniture in his two-bedroom apartment. The couple, who were married a little more than a year ago, had lived in the apartment for a year. They had moved most of the furniture out of the kitchen but not out of the other rooms. They did not have renters insurance. "We're out cold," he said. "We're probably going to be in debt." Wisely said residents should be able to go into their apartments later today. CONNIE WILMER was one of the people who alerted residents. "I heard a smoke detector go off and got up," she said, with tears in her eyes. Her boyfriend got up and, when he opened the door, saw smoke, she said. The two alerted residents. She has some renters insurance but not much, she said. "It will cover a small portion," she said, fighting back tears. "My furniture — it's not mine anymore. You work so hard. You lose everything." Red Cross representatives talked to residents, making plans to get them food, clothing and shelter. Wilmer said she had not talked to them yet and didn't know if she would.  "I just hurt," she said. "That's all, I just hurt."

 

Chet Fritz: During the famous "Building 28" fire a number of years ago in the Avon Parkway area during which Steve Wisely was in charge then FF Joe Jefski and possibly Eddie Stevens, EJ's father, went through the floor into the cellar where they parked cars. George Race, Ron Jennings and probably others whom I can't name saw them fall thru the floor. At first they thought it was a refrigerator coming into the basement but soon realized they were FF's.Race and Jennings were operating with a 21/2" line and got them out.Jefski sustained a broken clavicle 

 

October 31st, 1987 
Herald Journal
Hart Seely
The dreaded ‘Man down!’ call – Clay apartment blaze gives firefighters a real scare
Eary Friday morning, Joe Jefski and about 39 other Moyers Corners firefighters crawled into the full blown inferno that had been the Glengarnock apartment building. They sought bodies.  On hands and knees, Jefski pushed a water hose into the lobby. Down the hall. Feeling the wall like a blind man, he crept into apartment No. 4. "I saw a flame. I knocked it down... Then I felt my hand go through the floor. And I shouted. 'Hooooooole' Then Jefski, a 39-year-old father of four, was falling...While families in the 15-apartment

 

building salvaged what they could — record albums, books or clothes — and while investigators probed the wreckage for a cause. Jefski's near-tragedy Friday cast a presence on the cleanup as strong as the odors of smoke. IT WASthe world's lousiest feeling," said Deputy Chief Stephen Wisely, of the "Man down!'' call that roared through the building. "I guess number one is if it's you that goes into the hole. But sometimes it's even worse for everybody near you. It's something you just don't want to hear." The story had a happy ending. Jefski was treated and released at SL Joseph's Hospital and Health Center for a broken shoulder. He was the lone casualty of a blaze so dangerous that ambulances throughout the area were called to the scene. The fire destroyed the three story Galloway Drive structure within Brookwood Apartments, a 300-unit complex off Morgan Road in the town of Clay. The complex was formerly known as Village Highlands and Hollyrood Apartments. The blaze left eight families homeless, three without insurance, according to the Onondaga County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Damage estimates were taken in three apartments Friday. Five others were viewed too unsafe to enter. The building itself was charred and gutted from within. Asked if it could ever be restored, Brookwood manager Michael Barone said simply, "I don't know.'' No overall dollar amount has been assigned to the loss. New carpets and fixtures had been installed at the 22-year-old building only the day before the fire. Several of its vacant units were to be filled this weekend, Barone said. ONONDAGA COUNTYfire investigators said it may take days ,to learn what caused the fire-Heavy equipment will be used to either knock down or immobilize a basement wall before entering the  sub-ground area where they say it began, fire investigator Bernie English said.

 

Several nearby residents reported hearing explosions earl in the morning. "It sounded like three shotgun shells," said Ken Howard, who lives across the street in another apartment. "All the sudden you could see a puff of white smoke come up (from the roof). You could I tell it was from that building." English said other people reported the noise. But it's not clear whether it was sounds of a fire starting or one growing out of control. Several young couples Friday were allowed to re-enter parts of the building and remove personal belongings. "I lost a lot," said one man, carrying clothes to a car. 'I lost a lot." And then there was Jefski. HIS I shoulder was broken upon impact, when he landed or, the basement floor- He had been one of the first firefighters to arrive. In such situation the priority is to make sure everyone is out of the building. Moyers Corner Fire Chief Chet Fritz said. At various times, up to 50 men were in the burning building Friday, Fritz said. They used about 150 tanks of compressed air — so much of it that two other fire departments were called just to furnish more compressed air, said Deputy Chief Stephen Wisely.  Jefski was on a team of firefighters pushing the hose into the building. Five feet behind him were others, including Chief Fritz. "We knew that it (the floor) had gone elsewhere." Fritz said Friday, standing over the 15-foot wide crevice that sucked-m Jefski. "We knew it could be going nearby... Before I could get pivoted, they were in... and she breaks. I said, "We got a guy down!' Jefski curled up and waited for the blow. "I didn't know when I was gonna hit," the firefighter said. "That's the worst feeling — not knowing when you're gonna hit." He landed about 8 feet below and just missed landing on a motorcycle. His shoulder burst into pain; Jefski said he figured it was a pulled muscle. His air mask had been knocked off. He was groggy and didn't know where he was. But that didn't last long. "When I saw the flames, that's what really brought me back," Jefski said. Then he saw the light from another firefighter. Jefski had fallen into the path of another team that was pouring water into the fire. UPSTAIRS, FRITZ said he had screamed louder "than he is known to" when Jefski went into the hole. "Then they said (through the radio). 'We got him.'': The chief said Friday, looking into the hole. "It was music to my ears." Jefski Friday was amazed with the reaction of people. "When I got but, they treated me like a king." he said, laughing. "You would have thought I was the King of Siam."

 

December 2nd, 1987
Another Exhibit Aids Rescue Squad
Herald-Journal
Some aspiring young artists from C.W. Baker High School in Baldwinsville will get a chance to put their work on public display this month at the Baldwinsville Public Library. Members of the Future Artists club will exhibit drawings, paintings and ceramics work throughout the month at the library, 43 Oswego St., Baldwinsville. Students who belong to Future Artists are considering careers in art. Another art exhibit is to open this weekend in the northern suburbs, but in this case you'll have a chance to take home the items on display. It's the fifth annual ``Country Christmas Craft Show'' to benefit the Moyers Corners Fire Department . This year's show is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Moyers Corners Fire Station 1 at routes 57 and 31. More than 80 artists have been invited to show their wares. Organizers expect a large assortment of hand-crafted and homemade items available for sale. Proceeds are donated to the department's volunteer Medical Rescue Squad. There is no admission charge. And if you're looking to do a full day's worth of Christmas shopping at the show, you can buy a lunch at the station.

 

 

 

1988

 

Chief Chet Fritz
 First Deputy Chief: Ken Brand Jr.
Second Deputy Chief Steve Wisely
Battalion 1 Chief Bud Neuman
Battalion 2 Chief George Race
Battalion 3 Chief Greg Tiner
Station 1 Captain Greg Shaffer
Station 2 Captains Ron Turiello, Chris Naum
Station 3 Captains John Perkins, Tim Chura 
Station 1 Lieutenants: Steve Rubacky, Kevin Wilcox, George Gobin, Bill Henry
Station 2 Lieutenants: Ron Jennings, Ken Filow, Don Mace, Geoff Maes
Station 3 Lieutenants: Dan Bartholf, Frank Houde, Tim DeRuyscher, Kevin Wisely

 

Executive Board
 President Bob Michelson
Vice President Mike App 
Secretary Colin Bailey, Assistant Secretary Mike LeFebvre 
Treasurer Jim Balla, Assistant Treasurers Steve McGraw, Gary Johnson

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Tom Olsweski

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Linda Foster, 1st Assistant Sharon Moynihan, 2nd Assistant Susan Derbyshire, 3rd Assistant Jim Michel

 

Auxiliary: President Rosemary Morgan, Vice President Debbie Neuman, Recording Secretary Cindy Houde,  Corresponding Secretary Linda Gobin, Treasurer Sue Davison, Chaplain Carolyn Funnel Woods

 

Scholarship Winners: Diana Davidson, Theresa Olszewski, Mike Zaferakis

 

Installation Banquet pictures

 

January 19th, 1988
Herald Journal
John Doherty
Volunteer ambulance crews ask county for professional help
Onondaga County are asking county legislators to help them relieve staffing shortages they say could lead to disaster.  Representatives of the Liverpool, Moyers Corners and North Area Volunteer Ambulance corps met Monday with legislators and the county's Ambulance Advisory Board. “We need to have someone fill the holes in the schedule," said Linda Foster of the Moyers Corners squad. "We have trouble in the early morning hours, from 6 to 9,  and during shift change in the afternoon, from 3 to 6." We would like the county Legislature to appropriate funds to hire medical technicians to fill the gaps in the volunteer schedules. "We want to provide the best patient care possible," Foster said. According to national standards, an ambulance crew should take no more than eight minutes to respond to a call. "Sometimes, with a district with a geography like mine, you'll have to wait more than eight minutes," Foster said. While legislators said they are sympathetic to the volunteers' plight, they said it was not solely a county problem. "Every town supervisor has an obligation to provide for the public safety of their township," said Rep. Charles Durham, R-Clay, chairman of the Legislature's Public Safety Committee. Durham said town boards should consider providing matching money if the Legislature allocates money to hire ambulance personnel. Karen Brantis, chairwoman of the ambulance advisory group, said staffing problems plague nearly every volunteer ambulance group in the county, but the problem is more apparent in the northern districts because of the large number of ambulance calls they receive. Last year the northern districts received about 7,000 ambulance calls.

 

 If a solution cannot be found, the volunteers said, professional ambulance services may move in. They fear if that happens, it may result in the demise of the volunteer corps. "If a commercial service goes into our district you're going to lose the volunteer system in a matter of a few years," Foster said. The legislators agreed that a temporary solution would have to be arrived at soon. "If you're going to put a county employee there, how's a volunteer going to feel sitting next to a paid person?" asked Rep. William Sanford, R-Sailna, Legislature chairman.

 

"We've got to have some paid person to fill the hole. I don't think you're going to see the volunteers slip away," Foster responded The legislators asked that representatives of all the county's volunteer ambulance groups meet to discuss the problem. There are 24 volunteer ambulance groups operating in Onondaga County including! 19 groups sponsored by fire departments' and five ambulance corps. -  "These things are going to take time, and we don't have aii that time." Foster said, adding that a solution should be arrived at by the end of February. Last fall ambulance technicians were hired by the Eastern Area Volunteer; Emergency Services to fill schedule gaps. "When they're not answering calls they're maintaining equipment," said Jim Williamson, EAVES director.  EAVES pays its workers S5 an hour.

 

January 21st, 1988
Red Cross Opens Training Center To Improve Odds of Saving Lives
The Post-Standard
AS A VOLUNTEER for the Liverpool Fire Department's ambulance squad, Henry James has answered calls involving 13 severe heart attacks -- patients who had no pulse and were not breathing. Of the 13, volunteers could only save two.  They had received cardiopulmonary resuscitation before crews arrived on the scene. The other 11 had not.  Volunteers like James and Red Cross spokeswoman Jana Telfer believe the only way to improve the odds is to train more people in CPR and other lifesaving techniques.  A new Red Cross training site in North Syracuse will help them do that. The Syracuse and Onondaga County Chapter of the American Red Cross has opened its first satellite CPR and first-aid training site at the North Syracuse community center on South Bay Road. It is the first Red Cross training site outside the city of Syracuse, Telfer said. She said the Red Cross opened its first satellite center in the northern suburbs because that is the fastest growing area in Onondaga County and because a large percentage of Red Cross volunteers live in Cicero, North Syracuse, Liverpool and Clay. It is essential that people who are not trained in CPR and other lifesaving techniques receive training because statistics prove that the faster a patient receives emergency care, the better his chances of survival, Telfer said. In Onondaga County it generally takes eight minutes from the time an ambulance is called to the time volunteers arrive at the scene of an emergency, Telfer said. But in the case of a heart attack, eight minutes is too late. ``If you don't do something in the first two minutes,'' Telfer said, ``the chances of survival drop by 50 percent.'' 

 

Moyers Corners Fire Department Administrator Linda Foster agrees. ``I've had years and years of training, $75,000 (worth) of equipment goes with me down the road, and I've worked on hundreds of full (cardiac) arrests,'' she said. ``And I've only had eight saves. In every case someone started CPR before we got there.'' James believes there is an added benefit to training more people in CPR. And that is: People who have basic first-aid skills have less need for ambulances. That is important, given the current shortage of volunteers in some local fire departments and ambulance corps.

 

January 22, 1988
Fire at Dean Leeson’s house.
A burning log rolled out of a fireplace in Clay, starting a blaze that heavily damaged a home at 4959 Pepper Mill Lane, Moyers Corners Battalion chief George Race said. The only people at home when the fire began was the teen-aged some of the homeowner, Dean Leeson. The youth, whose name was not immediately available, was alerted by a smoke alarm and escaped safely from the burning house. The fire was reported at 7:11 p.m. by a neighbor, police said. The home, owned by Moyers Corners Firefighter Dean Leeson, sustained heavy damage. The flames spread to the kitchen and caused smoke damage throughout the house.

 

February 17th, 1988
Scream Alert Neighbor to Fire
Hearld-Journal
About 2:40 a.m., Carol Baird of Lucan Road, Liverpool, heard her neighbor, Thomasine L. D'Agata, 43, screaming.  Across the street, D'Agata's house at 4180 Lucan Road, was on fire . The yellow two-story home was extensively damaged. Drawn to the window by the screams, Baird looked outside and saw D'Agata yelling from the middle of their street. ``My God, that looks like smoke,'' Baird recalled thinking as she told her huband to call the Onondaga County sheriff's department . ``The more awake I got, I saw there must be flames behind it,'' she said. ``I told him to call the Moyers Corners Fire Department , too.'' D'Agata, who appeared extremely distraught, was taken to Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital for observation. The cause of the fire was under investigation. D'Agata lived alone in the house.

 

March 1988
Pictures – Burndown on Morgan Road/Forestbrook…turned to a burndown when winds suddenly changed opposite direction and increase velocity by 20mph 

 

March 18th, 1988
Herald Journal
Crash kills a Galveston’s Manager
Thomas Barbash and Jim Howe
A Mallory man who was a manager at Galveston's restaurant in North Syracuse was killed early Thursday morning when he apparently fell asleep while driving after a night of bowling. Barry J. Young, 24, of the Mallory Trailer Park, north of Central Square, was headed north on Morgan Road, just north of Wetzel Road in the Onondaga County town of Clay at about 2:45 a.m. when the accident occurred. His Ford Escort drifted into the oncoming lane, then onto the shoulder, crashing -head-on into a tree, police said.  Young was pronounced dead at the scene by Erik Mitchell, the Onondaga County medical examiner police said. Young, who was alone in the car, is survived by his wife, Samantha. The couple had no children. Members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department had to use the "jaws of life" cutting tool to free the body, said Clay Police Sgt. John Perkins, who added that Young probably fell asleep at the wheel. Someone living nearby heard the crash and reported it to police. Young didn't appear to have been wearing a seat belt, Perkins said. "I've worked with him about six years and the guy just got along with everyone," said Rich Anderson, a co-worker at Galveston's Texas Restaurant and Bar on Brewerton Road. "We're all taking it real hard. He's not the kind of guy this could have happened to." No cause of death has been established, but an autopsy was scheduled, Perkins said. Anderson, who said Young had been bowling before the accident, described him as hard-working but easygoing, with a rich sense of humor. "People here always joke about 'the door, the door!' He was always getting the hostesses to run over to help someone at the door," he said. Anderson said Galveston's employees hope to take Friday off to pay their respects. "We're going to work it out so we can all be at the calling hours together. We're going to work our schedules around this." Anderson said Young was an enthusiastic bowler and a devoted husband.

 

April 9th, 1988
Planned Fire
The Post-Standard
A practice fire will detour traffic Sunday morning at Routes 57 and 31 in the town of Clay. The Moyers Corners Fire Department said traffic on Route 57 will be maintained during the burning of an old building near the intersection from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cars headed east on 31 will have to take Theodolite Drive to 57. Westbound drivers are asked to go south on 57 to Gaskin Road, which will lead back to 31 beyond the fire.

 

Carl’s Tavern Burndown pictures

 

April 16th, 1988
Herald Journal
Liverpool man named Fire Instructor of the Year
Cheryl Smith
Members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department are being trained by a world-famous fire instructor. When 6,000 fire service professionals from the United States and 10 other countries gathered in Cincinnati in March, they chose Christopher J. Naum of Liverpool as National Fire Instructor of the Year. The 31-year-old battalion captain with the Moyers Corners Fire Department was chosen from a pool of paid and volunteer fire service training specialists. His peers recognized Naum's extensive experience and deep commitment to teaching fire professionals. He is director of the department of fire protection technology at Onondaga Community College and of the Onondaga County Fire and Rescue Institute. He also consults and teaches around the country. A 1980 graduate of Syracuse University, Naum is an architect and fire protection specialist with Maniktala Associates. His favorite local structure is Grouse College on the campus of Syracuse University.  He and his wife, Ann, live on Gull Path in Bayberry, where they are raising two daughters, Lauren, 3, and Ashley, 5 weeks.With all his responsibilities, Naum sleeps about four or five hours a night. "There's no other way to do it. There are only so many hours in a day," he said.  Naum became a firefighter in 1975 at age 19, joining many of his high school friends who already were members of the Moyers Corners department. Nearly all the men in his family are firefighters — including his father-in-law, Donald McCabe, a retired Syracuse Fire Department lieutenant. . "The personal satisfaction of the profession coupled with the  esponsibilities, duties, tradition and relationship to the society," drew Naum to firefighting, he said. "You're dealing with life and death." Naum saw that as recently as Oct. 30, when his department fought a blaze at Brookwood Village on Morgan Road. He was in the basement when a firefighter fell through a hole in the floor above and just missed impaling himself on a piece of equipment. In one-foot visibility, Naum and Lt. Ron Jennings found Joseph Jefski, whose and carried him from the building. Jefski suffered a broken arm. Naum sat in the recreation room of the Moyers Corners fire station a few blocks away from the Brookwood Village complex earlier this week and described the complexity of putting out that fire, which was fought by 150 people from 35 companies. When he's not on duty, Naum often takes his camera to fires he hears about on his scanner, and the walls of the station rec room

 

are decorated with his photographs. He has contributed pictures to the Syracuse Newspapers for eight years. He he uses the photos to illustrate his training sessions. "Somewhere down the line I'd like to publish a book to give a perspective on different aspects of the job, something like a coffee table book," he said. And somewhere down the line Naum plans to reassess his priorities to give him more time to share with his children, perhaps taking them with him for his favorite leisure activities, bicycling and downhill skiing. "Over the years more focus will shift toward family responsibilities," he said.

 

May 4th, 1988
Wetzel Road Fire 

 

May 13th, 1988
Auxiliary 40th Installation Banquet at Three Rivers Inn
Celebrated 40 years of auxiliary service to the fire department. Flower centerpiece was givin to a shut in.
New Group pictures

 

 

 

June 13th, 1988
Herald Journal
One killed in Clay accident
Cheryl Imelda Smith
One woman was killed arid four people were injured today in a  three-car crash at Moyers Corners.
Goldie N. Hoyt,. 43, of Phoenix was declared dead at the scene, said Clay police Sgt. John Perkins. Hoyt was driving south on Route m57 when she ran a red light about 6:45 a.m., Perkins said. Perkins said her car collided with two vehicles traveling on Route 31, an eastbound gray Dodge and a westbound Ford Bronco. After impact, the three vehicles were sandwiched in the eastbound lane of Route 31 facing east. Hoyt was in the driver's seat of the center car, a .gray Ford Escort, and was wearing a seatbelt, Perkins said. The driver's side, of the car was crushed. Rescuers worked-15 minutes to remove a door from the Escort and free Ronald Grouse from the passenger seat, said Battalion Chief Greg Tiner of the Moyers Corners Fire Department- Grouse, whose age and address weren't available, was taken to University Hospital with severe cuts on his right arm, and back and neck pain, Tiner said. - Grouse was .reported in fair condition at the hospital's emergency unit. Two women from the Dodge — Patricia Fraser of City Line Road, Phoenix, and her passenger, Holly Stoughtenger, 24, also of  City Line Road — were transported by Liverpool Ambulance .to Grouse Irving Memorial Hospital with back and neck pain. Both -were later discharged from the hospital.

 

June 14th, 1988
Phoenix Woman Dies in 3-Car Crash
The Post-Standard
By Mike McAndrew
A Phoenix woman was killed Monday when she drove through a red light, causing a three-car crash in Clay that injured her son and three others, police said.  Goldie N. Hoyt, 43, of Clark Lane Trailer Park, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 6:30 a.m. crash at Routes 57 and 31. Clay police said Hoyt was traveling south on Route 57 when she apparently failed to stop at a red light at the Route 31 intersection. Hoyt's car was struck in the driver's side by a westbound car driven by David R. Horning, 49, of 9546 Simpson Road, Brewerton. Hoyt's car then struck an eastbound car being driven by Patricia A. Fraser, 18, of County Line Road, Phoenix, Clay police said.  Police said Hoyt was driving her son to work when the accident occurred. After the crash, Hoyt and her son, Rodney Crouse, 22, of Phoenix, were trapped in their vehicle for about 20 minutes before Moyers Corners Fire Department volunteers could cut open an exit, Clay police said. Crouse was listed in fair condition Monday afternoon at University Hospital with cuts to his arm and head. Hoyt was employed as an assembler at SSAC Inc., a Liverpool manufacturer of electronic components used in timers and flashers, said a company spokeswoman. Horning, Fraser and a passenger in Fraser's car, Holly Stoughtenger, 24, of County Line Road, Phoenix, were treated at area hospitals and were released. Traffic was clogged on Routes 57 and 31 for several hours as a result of the collision, police said.

 

July 1988
Water Tower rope drill, pictures 

 

July 1st – 3rd, 1988
Parade, pictures
Pizza profit was $3776.45. Popcorn and ice cream was $650.45 profit
New Pictures 

 

July 9th, 1988
Three Rivers Vehicle accident, pictures

 

July 12th, 1988
Route 57 Vehicle accident, pictures 

 

July 12th, 1988
Fire Damages Liverpool School
Herald Journal
By Hart Seely
An exhaust pipe from a power generator ignited some roof insulation, and about 200 summer students were evacuated from Liverpool High School for about 45 minutes Monday, school officials said. No one was hurt in the blaze, which was extinguished by firefighters from Moyers Corners and Liverpool. High School Principal Ray Savarese said the district would soon know the extent of the damage. But the building was later ruled by fire officials to be safe. ``One roofing company has already been here,'' Savarese said, about four hours after the fire was extinguished. He said school officials smelled smoke upon entering the building and called the fire department immediately. The cause of the fire may have been a power outage Sunday night, Savarese said. It activated a generator for several hours. Coupled with the high temperatures, the exhaust pipe evidently ignited the insulation. The blaze was put out in about 90 minutes, firefighters said. The fire was confined to the eastern end of the building. The students were at the western end, Savarese said.

 

August 12th, 1988
Boat-Borne Rescue Attempt Fell Short
Herald-Journal
By Cheryl Imelda
The nearest ambulance crew faced an eight-minute detour around a closed bridge to get to the baby found unconscious in a backyard pool in Lysander. It was 10:14 a.m. Thursday. Eleven-month-old Mary Margaret Aluzzo of 502 Cayuga St., Fulton, was dying at 9354 W. River Road, West Phoenix. Across the Oswego River, a painting contractor heard the call for help and ran to his family's 17-foot motorboat moored on the east bank.

 

``I knew the firefighters would have a hard time getting over because of the bridge,'' said 27-year-old Charles Tappan of 919 Main St., Phoenix. Tappan's home anchors the intersection of Church and Main streets, two blocks around the corner from the closed Lock Street bridge. That 74-year-old drawbridge connected motorists in his Oswego County village to West Phoenix on the Onondaga County side of the river until it was closed in May 1987. It also connected the Phoenix Fire Department headquarters to the western part of its district, which spans the river to include a portion of Onondaga County. ``I didn't know what firefighters would be on the other side, and it's seven miles up to Hinmansville for the closest bridge,'' Tappan said of his decision to help. 

A woman living near the boat's anchorage heard the commotion and joined Tappan for the race across the river. As Tappan landed the boat behind the only west bank house near there with a pool, he heard screaming. 
He jumped the backyard fence and sprinted past the pool up the deck stairs into the Kenneth Holland residence. Mary Margaret lay on a kitchen counter, and someone was trying to revive her. Tappan and his neighbor performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation for about five minutes until an ambulance arrived.  The New York State Police helicopter was 90 minutes away, searching for a drowning victim in Waddington on the St. Lawrence River. So Moyers Corners Ambulance drove Mary Margaret to University Hospital. She arrived at 11:06 a.m. Doctors there pronounced her dead at 11:30 a.m. The woman who went with Tappan said she couldn't bear to talk about the experience of trying to save the baby, and she didn't want to give her name.  Tappan was modest about his effort as well, saying he didn't do it for publicity. ``I'm not a hero, I just went over because I was concerned,'' Tappan said. Mary Margaret's mother, Kathleen Hyde, was ``just hysterical'' after the drowning, state police Lt. Thomas Kedenburg said. After troopers spent several hours trying to glean facts from people at the house, Kedenburg said the preliminary results indicate the death was accidental. Kedenburg, a zone commander for Troop D, said he thinks this is how the tragedy occurred: 
Hyde went to the Holland house to babysit their children, accompanied by her daughter and a couple of other children from Fulton. He estimated that six or seven children were at the house during the drowning. ``The sitter was called to the phone and thought the 13-year-old was watching,'' he said. The teen-ager thought Hyde was supervising the baby. During the mix-up, the baby slipped through an unlatched gate to the pool and tumbled in, Kedenburg said. About 10 minutes elapsed before someone spotted the girl in the water, the lieutenant said. Hyde frantically called Mary Holland, operations manager for Pillsbury, 2904 Belgium Road across from Radisson on Route 31, accounting clerk Robin Fedora said today. Holland was out of the office at a farm show. Office manager Sue Baldock took the call and rushed out the door, telling Holland to call an ambulance. ``I called the troopers to get an ambulance because that number was first on my list,'' Fedora said. 
``The first call was very long because they couldn't find the house at first. I described it exactly. I told them it was the third house up from Lamson Road, brown cedar shingles setting back from the road. ``All I kept thinking of was, `Oh, my God, I'm pregnant myself,' '' Fedora recalled. Fedora isn't sure how just how long it took for rescuers to find the house. Fedora also told troopers where to page Holland at the farm show. The homeowner rushed to the scene to be with her baby-sitter of five years, Fedora said. 

The state police dispatcher called Onondaga County fire control for an ambulance, and sent several police cars to the scene. Fire control contacted Phoenix Fire Department , in whose district the Holland house lies, along with Moyers Corners and Belgium-Cold Springs ambulances. Although Phoenix firefighters were first on the scene, a Moyers Corners crew pulled up at 10:30 a.m. and got Mary Margaret to University Hospital 36 minutes later. Tappan, who'd just happened to stop at home in time to hear the call, heard the radio talk. Since the Lock Street bridge closed last year, there's no quick route across the river to West Phoenix. It takes about eight minutes extra to drive to Hinmansville to cross the Oswego River on Oswego County Route 46. ``We've done it for over a year. Every time we have a call over there it's a problem,'' said First Assistant Chief Dale Hughes of the Phoenix Fire Department . ``It's an inconvenience, and it really bothers us.''  Hughes said emergency crews from nearby Onondaga County departments are also dispatched to Onondaga-side accidents and fires in the Phoenix district while the bridge is out. Sometimes Moyers Corners , Baldwinsville or Belgium-Cold Springs can get to the scene while Phoenix firefighters detour around the closed bridge. ``We've been real lucky with house fires ,'' Hughes said. ``The few we've had over there, we've gotten to and put out. ``I don't believe it would have made any difference in this case,'' Hughes said. Another firefighter said the baby was in full cardiac arrest when ambulance crews arrived. The state Department of Transportation estimates that a new $14 million, two-lane span will open to motorists in December. Pedestrian traffic across the 630-foot, fixed steel bridge began Aug. 3.

 

September 23rd, 1988
Herald Journal
Suspicious fire burns vacant home
John Doherty and Amber Smith
A vacant house burned Thursday night in a suspicious fire that began on the first floor, Moyers Corners Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Wisely said. The blue-framed, two-story house at 7274 Henry Clay Blvd. has been vacant for more than a year and no utilities are hooked up. It is about 2,000'feet from a fire station. "The house is not too secure," Wisely said. "We're relatively sure it has been open for a year or a year-and-a-half." Onondaga County Fire investigators late Thursday were trying to determine the cause of the blaze, reported a little after 9 p.m. Wisely said firefighters searched the house as a matter of routine, even though they believed no one was inside because "even though we think it's unoccupied, we can't take that chance." "We mounted a fairly exaggerated attack, but we did keep in mind that this was unoccuppied," he said.

 

October 1988
As of October 3rd, 1988, the following members are qualified to operate Truck 1: Ken Brand, Mike Chura, Tim Deruyscher, Chet Fritz, Ron Jennings, Scott Krell, Greg Mazza, Frank Houde, John Perkins, Bud Neuman, John Olgren, Steve Rubacky, Greg Shaffer, Paul Tomachesky, Kevin Wilcox, Steve Bressette, Bill Henry, Dick Kyle.

 

October 1988 
Station 1 pictures 

 

October 1988
Burndown of Carl’s Tavern, corner of 31/57
New Pictures
The corner had been sold so the tavern had to go.

 

November 23rd, 1988
Herald Journal
Liverpool woman hurt in three-car crash
Suzanne Getman
A Liverpool woman was hospitalized in critical condition today after an automobile accident in morning rush-hour traffic on Henry Clay Boulevard. Laura Child,, 27, of 4825 Norstar Boulevard, Liverpool, was taken to University Hospital after the three-car crash at 7:20 a.m. in Clay. Moyers Corners rescue workers used the hydraulic "Jaws of Life" tool to remove Child from her 1983 Chevrolet Chevette, which was demolished in the accident. Moyers Corners Battalion Chief Greg Tiner said Child was conscious when rescue workers arrived but lost consciousness as they were trying to free her from the car. Clay police Officer Charles Day said Child was driving from Norstar Boulevard onto Henry Clay Boulevard near Buckley Road. She drove into the northbound lane and her car was struck in the driver's side by a second car. The driver of the second car was Martin Kuznia, 17, of 5775 Albert Road, Brewerton. His black 1984 Dodge Daytona struck Child's car and both vehicles spun several', times in the center of the four-lane highway, witnesses said. Kuznia was treated at Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital and released, according to a nursing supervisor.After striking Child's car, the Daytona hit a third vehicle in the southbound lane which was driven by Frank Boyle, 24, of 4958 Grapewood Lane, Liverpool.  Kuznia's car went into a ditch and Boyle's car landed just off the shoulder of the road. Day said Kuznia's car was heavily damaged. Police said they do not know why the woman pulled into oncoming traffic from the stop sign on Norstar Boulevard. Boyle, who was not injured, said Child "never looked. She just pulled out." Day said no tickets were issued at the scene, but the investigation of the accident is continuing. New York Stale Police and North Area Volunteer Ambulance Corp workers assisted Moyers Corners and Clay police at the accident, which snarled traffic for more than a mile in each direction.

 

 

 

December 12th, 1988
Auxiliary Christmas Banquet held at the Retreat

 

 

 

1989

 

Chief Chet Fritz
 First Deputy Chief: Ken Brand Jr.
Second Deputy Chief Greg Tiner
Battalion 1 Chief Mike Chura
Battalion 2 Chief George Race
Battalion 3 Chief Tim Chura
Station 1 Captains Steve Rubacky, Bill Henry
Station 2 Captains Chris Naum, Ron Turiello
Station 3 Captains John Perkins, Dan Bartholf 
Station 1 Lieutenants: Greg Mazza, Ron Williams, Kevin Wilcox, George Gobin, Paul Tomachesky
Station 2 Lieutenants: Ron Jennings, Ken Filow, Don Mace, Geoff Maes
Station 3 Lieutenants: Frank Houde, Kevin Wisely, Paul Wiedeman, Jerry Hole

 

Executive Board
 President Bob Michelson
Vice President Palmer (Mike) App 
Secretary, Assistant 
Treasurer Mike LeFebvre, Assistant Treasurers Rolf Beckhusen, Geoff Maes

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn  Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Tom Olsweski

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Linda Foster, 1st Assistant Cindy Tomachesky, 2nd Assistant Jim Burton, 3rd Assistant Jerry Streeter

 

Auxiliary: President Linda Gobin, Vice President Cindy Houde, Recording Secretary Joyce Bressette,  Corresponding Carolyn Funnel Woods, Treasurer Sue Davison, Chaplain Betty Hanlon

 

Scholarship Winners: Jill Brand, Linda Neuman

 

New Apparatus:  1989 Truck 1 E-One/Saulsbury, later became Ladder 1

 

1989 Ambulance 3, 1989 Engine 21 Saulsbury/Spartan….1st due until 1997, then became E22

 

1989 thoughts from Chet Fritz: Greg Tiner, then a Deputy Chief came up with the idea of starting a departmental Haz-Mat Team. As a result the MCFD Hazmat team was started which eventually morphed into the Onondaga County Hazmat Team made up of five separate departments. On our watch, we were able to secure a $50,000.00 Member Item Grant from then Assemblyman Mike Bragman. These funds allowed MCFD to purchase the Chevy Kodial whch was housed at Sta.3 until recently replaced by the county purchased vehicle currently housed at MCFD 3. 

 

January 26th, 1989
Moyers Corners Rescue Squad Seeks Community Donations
The Post-Standard
To those who have contributed to the 1989 Moyers Corners Fire Department Med-Rescue Drive, I am personally very grateful. But for those who have not yet taken that opportunity, I would ask that you take a few moments to review the brochure mailed in the fund drive appeal package. Please take just an additional minute and review the pictures that show just what we as volunteers do to serve the community. The persons in the photos are doing what they do, often on a daily basis, to stabilize in the field prior to emergency transport. If you recognize the patient in the photos, then you know the writer of this article. I was not role-playing as this was just as I was five years ago, in need of immediate professional medical care and transport. Moyers Corners Med-Rescue Squad provided that professional care and transport. Please support your Moyers Corners Fire Department Med-Rescue Squad 1989 Fund Drive Appeal. Donations can be sent to Moyers Corners Fire Department , 1989 Fund Drive Appeal, P.O. Box 14, Liverpool 13090. 

 

RICHARD G. CRISP -- EMT Publicity Committee Chairman Moyers Corners Fire Department 

 

February 1st, 1989
Review article.
Anticipating Station 4
A new fire station in 1991 will allow the Moyers Corners Fire Department to better serve the residents of the Route 57 corridor from Wetzel to Soule Road. “Our response time currently is greater than we would like,” explains MCFD President Bob Michelson. “This will quickly become the busiest station we have.” The department has purchased property on Route 57, across from Little Caesers Pizza and will hire an architect within the next few weeks. The station will open in 1991. “We’re really pleased to take this step,” added Michelson. “Now we will have firefighter running across their back yard to get to the station.” The department recently received its new aerial truck and it is in service at station one. Anew pumper will arrive soon and will be housed at station two. The fire department responded to just over 1,000 calls last year while the rescue squad answered almost 2,000. Ambulance administrator Linda Foster said the volunteer staff is often over-worked. “The work burden is great,” she said. The department tries to keep an ambulance manned but faces critical daytime shortages. “The time commitment is tremendous,” says Sharon Moynihan, “and the training requirements are very rigid”. Foster says the department may soon have to hire an administrator. “Some fire departments get tax dollars for ambulance service,” she says, “and people who have to use a commercial ambulance service are billed between $180 and $450 a call.” Foster urges residents in the Moyers Corners area to support their service with a financial donation. The department currently has three stations – one is located at Moyers corners, two at Morgan Road near Buckley Road and three at Henry Clay Boulevard and Vine Street. Each station has a squad of 47 firefighters as well as ambulance personnel. Chief Chester Fritz is assisted by deputies Ken Brand Jr. and Steve Wisely. The department is funded through the Town of Clay but all ambulance funds are trained through an annual drive.

 

February 14th, 1989
House Fire

 

Youtube

 

February 21st, 1989
Fire Destroys Baldwinsville Tavern
Herald-Journal
By Suzanne Getman
Yellow fire hoses criss-crossed two blocks of icy streets in Baldwinsville today as the Riverside Tavern was destroyed by fire for the third time in 30 years.  County fire investigator Paul Johnson said it may be days before investigators sift through the 3-foot-deep rubble to determine how the blaze began at the tavern at 33 E. Water St. Stanton Bell, 20, of Breed Road, Lysander, reported the fire . He was taking a friend home at 2:45 a.m. when he saw flames and smoke. Bell drove three blocks to the Baldwinsville police station and told the dispatcher, who called fire control. ``It was rolling pretty good,'' said Baldwinsville firefighter Roger Leppard, who was the first of 75 firefighters at the scene. ``The whole back end was on fire , and flames were shooting 20 feet in the air.'' Baldwinsville Chief Thomas Perkins radioed ``heavy smoke showing'' at 2:58 a.m. as he drove across the Seneca River bridge, about two blocks from the fire. Three crews of nine men with fire hoses entered the bar at the south side of Lock 24, but flames drove them out. ``Right after they got inside, the fire started rolling over the tops of their heads, and we had to pull them out,'' said Perkins. It was 4:40 a.m. before Perkins allowed firefighters back inside. 

 

Thick, black smoke billowed from the building and surrounded firefighters as they worked. Two Baldwinsville firefighters, Jeff Stevens and Robert Emerson, were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. The smoke outside was so intense that Stevens and Emerson were given oxygen. It took almost an hour to bring the fire under control as firefighters struggled to keep their footing on the ice-covered street and parking lot. Despite heavy rain, small fires still burned at 5:15 a.m. in the peaks of the roof and around the charred remains of a white satellite ``dish'' at the front of the building. Most of the roof collapsed and the contents of the building were destroyed. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Chet Fritz, one of the first to inspect the damage, said a catfish was still swimming in a tank in the bar. ``The rest of the fish are dead, but he's still hanging on,'' said Fritz. Charlene Abadie, who bought the bar in 1986 with her husband, Robert, arrived at the scene about 4 a.m. The Abadies, who live on Eynsford Road in Liverpool, spent three years renovating the bar. Rock and roll bands and country and western jamborees entertained there on weekends. ``Little by little, we re-did the whole thing,'' said Charlene Abadie as she climbed over bits of burned insulation and jagged chunks of charred wood. ``We did whatever we could whenever we could. We built the stage, put in new bathrooms, added a wood stove, the satellite and the 9-foot television screen,'' said Abadie as she peered through shattered windows. ``I don't know what we'll do now,'' said Abadie, whose husband was driving a tractor trailer bound for Indiana when the blaze broke out. The building and the business are insured, Abadie said, but she doesn't know if they'll rebuild. ``I just don't get it, why now . . . why us?'' 

Longtime Baldwinsville firefighters said this is the third time they've spent a long night outside the walls of the Riverside Tavern. Sometime in the 1960s, they said, the country-and-western bar burned to the ground. It was rebuilt and re-opened about a year afterward, and in 1972, fire again gutted the building. Early radio and television reports listed the kitchen as the source of the latest fire , but it (the kitchen) hasn't been used in three weeks, according to the owner. Investigator Johnson said the fire started along the center of the east wall, and he also ruled out the wood stove and kitchen as a cause. ``I may be there for two days trying to figure this out,'' he said. Moyers Corners Fire Department provided firefighters and two aerial ladder trucks, which poured thousands of gallons of water onto the tavern's roof. Volunteer firefighters, pumpers and firetrucks from Lakeside and Belgium-Cold Spring also were at the scene. Warners Fire Department was on stand-by. 

 

March 27th, 1989
Hibachi may be cause of fire at Clay Home
John Doherty
Herald Journal
Fire extensively damaged a garage today, burning two automobiles and sending smoke and flames to an attached home in Clay. Moyers Corners firefighters were called to the Michael Stauber home, 8230 Elaine Circle, after the ranch-style house caught fire shortly after midnight Although the blaze is still under investigation, fire officials said today the fire may have been sparked by a hibachi that was used Sunday afternoon and taken into the garage that evening Investigators were to return today to probe through the charred interior of the garage "I wouldn't have given you a nickel for the place when we drove up," said Moyers Corners Fire Chief Chet Fritz "We did a good job knocking it down " No one was injured during the fire, but Stauber's pregnant wife, Cynthia, was taken to St Joseph's examined,Fritz said She was in satisfactory condition late this morning, a nursing supervisor said The fire was reported at 12 02 a m. after the sound of the burning garage woke Mrs Stauber, Fritz said The Staubers then fled the house When firefighters arrived they thought a third person was still in inside, but it was later learned that the Staubers were the only ones in the house "There was extensive damage to the garage and smoke damage throughout the house " Fritz said "Two cars in the garage were destroyed I couldn't tell you for sure what kind of cars they were They were just burned." About 40 volunteer firefighters fought the blaze for nearly two hours The last firefighter left the scene at 1 55 a m "There's going to have to be some extensive rehabilitation to the garage, but the house can be lived in again," Fritz said

 

April 1989
Fire hits empty home in Clay
Herald Journal
Firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze that caused extensive damage Thursday to an unoccupied house in Clay. No one was hurt in the fire, which was discovered about 10:30 p.m. at 4663 Wetzel Road. Moyers Corners firefighters found smoke and flames coming from the old, 1-story wood frame building when they arrived. County fire investigators will try to determine the cause of the blaze, which probably started in the basement and spread upward through the first floor to the roof, said Moyers Corners Fire Chief Chet Fritz. There were a few furnishings in the house, but it didn’t look as though anyone lived there, Fritz said. A small piece of paper stuck to the mailbox had the name “T. Schiano – Marcellus St. Motors.” Two junk cars with no license plates were parked in the driveway, and a couple of unread newspapers were in a paper box next to the roadside.

 

April 1989
Scholarship winners Jill Brand and Linda Neuman

 

April 19th, 1989
State Senator Tarky Lombardi, R-Syracuse: $50,000 for Hazmat 3 

 

May 5th, 1989
Fire hits empty home in clay
Herald Journal
Firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze that caused extensive damage Thursday to an unoccupied house in Clay. No one was hurt in the fire, which was discovered about 10:30 p.m. at 4663 Wetzel Road. Moyers Corners firefighters found smoke and flames coming from the old, 1-story wood frame building when they arrived. County fire investigators will try to determine the cause of the blaze, which probably started in the basement and spread upward through the first floor to the roof, said Moyer Corners Fire Chief Chet Fritz. There were a few furnishings in the house, but it didn't look as though anyone lived there, Fritz said. A small piece of paper stuck to the mailbox had the name "T. Schieno — Marcellus St. Motors." Two junk cars with no license plates were parked in the driveway, and a couple of unread newspapers were in a paper box next to the roadside

 

May 5th and 6th , 1989
Rummage Sale. Barb Driscoll chaired the event with $375 profit.

 

May 11th, 1989
The Post Standard
New Officers
Chester Fritz was recently installed as chief of the Moyers Corners Fire Departmen .  Deputy chiefs are Kenneth Brand and Gregory Tiner, and battalion chiefs are Michael Chura, George Race and Patrick Chura.  Other officers are Stephen Rubacky, William Henry, Christopher Naum, Ronald Turiello, John Perkins and Daniel Bartholf, captains; Gregory Mazza, Kevin Wilcox, Ronald Williams, George Gobin, Paul Tomachesky, Ronald Jennings, Donald Mace, Kenneth Filow, Geoffrey Maes, Frank Houde, Kevin Wisely, Paul Wiedeman and Jerold Hole, lieutenants. Executive officers are Robert Michelson, president; Palmer App, vice president; Colin Bailey, secretary; Michael LeFebvre, treasurer; Stephen Wisely, assistant secretary; Steven McGraw and James Balla, assistant treasurers.

 

May 18th, 1989
Emergency Runaround: Transcript Tells Story
Herald-Journal
By Amber Smith
Editor's note: Frank Couillard, 38, of 4399 Plantation Blvd., Liverpool, had a heart attack March 8 and died later that morning.  The Herald-Journal on Wednesday reported the chaos that had ensued that day as Onondaga County Fire Control dispatchers tried to contact a trained ambulance crew. The Herald-Journal filed a Freedom of Information request last Thursday with Onondaga County to obtain tape-recorded conversations about the Couillard emergency. The following transcript of the county dispatcher's telephone conversations with Couillard's wife Ann and various ambulance crews was made available for public review Wednesday after the newspaper got notarized, written permission from Ann Couillard to listen to the tape. 

 

It's 27 seconds past 5:18 a.m. March 8. 

A telephone sounds at Onondaga County Fire Control. Before the first ring stops, one of the two dispatchers on duty grabs the telephone: ``Fire control,'' he answers. 

Ann Couillard's experience with the county's emergency medical services begins: ``Uh, yes. This is where you send an ambulance out?'' 

Couillard's husband Frank had had a heart attack. 

Dispatch: ``Yes.'' 

Couillard: ``OK. You know in Liverpool, in Wellington Manor, 4399 Plantation Blvd., Number 15. I think you should send an ambulance out here, please. It's a security building.'' 

Dispatch: ``What's the problem?'' 

Couillard: ``Well, it's my husband. I don't know. He fell out of bed, and we can't get him to move and get awake. Plus he had been to the hospital emergency room earlier today when I was at work. I don't know. We just can't wake him up.'' 

Dispatch: ``What's the apartment number?'' 

Couillard: ``15.'' 

Dispatch: ``What's the last name there?'' 

Couillard: ``C-O-U-I-L-L-A-R-D.'' 

Dispatch: ``About how old is he?'' 

Couillard: ``38.'' 

Dispatch: ``OK. Give me the phone number.'' 

Couillard: ``457-2593.'' 

Dispatch: ``We'll have somebody over there shortly, OK?'' 

5:19 a.m. Dispatchers set off tones that activate pagers for Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department's ambulance crew. 

Dispatch: ``Moyers Corners ambulance and medics. 4399 Plantation Blvd. in Wellington Manor, Apartment 15. Reported as a possible unconscious person.'' 

5:20 a.m. Dispatchers telephone Clay police. 

Clay Police: ``Town of Clay Police Department. May I help you?'' 

Dispatch: ``Yeah. County Fire.'' 

Clay Police: ``How did I know it was going to be you? I was talking to somebody from the fire department, and I kind of heard what you were putting out, but I didn't copy it all.'' 

Dispatch: ``OK. 4399 Plantation Blvd. Number 15. Reported as a possibly unconscious person. It's a 38-year-old male. She says, `I just can't wake him up for nothin'.' He's breathing. But she just can't wake him up.'' 

Clay Police: ``At least he's breathing. All right, we'll go over. What do you want us to do?'' 

Dispatch: ``Uh, I don't know. See if you can wake him up.'' 

Clay Police: ``Are we going to meet the ambulance there?'' 

Dispatch: ``Probably.'' 

5:23 a.m. A two-person Moyers Corners Ambulance crew responds. 

Moyers Corners Ambulance: ``K-Q-W-3-1-1. Moyers Corners Ambulance Two.'' 

Dispatch: ``Moyers Corners Ambulance Two. 4399 Plantation Blvd., Wellington Manor, Apartment 1-5, Apartment 15, 38-year-old male, unconscious, possibly unconscious. 

MC Ambulance: ``Ten-four. We'll be 10-7 (responding). Can you activate for medics again to meet us at the scene?'' 

Dispatchers set off tones to activate pagers for Moyers Corners paramedics again. 

Dispatch: ``Fire Control to Moyers Corners medics. Need medics to 4399 Plantation Blvd., Wellington Manor, Apartment 15, possible unconscious person. Ambulance is 10-7 (responding) requesting medics meet them at the scene.'' 

5:26 a.m. Moyers Corners Ambulance arrives at the apartment. 

MC Ambulance: ``K-Q-W-3-1-1. Moyers Corners Ambulance Two is 10-15 (at the scene).'' 

Dispatch: ``Ten-four. 10-15 (at the scene) at 5:26.'' 

5:29 a.m. Moyers Corners ambulance crew member -- whose last name is unclear on the tape -- contacts dispatchers, using the Couillard telephone. 

MC Ambulance: ``Fire Control? This is Randy from Moyers Corners Ambulance. We're advising we've got a full arrest (heart attack).'' 

Dispatch: ``You've got a full arrest?'' 

MC Ambulance: ``Yeah.'' 

Dispatch: ``OK. I'll, uh, get you somebody.'' 

5:30 a.m. Dispatchers set off tones and activate pagers for Moyers Corners paramedics for a third time. 

Dispatch: ``Moyers Corners medics. 4399 Plantation Blvd. Apartment 15. Wellington Manor. Ambulance on the scene. Full arrest.'' 

5:30 a.m. Dispatchers set off tones and activate pagers for Liverpool Volunteer Fire Department medics. 

Dispatch: ``Liverpool Ambulance and medics. Mutual aid to Moyers Corners. 4399 Plantation Blvd., Wellington Manor, Apartment 15. Moyers Corners Ambulance is on the scene. Full arrest. 

5:32 a.m. Dispatchers handle a call from West Area Volunteer Emergency Services, WAVES, Ambulance that involves a 71-year-old man with a severe nosebleed. 

5:33 a.m. Dispatchers set off tones and activate pagers for members of Moyers Corners' rescue squad, a different set of people from the ambulance crew. 

Dispatch: ``Moyers Corners Station Two Rescue. Ambulance on the scene of a full arrest, 38 male, full arrest, 4399 Plantation Blvd., 4399 Plantation Blvd., Apartment 15. They do not have medics. Liverpool has been alerted to assist. Requesting manpower assist. Moyers Corners Rescue Two. 

5:35 a.m. A member -- not a paramedic -- of the Liverpool Ambulance arrives at the station and contacts dispatchers by radio. 

Liverpool Ambulance: ``Liverpool Ambulance One.'' 

Dispatchers: ``Liverpool Ambulance One. Moyers Corners has a full arrest. 4399 Plantation Blvd. Wellington Manor. It's Apartment 15. The ambulance is on the scene. They do not have medics, however.'' 

Liverpool Ambulance: ``Ten-four. We're standing by for our medic.'' 

Dispatch: ``Ten-four. Liverpool standing by for a medic. 5:35.'' 

5:36 a.m. Dispatchers call Moyers Corners Ambulance at the scene. 

Dispatch: ``K-Q-W-3-1-1. Moyers Corners Ambulance, if you can copy, Liverpool Ambulance and medics have been alerted. Also, your Station Two Rescue has been alerted for assistance. You should have some help there shortly. 

5:37 a.m. dispatchers handle a call from a woman in North Syracuse whose smoke detector is going off. 

5:38 a.m. One member of the Moyers Corners Rescue is at the station, preparing the rig to roll as soon as the rest of the crew arrives. 

MC Rescue: ``Station Two responded, Rescue. Fire Control, K-Q-P-6-8-0. What was the address at Wellington? 

Dispatch: ``4399 Plantation Blvd., apartment number 15.'' 

MC Rescue: ``Copy.'' 

5:39 a.m. Ann Couillard calls the dispatchers a second time. 

Couillard: ``Hi. We're over here on Wellington Manor. I just called you. The guy told me to tell you to `reactivate the Clay.' 

Dispatch: ``Reactivate the who?'' 

Couillard: ``Just a second, I'm trying to find out for you. . . . Reactivate the rescue.'' 

Dispatch: ``All right. They've already answered me.'' 

Couillard: ``Huh?'' 

Dispatch: ``They already answered me.'' 

Couillard: ``OK. Are they on their way?'' 

Dispatch: ``Yeah. They're going to be on their way shortly, here.'' 

Couillard: ``OK. Liverpool?'' 

Dispatch: ``Yeah. Hold on a second. 

5:39 a.m. the member from Liverpool Ambulance contacts dispatchers by radio. 

Liverpool Ambulance: ``This is Liverpool. The medic that's on our stand-by isn't here, so he apparently is at work now.'' 

Dispatch: ``I'll see if we can send Eastern out that way.'' 

Liverpool: ``OK. Thank you.'' 

5:40 a.m. At the same time the Moyers Corners Rescue reports it is leaving its station en route to the apartment complex, dispatchers are contacting Eastern Paramedics by telephone. 

Eastern Paramedics: ``Hullo.'' 

Dispatch: ``Yeah. Need a rig to Moyers Corners.'' 

Eastern: ``I know.'' 

Dispatch: ``4399 Plantation Blvd.,'' he says and turns to his partner. ``What's that run off of, Henry Clay? Plantation. Does it run off Henry Clay?'' Then he turns his attention back to Eastern: ``It's Wellington Manor Apartments, and it's on a full arrest.'' 

Eastern: ``Wellington Manor?'' 

Dispatch: ``Yeah. 4399 Plantation.'' 

Eastern: ``And what's the apartment number?'' 

Dispatch: ``Apartment 15. . . . Why don't you head out Morgan Road? More than likely they'll be coming in and meet you someplace. I'll get back to you.'' 

Eastern: ``I was going to say, boy, that'd be the best thing.'' 

Dispatch: ``Yeah. I'll see if I can get them.'' 

Eastern: ``Head out Morgan Road?'' 

Dispatch: ``Head toward Liverpool, and we'll probably meet you right out there, if I can get them moving.'' 

Eastern: ``Head out Liverpool?'' 

Dispatch: ``It's a 38 male. Full arrest.'' 

Eastern: ``Yeah. OK.'' 

5:40 a.m. Dispatchers contact the Moyers Corners Rescue squad by radio. 

Dispatch: ``Rescue Two. Unable to get a medic out of your department or Liverpool. I've started Eastern. When you get there, maybe if the ambulance wants to start in, it'd be a quicker meet with Eastern.'' 

MC Rescue: ``We'll let you know when we get there.'' 

5:42 a.m. Moyers Corners Rescue squad reports it is at the apartment. 

MC Rescue: ``Moyers Corners Rescue Two. 10-15 (at the scene). Now, it's Apartment 15?'' 

Dispatch: ``Affirmative. One - five.'' 

5:45 a.m. Liverpool Ambulance contacts dispatchers by radio. 

Liverpool Ambulance: ``Fire control? Liverpool status is `oh and oh.' '' (That means the department has no ambulance in service and no ambulance available for back-up.) 

Dispatch: ``Ten four.'' 

5:52 a.m. Eastern Paramedics dispatchers call fire control dispatchers by telephone. 

Eastern: ``Is the ambulance still on the scene of that. . . . '' 

Dispatch: ``Yeah. They're not moving, for some reason.'' 

Eastern: ``They don't know what to do here? Put 'em on the stretcher and go. . . . OK, we'll give them (Eastern Paramedics crew) directions.'' 

Eastern Paramedics records indicate its ambulance crew was at the apartment at this time. 

5:53 a.m. A news reporter calls the dispatchers asking about a fire in Oran Delphi earlier that morning. 

6:08 a.m. Moyers Corners Rescue Two is leaving the apartment because other help has arrived. 

MC Rescue: ``Moyers Corners Rescue Two. 10-8 (back in service). Need times.'' 

Dispatch: ``5:33, 5:41, 5:42, 10-8, 6:08.'' 

6:08 a.m. Moyers Corners Ambulance at the scene requests to talk to the physician on duty -- called the resource physician -- at University Hospital. 

MC Ambulance: ``Moyers Corners Ambulance Two requesting a med frequency.'' 

Dispatch: ``Moyers Corners, try med four.'' 

MC Ambulance: ``Moyers Corners on four.'' 

Dispatch: ``Fire Control to Moyers Corners on four.'' 

MC Ambulance: ``Go ahead.'' 

Dispatch: ``OK. Put you right in to resource. Fire Control to resource. Come on for Moyers Corners Ambulance.'' 

Resource: ``Go ahead, Moyers Corners.'' 

MC Ambulance: ``Good morning, resource. This is Moyers Corners Ambulance with paramedic Brian Cooley. We have a 38 male, full cardiopulmonary arrest. 

``Our patient's been down approximately 30 minutes at this time. We have an IV (intravenous needle connected to a tube) of D5-W (sugar water), an ET (endotrachial tube that keeps the patient's airway open.) 

``We got him on a monitor showing asystole (no heartbeat is present). Requesting authorization to follow protocol. St. Joe's is our closest facility.'' 

Resource physician: ``Stand by . . . Yeah, Eastern, St. Joe's has a full arrest already. Why don't we take him here?'' 

MC Ambulance: ``Upstate it is. This gentleman is 36 years old. He was seen at Upstate yesterday. Had lactacid (antacid) administered. That's the only history we can obtain at this point in time. 

``Patient was found in full arrest by the Moyers Corners Fire Department . This patient was seen at St. Joe's yesterday. Very unclear history. Thirty-eight male, presents as an obese 38 male. No evidence of trauma. We got an IV D-5W. We got an ET tube. We got on a monitor showing asystole. 

``We'd like to follow protocol for asystole, of epi (epinephrine, which stimulates the heart and raises blood pressure) . . . atropine, (which speeds up the heart) . . . times two for two milligrams, and a bicarb (sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, which absorbs the acidity that builds in a person who stops breathing). 

``We've been into this for some time. There's pretty pronounced cyanosis (blue discoloration indicating lack of oxygen) about the face, so I think maybe we can do a bicarb right off the start. We'll see you in about 10.'' 

Resource Physician: ``That's affirmative on the asystole and the bicarb. We'll be standing by, and we'll see you in 10.'' 

MC Ambulance: ``Eastern and Moyers Corners clear med four.'' 

6:20 a.m. Moyers Corners Ambulance Two is 10-17 (at the hospital).

 

 

 

May 19th, 1989
Glencrest Drive Fire
Herald Journal
FIRE AFTERMATH. The fire that caused significant damage to a Liverpool home Thursday may have been started by children playing with matches, according to Moyers Corners Deputy Chief Greg Tiner. The blaze broke out at the home of Michael Salvatore, 7529 Glencrest Drive at   12:26 p.m., Tiner said. Salvatore's wife and children, whose names and ages were not available, were home when the fire started, he said. Volunteers from Moyers Corners, Liverpool. North Syracuse and Phoenix were at the scene, according to Onondaga County Fire Control.

 

May 21st, 1989
Tragedy Raises Questions About Medical Volunteers
Syracuse Herald American
By Amber Smith
Nobody tells Onondaga County volunteers in the Emergency Medical Services system what they have to do, or how they have to do it. Nobody sets any minimum standards for the ambulance services they create. Not the state. Not the county. Not the towns or villages. The volunteers themselves decide how good a job they want to do, said Michael Gilbertson, director of the state's Emergency Medical Services Department . If they decide to seek medical training and become certified by the state to practice as basic emergency medical technicians, then there are medical protocols they have to follow. Renewed attention has been focused on volunteer emergency services after news stories last week about Frank Couillard, who died of a heart attack in March. County dispatchers couldn't get paramedics to respond to the Couillard emergency for more than half an hour, but volunteers trained in basic life support arrived early. No laws or regulations -- other than guidelines individual ambulance corps adopt -- say volunteers have to be medically trained. 

Theoretically, a volunteer ambulance service could operate with a beat-up station wagon and 16-year-old driver, Gilbertson said. Nothing that shabby goes on in Onondaga County, said Kathryn Ruscitto, county administrator for health services. ``The system we have in some areas is fine. In other areas, it's a good system but it's overtaxed,'' she said. ``We either have got to get them more help, or change the structure of their system.'' The system today relies heavily on a decreasing number of volunteers. This is recognized by all of the players in the EMS system -- volunteers, fire departments , medical authorities and officials from state, county and local governments. Everyone agrees there's something wrong with an EMS system that keeps a 38-year-old man having a heart attack waiting 32 minutes for a paramedic. That happened March 8, when Couillard, of 4399 Plantation Blvd., Liverpool, fell out of bed and his wife couldn't wake him up. Volunteers from the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department ambulance, trained in basic life support, arrived at Couillard's apartment in six minutes and did what they could with cardiopulmonary resuscitation and a turkey baster they substituted for the suction equipment they did not have. 

Moyers Corners ' volunteer paramedics, trained in advanced life support, did not respond to help Couillard. Neither did Liverpool Volunteer Fire Department paramedics, who have a mutual aid agreement with Moyers Corners . Eastern Paramedics arrived at Couillard's apartment and assisted the Moyers Corners volunteers all the way to University Hospital -- where Couillard was pronounced dead. Since then, several questions have been raised. What went wrong in Couillard's case? The incident illustrates the shortage of volunteers -- especially volunteers who are trained as paramedics. Tony DiGregorio, interim director of the county Emergency Medical Services Bureau, said incidents like that don't happen every day and that ``our system needs to be patted on the back for a job well-done on an everyday basis.' Could it happen again? Without some changes in the system, which officials say they are already working toward, the problems will persist. Paul Cousins, regional Emergency Medical Services coordinator, said situations where response times could make a difference aren't rare. Was it wrong to use a turkey baster? No, it was actually a smart thing to do. DiGregorio explained, ``EMTs (emergency medical technicians) are taught to improvise and adapt to the situation, that if equipment is not available, to use what is at hand.'' If I have an emergency, who decides which agency will help me? In most cases, county Fire Control dispatchers -- at 425-3333 -- decide based on where callers live. 

Within Syracuse, Eastern is the only option. In some towns and villages -- such as DeWitt, Solvay and Bridgeport -- volunteers from a fire department rescue squad will respond, but Eastern will transport victims to the hospital. In other areas -- such as Clay and the Moyers Corners fire district -- callers will be serviced by the volunteer ambulance from the fire station. In places like North Syracuse and Mattydale, an independent volunteer ambulance service will respond. What's the difference between rescue squads and ambulances? Ambulances transport patients. Rescue squads carry various levels of medical equipment but only transport patients in extreme circumstances. Some rescue squads, as well as some ambulances, can handle only basic life support calls, while others are equipped with cardiac drugs and heart monitors for advanced life support calls. 

What will it cost? The volunteer services don't charge. However, they solicit donations. Will Eastern Paramedics help me if I live outside of the city? Yes, by dialing 471-4141. ``If they want Eastern, we've got to come,'' said Eastern Chief Warren Darby. Eastern is authorized to respond anywhere in the county. They have a ``gentleman's agreement'' to steer clear of the volunteer districts unless a caller specifically asks for them. 
Eastern dispatchers ask callers from outside Syracuse city limits, ``Do you want Eastern, or the closest available ambulance?'' A volunteer ambulance may be closer and quicker. How is Eastern Paramedics different It charges for its services, from $135 to $389, plus $4 per mile if Eastern drives further than 10 miles to the hospital from a victim's address. If Eastern is called to assist a volunteer service, it charges $180. Each of the Eastern ambulances carries at least one paramedic, certified by the state the same way volunteer paramedics are certified. Often, Eastern Paramedics are volunteers in their own communities. The state sets minimum standards for training and equipment in commercial ambulance services. How fast do volunteers respond? 

It depends on the time of day and the way the service is set up. The state doesn't keep average response times for individual agencies, but Gilbertson said Onondaga County -- including the volunteers and Eastern -- averaged six minutes in February. Eighty percent of the calls were answered within 10 minutes or less, and 20 percent were answered in more than 10 minutes. Why not get rid of the volunteers and let Eastern cover the entire county? ``When it is working well, a volunteer system has many pieces of it that are superior,'' said Dr. Phillip Kaplan, a family physician who volunteers on the Manlius Volunteer Fire Department 's ambulance. 
Take, for instance, a car wreck in the Manlius area. Kaplan said some 40 firefighters would show up, along with two staffed ambulances. ``That kind of volunteer availability for `the big one' is much superior to what a paid service can provide,'' he said. Volunteers handle some 21,000 medical calls per year in Onondaga County. Eastern handles about 25,000. Darby said Eastern could handle the increased load, but ``if we had to cover the county, we would need more rigs, more personnel.'' Eastern has about 40 paramedics, who earn about $19,000 as a starting salary. Gary Urquhart, assistant commissioner for community and preventive health, said, ``The volunteers, as far as I'm concerned, are a great resource that should not be neglected.'' The county's Ruscitto pointed out, ``As a community, if we want a paramedic ambulance at any area of the county, there's going to be a cost.'' 

How much training do these volunteers have? It varies. The state sets no requirements. Volunteers who become EMTs have the same amount of training as EMTs who join commercial services. Most of the ambulance services offer additional training for their members. EMTs in commercial services, said Darby of Eastern, often have more experience than the volunteers because they handle more calls for help. What does the training consist of?  There are several progressive levels, and each service has its own minimum requirements. Most of the courses are free, but some involve a deposit that is returned on completion of the course. The courses range from a 40-hour ``first responder,'' which covers cardiopulmonary resuscitation and basic first aid, to a 500-hour paramedic course. It includes drug therapy and surgery called ``cricoid-thyroidectomy'' -- or cutting a hole in the throat to open an airway. Of the ambulance runs in Onondaga County in 1987 -- including volunteers and paid services -- Gilbertson said 62 percent were handled by people who are paramedics, level three EMTs or intermediate EMTs. About 25 percent were handled by people certified as basic emergency medical technicians. The rest were handled by people with training ranging from nothing to a 40-hour ``first-responder'' course. 

Why is there a shortage of volunteers? Mostly because of the time involved in training, and recertification courses every three years. Officials say the shortage isn't as pronounced, right now, on weekends and evenings. The big shortages occur between about 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., Gilbertson said, when many of the volunteers are working. Not only that, county administrator Ruscitto said, volunteers are increasingly put off by the rigid requirements the state sets for recertification. Every three years, the volunteer EMTs have to take refresher courses, which last weeks, and pass state exams in order to keep their EMT licenses. That takes time many are not willing to contribute. What can I do to help? To volunteer, call the county EMS Bureau at 469-6964. Or, take a course in CPR by contacting the Red Cross at 425-1677. How is the county EMS system set up? There are more than 30 ambulance services in the county and a number of services just over the county line that sometimes assist. Most are operated from volunteer fire departments . In addition, each of 57 volunteer fire departments operates rescue squads, with firefighters trained in first aid. The structures of the services are all different, with members reporting to a director. Who's in charge of the EMS system? ``I don't think there is a boss,'' Gilbertson said. Different people or offices are in charge of different aspects of the system.

 

May 22nd, 1989
Auxiliary Installation Banquet held at RFH Hideaway in Phoenix. Barb Brand chaired the event. 

 

May 27th, 1989
Fire Destroys House In Clay
Herald-Journal
A fire destroyed the home of a Clay couple who were out of state on vacation, fire officials said. Randy and Phyllis Webster of 8317 White Cedar Circle were in Pennsylvania Friday as flames ripped through their house.

 

The fire was reported at 6:57 p.m. Firefighters from Moyers Corners Fire Department arrived in eight minutes and found the house engulfed in flames. . "When it was called in we could see the smoke from the station, which is 3l/2 miles away," said Moyers Corners Deputy Chief Kenneth Brand said. "When we got there, flames were blowing out the roof." It took about 40 minutes for firefighters to get the blaze under control. They were still at the house three hours later putting out "hot spots," Brand said. Brand said the fire apparently started in a first floor family room behind a garage of the two-story home. Brand estimated the house, located in the Pinegate South development off Soule Road, was about five years old and worth about $150,000. "She's a total loss," Brand said. One explorer scout firefighter collapsed from heat exhaustion Brand said. Eric Houde was taken by ambulance to Crouse Hospital where he was treated and released.

 

News Interview with Chief Chet Fritz:
“Heavy fire and heavy dark, black smoke when we showed up. Fire was from the back of the garage in the rear of the house, in that area. It had vented through the roof already. It was initially an exterior attack because the place was so charged. We took the windows out and it immediately flashed over, which we knew it was going to do because she was really cookin’. It had been burning for a long time. Nobody was hurt. The second floor stairs came in…this place is really beat up.”

 

May 28th, 1989
Herald Journal
Your guide to area ambulance services
Take your pick:
An ambulance staffed at its station with a dwindling supply of volunteers that asks patients to donate whatever money they can. An ambulance staffed throughout a district with paramedics 24 hours that charges $135 to $389 per trip. An ambulance staffed with volunteers who respond from their homes that charges between $30 to $60 per trip. Actually, you've got 25 or so options — depending on where you are. Renewed attention has been focused on the system and the shortage of volunteers, since the Herald-Journal/Herald American reported about a 38-year old man who had a heart attack and died waiting for paramedic. Frank Couillard, of 4399 Plantation Blvd., lived in the village of Liverpool within the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire District. Moyers Corners volunteers, trained in basic life support, arrived at the man's apartment within six minutes and did what they could with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Neither paramedics from Moyers Corners volunteer fire department nor the Liverpool Volunteer Fire Department answered his wife's call for help. Since the story, several questions have been raised about ambulance boundaries. The 57 volunteer fire departments that serve the county outside Syracuse all have rescue squads, which are dispatched on medical emergencies. Like the ambulance services, some are equipped with basic life support and some with advanced life support

 

July 1989
Final Field Days

 

July 7th, 1989
County Awards MCFD $10,000 for a fly car, child care and professional staff. These are a few improvements volunteer crews can afford with grant money awarded Thursday by Onondaga County. Nearly $80,000 approved by county legislators in December was distributed to 10 volunteer fire departments and ambulance corps to improve recruitment, retention and training of volunteers.

 

July 16th, 1989
No Punishment for Paramedics – They Didn’t Answer Dying Man’s Call
Syracuse Herald American
By Amber Smith
The state will not discipline the volunteer paramedics who failed to respond in March when a 38-year-old Liverpool man suffered attack and died waiting for help.  Michael Gilbertson, director of the state emergency medical services bureau, said Saturday that Onondaga County's entire Emergency Medical Services system was to blame for the half-hour delay in getting help to Frank Couillard of 4399 Plantation Blvd. on March 8.  Instead, the state will work with the county to improve its emergency medical system.  Couillard's widow, Ann, was upset with the state's decision.  ``While they're working with their Mickey Mouse system, how many other people are going to lose their lives?'' she asked.  Couillard lived within the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department district. Two Moyers Corners volunteers trained in basic life support responded to Ann Couillard's call for help when her husband was stricken. But no one trained in the advanced life support techniques. 

None of Moyers Corners five paramedics responded, and the department had no policy to make sure one would be available. Calls to the neighboring Liverpool Volunteer Fire Department also were unanswered. That company has eight paramedics.  Part of the investigation centered on whether the people at the scene wasted time waiting for paramedics to come instead of rushing Couillard to a hospital.  ``They did nothing except assume help was as coming, and it wasn't. You can't blame them for that,'' Gilbertson said in a telephone interview from Albany.  The state's investigation was prompted by Herald-Journal/Herald American articles that included a transcript of conversations between Ann Couillard, county dispatchers and the volunteer rescuers. 

The articles showed that 21 minutes passed from the time of the first call to the time professional paramedics from East Ambulance were summoned. The delay is considered unacceptable because brain death in a heart attack victim begins four to six minutes after collapse. Couillard was pronounced dead at University Hospital more than an hour after he collapsed. Gilbertson has the authority to revoke the licenses that allow emergency personnel to practice. He said investigators interviewed emergency workers and collected reports from all the agencies involved. He completed his review of the investigation and made his decision not to pursue any charges Saturday. Chet Fritz, Moyers Corners ' fire chief, declined comment.  Because of the incident, the state wants to work with the county to improve the EMS system. Gilbertson said improvements could include requirements for volunteers to let dispatchers know a schedule of when they are available. 

Kathryn Ruscitto, county administrator for human services, said volunteer scheduling ``is something we've already addressed. County officials plan to announce the new director of the county EMS bureau at a press conference Tuesday. Bernard Horak, who was the director for three years, resigned in September, partly because of his frustration at the slow pace of improvements.

 

August 1989
Firefighters from Italy visit Moyers Corners FD, pictures 

 

August 10th, 1989
Eugene Gonzales of Clay recently conducted a seminar for Moyers Corners Fire Department officers. The purpose of the seminar, titled ``Interpersonal Dynamics: Key Leadership Skills,'' was to help the officers deal with conflict and more effectively use communication skills. Gonzales is a management consultant and associate professor of business administration at the State University College at Morrisville. 

 

August 13th, 1989
Auxiliary Chicken BBQ. 
273 were served with $888.92 profit. 

 

August 23rd, 1989
Herald Journal
Esther Gross
Fire routs four people from a townhouse in Clay
Fire damaged a townhouse Tuesday in Clay, leaving a family of four homeless. The blaze was reported shortly before 2:30 p.m. at 9 Gardner Court, where Yvonn Grey, 31, lived with her three children. Katishma Grey, 11, was home at the time. She was outside by the time firefighters arrived. Two other children, Kiddada, 14, and Kenyattji, 13, were not at home when the fire started, Clay police said. Flames and smoke were coming out of the second-floor window when firefighters reached the building. Robert Velenage, a Moyers Corners volunteer, was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion, Moyers Corners Battalion Chief Timothy Chura said. Liverpool firefighter Ronald Santocki was treated for minor burns on his neck and back at Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital and released It took firefighters about 10 minutes to bring the blaze under control, Chura said. Fifty volunteers from Moyers Corners, Liverpool, Phoenix and North Syracuse went to the fire. It will be a few days before investigators determine the cause of the blaze, Chura said

 

Pictures

 

September 1989
Vehicle accident, pictures

 

September 5th, 1989
Herald Journal
Rescue squad conducts ‘ambulympics’
Members of the Moyers Corners Fire Department will demonstrate their rescue squad skills Saturday afternoon in the first "ambulympics." Volunteers choose their own teams and spend the day competing against each other for prizes donated by local businesses. The events are designed to incorporate technical knowledge, while promoting fun and teamwork. The competition, which is free and open to the public, will begin at noon at the Clay Central Park off of Wetzel Road. It will be followed by a picnic. The day is patterned after emergency medical services games held in Rochester

 

September 18th, 1989
Fire Hits Warehouse Near B’Ville Brewery
The Post-Standard
Firefighters early this morning were battling a warehouse fire on Route 31 in Baldwinsville, across the street from the Anheuser-Busch brewery, Onondaga County Fire Control reported early Monday morning. At 12:18 a.m., the Moyers Corners Fire Department was sent to the blaze, Fire Control said. Rescue vehicles also were dispatched. Further details were not available early this morning.

 

October 18th, 1989
Ex-Moyers Corners firehouse burns
Herald Journal
Steven Billmyer
Ken Brand Sr. knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the pickup truck struggling through the muddy field toward him. It was a foreman in the town highway shouting: The old Moyers Corners firehouse was on fire. Brand jumped off his bulldozer and rushed to the fire four miles away at the intersection of routes 57 and 31 Brand saw the smoke coming out of the firehouse and all kinds of memories came rushing back to the 72-year-old man who was the department's first fire chief. He remembered the summer of 1948 when Brand and 20 other people built the firehouse, working nights and weekends. They worked from plans sketched out on a wood shingle. It was done by winter. They had noisy square dances on the hardwood floor on the second floor to raise money for the fire department. They used the second-floor for its smokers — men-only parties of card playing, beer drinking and X-rated movie viewing. They called out bingo games on the second-floor. Today, the second floor that saw so much fun is a charred, water-soaked mess with no roof. "It looks like it will have to be torn down, at least the second floor," said Ken Brand Jr., the first deputy chief at Moyers Corners Fire Department, who directed the firefighters Tuesday. He's also the son of Ken Brand Sr. More than 150 firefighters from nine departments responded to the fire call at 10:55 p.m. The fire got into crawl spaces in the old building, forcing the firefighters out, They poured water on the burning building and had the fire out by 2 p.m. Moyers Corners Fire Department, which had moved into a new building across the street in 1974, still owns the old firehouse. The department leased it to Wicker World and several other businesses. The fire could interfere with the department's July 4 field days because the department uses the building's kitchen, the deputy chief said. An inspection of the building should help determine what the department does with the building, he said.

 

News Interview with Ken Brand Jr., First Deputy Chief:
I was one of the first persons on the scene. Heavy smoke condition throughout the whole building. No visible flames at that time. I checked throughout the perimeters, everybody was out. There was only two people in at the time. The whole place was blackened with smoke. We went to try to make an interior attack and the fire had gotten in to the crawlspaces which is basically the whole top of the building. There was no way we could get to it the way it was. It’s an old building, not real old, it’s about a 1948 building. It used to be our firehouse. We are pretty familiar with the building. Back then, all buildings were built about the same way. Balloon construction that starts down at the bottom and goes all the way to the top. Basically what I heard is that the fire started on the main floor, down near the bottom of the floor, and went right up the walls. The people just got out, that was the best thing they could do. Right now we probably have about seven departments here and roughly 150-200 men. As you can see behind me, we will be here awhile. We are on an outside operation just trying to get the fire out now.” 

 

October 18, 1989 – Old firehouse fire
Post Standard
Some of 150 firefighters from nine fire departments contained a blaze that ruined former Moyers Corners fire station at 8478 Route 57, Baldwinsville. The fire was discovered about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday when two employees of wicker world – which along with other businesses rents space in the building from the Moyers Corners fire department – arrived to open shop. They alerted firefighters at the new station, across the street, after smelling smoke and seeing a sofa on fire. One firefighter, who suffered from smoke inhalation, was treated at the scene, officials said.

 

Herald Journal
Blaze strikes former firehouse
Ken Brand Sr. knew something was wrong as soon as he saw the pickup truck struggling through the muddy field toward him. It was a foreman in the town highway shouting: The old Moyers Corners firehouse was on fire. Brand jumped off his bulldozer and rushed to the fire four miles away at the intersection of routes 57 and 31. Brand saw the smoke coming out of the firehouse and all kinds of memories came rushing back to the 72-year-old man who was the department's first fire chief. He remembered the summer of 1948 when Brand and 20 other people built the firehouse, working nights and weekend. They worked from plans sketched out on a wood shingle. It was done by winter. They had noisy square dances on the hardwood floor on the second floor to raise money for the fire department. They used the second-floor for its smokers — men-only par-ties of card playing, beer drinking and X-rated movie viewing. They called out bingo games on the second-floor. Today, the second floor that saw so much fun is a charred, water-soaked mess with no roof. "It looks like it will have to be torn down, at least the second floor," said Ken Brand Jr., the first deputy chief at Moyers Corners Fire Department. Moyers Corners Fire Department, which had moved into a new building across the street in 1974, still owns the old firehouse. 

 

Review
October 18, 1989
Flames wrecked the Wicker World store on Route 57, just north of Route 31, directly across from Moyers Corners firehouse, Tuesday morning. Dense smoke and a steady downpour didn’t make the going any easier for the firemen from 10 companies. Flames eventually erupted through the roof of the 2-story structure. County fire officials, including Dick Beach, said employees called in the alarm about 11 a.m. Units visible were Moyers Corners, Belgium Cold Springs, Baldwinsville, Liverpool, Clay, Phoenix, North Syracuse, Plainville, plus a cascade unit from Oswego County. Also destroyed were the Loose Ends craft shop and Jeanean’s Boutique. The structure used to be the Moyers firehouse, and a shed at the rear reportedly is still used to store firemen’s field days equipment. It apparently escaped damage. 

 

October 21st, 1989
Five Hurt In Convoy Collision
Syracuse Herald-Journal
By Karen D. Stroud
Two military trucks in a convoy skidded out of control on the Thruway Friday. One of them landed on a car and trapped two people inside for more than 30 minutes. No one was seriously injured, state police said. Members of the National Guard's 152nd Engineering Battalion were en route to Fort Drum from Buffalo when the accident occurred.  John D. Brown, 46, a driver in the 20-truck convoy, lost control of his vehicle between Electronics Parkway and Mattydale and went off the right shoulder of the road. Another convoy driver, John J. Benzo, 19, of Buffalo saw what happened and braked. Instead of stopping, Benzo's truck skidded across the median into the oncoming traffic lane and flipped onto a passenger car. Two men were trapped inside for more than 30 minutes. Liverpool and Moyers Corners fire department personnel extricated Wilbert C. Elliot, 32, of Utica and Willie Lee Taylor, 35, of Whitesboro from Elliot's car. Elliot was treated at St. Jeseph'e Hospital Health Center Friday. Taylor was in fair condition at University Hospital. State police zone Sergeant John Praskey said Taylor was treated for a cut in his scalp and an injured wrist. Benzo, Brown and two other guardsmen who were riding with them were treated at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center and were released. ``The military personnel were traveling in a convoy,'' Praskey said Friday. ``They had split up and were starting to catch up with one another when the accident occurred.'' Praskey said rain and excessive speed contributed to the accident. Benzo was issued a ticket charging him with failure to keep right. Brown was issued a ticket charging him with making an unsafe lane change, Praskey said. 

 

November 19th, 1989
Herald Journal
County cracks down on late ambulances
Amber Smith
Each year for nine years, Betty Parsnow contributed $15 to $20 to Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department. She considered it insurance. Yet. when she needed an ambulance Oct. 2nd, it didn’t come. Parsnow, 65, gave up waiting. Doubling over in pain and bleeding, she had her daughter drive her to Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital. She was released on. a liquid diet with instructions to stay at her daughter's home so she wouldn't be alone.

 

Three days later, she received a card from the Moyers Corners volunteers. They wanted a contribution. They didn't get it. Cases LIKE Parsnow's have prompted Onondaga County officials to crack the whip on volunteer paramedics, telling them they must answer calls within five minutes — or else another ambulance corps will. 

 

The policy that began Nov. 1 did away with the old dispatch procedures of striking a tone on the county’s ambulance radio channel  and waiting, and waiting, and waiting to see if it would be answered. That policy was in effect in March, when a 38-year-old man died from a heart attack in the 32 minutes dispatchers spent trying to round up Moyers Corners volunteer paramedics — who never responded. OFFICIALS SAY that shouldn't happen again. The county's 23 volunteer fire and ambulance corps now are required to keep dispatchers informed of whether a paramedic is available and can be on his way within five minutes. If not, dispatchers automatically send another ambulance service. "If you're going to provide emergency medical services, ideally it would be seven days, 24 hours," said Ronald Hernandez, director of the county’s  Emergency Medical Services Bureau, said of the volunteer agencies. "But if you can't, at least fire control (dispatchers) knows, and they can send mutual aid." ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE made over the county radio frequency every morning and evening, listing which services don't have paramedics available. That helps clear up any confusion, assistant county fire coordinator Dick Beach said. In addition, it may prompt some departments — for reasons of pride — to make sure they have a paramedic on duty, Beach said. If the first week is any measure, the five-minute policy seems to be  working, according to the dispatch cards for advanced life support calls on file at the Onondaga County Fire Control dispatch center on Onondaga Hill 

 

December 11th, 1989
Auxiliary Christmas Banquet at Anthony’s Act II in Bayberry

 

December 12th, 1989
Herald Journal 
Trailer Fire kills Clay girl. Rescue attempt. 
Mom, 5-year old brother escape
A little girl who celebrated her second birthday Saturday died today when her mobile home in the town of Clay was consumed by fire. Courtney Scott was pronounced dead about an hour after fire broke out at 3312 Berkley Court in the Casual Estates trailer park on Route 57. Her mother, Darlene, 24, and her 5-year-old brother, Ryan, escaped. When Moyers Corners firefighters arrived just after 2 a.m., there was heavy smoke coming from the 70 foot trailer, and flames were shooting 30 feet in the air. Firefighters ripped out part of the bedroom wall on one end of the trailer where Courtney Scott was trapped in her crib. They reached in and pulled her through the wall. “By the time we did that, it was too late.” Moyers Corners battalion Chief George Race said. Resuscitation efforts failed, and the girl was pronounced dead at 3:08 a.m. at University Hospital. When firefighters arrived, battalion Chief Mike Chura tried to get inside, but he was driven back by the heat. Chura suffered second degree burns to his legs and arms. He was taken to a hospital where he was treated and released, Race said. 

 

December 20th, 1989
Sharon Moses of Baldwinsville and Scott Whipple of Phoenix were honored by the Central New York Chiefs of Police for their work in saving Henry Mancini of Liverpool from the wreck of his burning 1985 Chevy Chevette in June. Leigh Hunt presented a plaque at a dinner in their honor attended by Mancini and his wife, Cheryl. Moses and Whipple also received a plaque from Clay police and the Moyers Corners Fire Department 

 

December 28th, 1989
Man Felled By A Punch Dies
The Post-Standard
By Mike McAndrew
An Onondaga County grand jury will investigate a one-punch bar fight Wednesday which resulted in the death of a Clay man to determine if the man who threw the punch should be prosecuted, Clay police said. Robert E. ``Butch'' Jeffries Jr., 31, of 8865 Gaskin Road, died an hour after his skull was fractured at 12:35 a.m. when he was hit by Frederick G. Morrissey, 53, of 3119 Berkley Court, Clay. Jeffries struck his head on a slate floor at Richard's Ole Timer after being punched once in the mouth by Morrissey, said Owen Honors, Clay public safety commissioner. Morrissey had approached Jeffries to intercede in a spat between Jeffries and Jeffries' girlfriend. 

 

After Jeffries pushed him, the five-foot-11-inch Morrissey struck Jeffries, Honors said. ``I don't think the punch itself was anything, except that Butch was unstable,'' said George Willis, the bar's owner and the father of Jeffries' girlfriend. ``From what I heard, Fred just intended to keep the guy away from him. It wasn't the kind of thing to put him into the next world or anything.'' ``I feel horrible for the guy who did this,'' Willis said. ``Fred called me. He thought he was protecting my daughter.'' After Jeffries fell to the floor, he began vomiting and having difficulty breathing, Willis said. His daughter, Kelly Willis, 23, who is Jeffries' girlfriend and a nurse, tried to help Jeffries. She and another person tried to revive Jeffries by performing mouth-to-mouth and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Moyers Corners Fire Department rescue workers rescue crews took over the job before took Jeffries to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:55 a.m. Onondaga County Medical Examiner Erik Mitchell said Wednesday that a blood clot on Jeffries' brain caused his death, Honors said. Clay police questioned Morrissey Wednesday but did not arrest him. 

``We've talked to the DA's office and they feel that rather than make an arrest now, they would rather present it to a grand jury,'' Honors said. Assistant District Attorney Ralph Tortora declined to comment when asked if Morrissey might be charged with homicide. Morrissey, who retired after undergoing a heart operation, did not return a message left with his wife. ``We have 11 children and wouldn't hurt anybody,'' Donna Morrissey said in a brief conversation. Morrissey was not injured in the fight, Honors said. Richard's Ole Timer is a small bar located at 8865 Gaskin Road, near the Oswego County line. Above the tavern is the apartment Jeffries and Willis shared for the past year. George Willis said the fatal fight was the first big disturbance in the bar since he bought it 11 years ago. Jeffries and Morrissey knew each other for a couple of years, and never had any disputes with each other before, said Willis, 52, of Baldwinsville. Both were regular bar patrons. But Jeffries was intoxicated when he arrived at the bar Tuesday night, Willis said. Jeffries and his daughter were having a disagreement because Jeffries had not been ready to go home Tuesday night when she went to the Bowl Inn in Phoenix to pick him up, Willis said. That's when Morrissey intervened. ``Butch is pretty much of a loner. He's pretty quiet. He's not one that would cause any trouble as a rule. . . . But he would defend himself if he felt the necessity,'' Willis said. Jeffries was the oldest of three brothers, according to his mother, Helen Jeffries of Liverpool. He worked in the warmer months framing houses with his brothers. Prior to that, he worked for seven years at Gaylord Brothers Inc., a library and office supply firm on Morgan Road, Helen Jeffries said.

 

 

 

1990
Chief Chet Fritz
 First Deputy Chief: Ken Brand Jr.
Second Deputy Chief Greg Tiner
Battalion 1 Chief Mike Chura
Battalion 2 Chief George Race
Battalion 3 Chief Tim Chura
Station 1 Captains Steve Rubacky, Bud Neuman
Station 2 Captains Chris Naum, Ron Turiello
Station 3 Captains John Perkins, Frank Houde 
Station 1 Lieutenants: Greg Mazza, Ron Williams, Jerry Hole, Dennis Moore

 

Station 2 Lieutenants: Steve Bressette, Paul Wiedeman, Steve McGraw, Don Mace

 

Station 3 Lieutenants: Ron Jennings, Dean Leeson, Tim DeRuyscher, Jeff Wisely

 

Executive Board
 President Cecil Gillespy
Vice President John Olgren 
Secretary Kevin Wisely, Assistant Secretary Steve Wisely 
Treasurer Mike LeFebvre, Assistant Treasurers Rolf Beckhusen, Geoff Maes

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Tom Olsweski, Dave Ferguson

 

 

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Jim Burton, 1st Assistant Dan Miller, 2nd Assistant Jim Spina,
 3rd Assistant Mike Begnoche

 

 

 

Auxiliary: President Linda Gobin, Vice President Cindy Houde, Recording Secretary Marta Arnold,  Corresponding Pam Chicallo, Treasurer Joyce Bressette, Chaplain Louise Gillespy

 

Scholarship Winners: Jonathan Dembowski, Matthew Eichenlaub

 

 

 

New Apparatus: Engine 31 1990 E-One Hush, Haz mat 3 Chevrolet Kodiak

 

 

 

Installation Banquet pictures

 

 

 

January 5th, 1990
Fire damages mobile home

 

Herald-Journal

 

A fire damaged a mobile home today at 2400 Chelsea Court in the Casual Estates, Clay, according to Onondaga County Fire Control. Occupants of the trailer, Kimberly Wall and her two children were not at home at the time the blaze broke out, said employees at the Casual Estates office. The cause of the 10 a.m. fire has not been determined. No injuries were reported.

 

 

 

January 11th, 1990

 

Master of Planning – Great Northern Mall

 

The Post-Standard

 

By Don Harting

 

IF YOU ENJOY shopping at Great Northern Mall, give Jim Keefe some of the credit.  And if you don't, give him some of the blame. Keefe, 63, stepped down Dec. 31 after 16 years as commissioner of planning in the town of Clay. In that $32,000-a-year job, Keefe was responsible for making sure the mall's developer complied with the town zoning ordinance and the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code. His job might sound dry, but many of those who worked with him on the project agree that Keefe's dedication helped produce a successful and attractive mall where people love to shop. One of the people who came to know Keefe during the Great Northern project is Tom Case, project manager for mall developer Wilmorite Inc. of Rochester. For about a year, spanning parts of 1986 and 1987, Case worked closely with Keefe making sure plans for the mall were satisfactory to both Wilmorite and the town. That meant many late nights working out compromises on mundane but important subjects, such as how many entrances there would be on Route 31, what kind of fire alarm system would be installed and how much landscaping would be planted. 

The mall opened in 1988, and Case has gone on to other projects, such as building an addition to Shoppingtown in DeWitt, as well as others in Rochester, Saratoga and Danbury, Conn. But he still recalls working with Keefe with pleasure. ``As far as working with towns go, we never had a job go as smoothly as we did in Clay,'' Case said. ``He should be very proud of it. He did an excellent job.'' Syracuse residents have told Keefe that even though they live closer to Penn-Can Mall in Cicero -- another Wilmorite property -- they're willing to drive farther to Great Northern because it is more attractive and easier to enter and exit with their cars. Great Northern was the single largest commercial project Keefe was involved in, but it's only part of the growth that has exploded in Clay during Keefe's tenure. 

In 1975 Clay's population stood at 44,000, but by 1990 it had expanded to an estimated 60,000, according to town figures. Much of the growth took place in subdivisions of single-family homes. Kay Dabrowski, a staffer for the Syracuse-Onondaga County Planning Agency, said Keefe did a good job staying ahead of the growth. 
She got to know Keefe through working with him on housing and commercial projects referred to the county by the town. ``I think he's done an excellent job out there, keeping pace with the growth,'' Dabrowski said. ``He'll be a hard act to follow.'' The results of good planning can be recognized by houses and businesses kept separately with a comfortable distance between them, Dabrowksi said. It can also be recognized in few entrances on busy roads to cut down on turning traffic, by pleasant landscaping, good drainage and store fronts set well back from the highway, Dabrowski said. Common results of bad planning are standing water, traffic jams, poor landscaping and a confusing array of signs and businesses so close to the road that motorists are distracted, Dabrowski said. Clay residents enjoy the results of good planning along Routes 57 and 31, but Salina, Syracuse and Camillus residents must endure the legacy of poor planning along Route 11 in Mattydale, Erie Boulevard East and West Genesee Street, Dabrowski said. Although many shoppers might not realize it, a lot of planning went into making Great Northern a safe and pleasant place to shop, according to Chris Naum, a fire protection expert for Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department. 

A committee of volunteer firefighters with technical expertise in fire protection reviewed Wilmorite's plans and suggested improvements, some of which were incorporated in the final design, Naum said. For example, the mall has a box alarm system that tells firefighters which store to go to in case of a fire. Otherwise firefighters could waste time trying to find the fire, Naum said. Naum gives the credit for what he called a rare degree of cooperation between the developer and the firefighters to Keefe, who permitted the firefighters to become involved. ``We were sort of an extension of the town's operations,'' Naum said. ``Obviously we wouldn't have been able to do any of this without Jim Keefe's initial involvement.'' Keefe was educated at Plattsburgh State Teachers' College, which has since become the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. He majored in education and minored in engineering. His first career was with Lamson Corp. of Syracuse, with which he became a contract manager. He first became active in town affairs as a founding member of a homeowners' association in the Bayberry subdivision. He earned a seat on the town planning board in 1959 and served two years, then he spent three years on the town board. He worked two years as code enforcement officer before being named planning commissioner. Those who have worked with him agree Keefe has a knack for doing things right, but it hasn't always been that way. There was a time when he was in hot water. In 1978 Crouse-Hinds Co. asked permission to build a liquefied propane gas storage tank to help the company weather the energy crisis. Keefe went ahead and signed the building permit without telling the fire department or the town board. 

Ed Viel, who was then chief of Moyers Corners Fire Department , can laugh about the incident now, but it was no laughing matter when the incident made local headlines. ``I was upset with everybody at the time,'' Viel said. ``I wanted to know why we weren't notified.'' Viel wanted to be sure Crouse-Hinds would install a sprinkler system to cool the tank in case it caught fire. Not long before, a propane tank fire at Moyers Corners resulted in a man being badly burned. Although it was unpleasant then, the incident led to closer cooperation between Keefe and the fire department regarding fire safety for new construction projects, said Viel, who went on to become town fire marshal and report directly to Keefe. Viel said he admires Keefe for not trying to keep the incident a secret. ``I give him a lot of credit for bringing it back up,'' Viel said, ``because I'd forgotten about it.''

 

 

 

February 5th, 1990

 

Nightgown Catches Fire

 

Herald-Journal

 

A woman was burned today after a hot coal fell from a wood-burning stove and ignited her nightgown. Pam O'Hora, 30, of 3712 Pendulum Path, Clay, suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns in the accident, sheriff's department spokesman Robert Burns said. She was being treated today at University Hospital. O'Hora told deputies and firefighters she was tending to the fire in the wood stove, which is in her kitchen, about 9:30 a.m., when her nightgown caught fire . Moyers Corners firefighters put out a small fire in the kitchen. Fire damage was limited to the kitchen, Burns said. The rest of the house was damaged by smoke, and there was some water damage. Burns said most of the woman's burns were second- and third-degree, which are of a lesser severity than first-degree. He said her injuries were not life-threatening.

 

 

 

March 20th, 1990
Horseshoe Island Fire, pictures
News Interview with Chief Greg Tiner: 
“Upon arrival we had a fully involved structure. At this time we are not sure if all of the occupants are out at this particular point in time. So far we haven’t seen any presence of smoke detectors again upon arrival the house was fully involved.  We have a report of one occupant that may be still inside. There have not been any injuries at this time. There was a lot of fire. Three companies are working. Everyone did a real splendid job putting this thing down. We have Moyers Corners, Liverpool, Phoenix..Clay and North Syracuse are on stand-by at this time.”

 

 

 

March 31st, 1990

 

Spring Craft Show at Station 1. Debbie Neuman was chairperson with a profit of $2769.

 

 

 

April 1990

 

Scholarship Winners John Dembowski and Matt Eichenlaub.

 

Pictures

 

 

 

May 21, 1990

 

Auxiliary Installation Banquet held at Sam’s Lakeside Restaurant in Brewerton. Natalie Hunter and Lorraine Sahm chaired the event. Ellie Oakes received 35 year pin. Natalie Hunter and Ethel Viel – 30 years.

 

Pictures.

 

 

 

May 21st, 1990

 

Letter to Herald Journal

 

On May 15th, I saw the drivers of two cars hold a volunteer fireman hostage for a good mile and a half on Route 57. This fireman was attempting to get to the Moyers Corners fire barn to answer an emergency call. His blue light was on, but it made no difference to these drivers. This cold and callous behavior could result in the loss of a home or a life. These firemen risk life and limb each time they answer a call. They do this in order to help others in danger. These men get no pay and most of the time little thanks in return. These men must train each week, which means long hours away from home and family. The slate makes it so tough that it discourages many from joining. It's time that we all wake up and give these men a chance. Next time, they may be on the way to your home, and they may be too late because you refused to let them through. This particular fireman obeyed the law in every respect If I had been in his shoes, I am not so sure that I could have kept my cool as he did. Oh yes, when he got near the fire barn, he was too late. The fire engine could wait no longer and had to leave without him.

 

BOB COGSWELL

 

Clay

 

 

 

June 7th, 1990
Auxiliary Rummage Sale at Station 1. $336.25 profit

 

June 9th, 1990

 

Herald Journal

 

Amber Smith

 

Volunteer paramedics cited for attempt to save life

 

Moyers Corners volunteers will receive lifesaving certificates from Onondaga County for reviving an elderly woman suffering a heart attack May 24. "It is clearly through the action of these medics that this patient arrived alive at the emergency department," said Dr. John McCabe, associate professor of critical care and emergency,' medicine at University Hospital. He congratulated the crew — paramedics Dave Cywinski and. Sue Derbyshire and Emergency Medical Technician Bill Seimers — in a letter to the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department. The county's lifesaving awards were created by the Emergency Medical Services bureau and advisory board earlier this year. A banquet will be held in September to honor ambulance; workers, and the trio from Moyers Corners will be among; several to receive awards. Derbyshire said the crew got to the woman's house in less than four minutes. Volunteer firefighters performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation while she and Cywinski administered heart drugs and used a machine to shock her heart into beating. The name of the woman who was revived was not released. She died in the hospital two days later. Still, medical experts say, it's rare for a person whose heart has stopped to be brought back,

 

for any amount of time.

 

 

 

July 1990 Burndown Pictures

 

 

 

June 13th, 1990

 

MCFD receives $2000 grant from Onondaga County for recruitment and advertising

 

June 13th, 1990

 

Syroco Fire

 

 

 

July 15th, 1990

 

Herald Journal
Jon Craig and Don Cazentre

 

Firefighters water reacts with caustic drain cleaner

 

Residents evacuated as Dumpster fire erupts …continued

 

Residents were evacuated from three buildings Saturday at a Clay apartment complex after the water firefighters poured into a burning Dumpster reacted with two canisters of caustic drain cleaner and chlorine bleach. The reaction formed ammonia. "When they (firefighters) hit it with the water, it went 'whoosh' and erupted," said tenant Paul Kostoroski, thrusting his arms into the air. "There was smoke and flames." Lisa Letteney, a public health engineer with the Onondaga County Health Department, said a common household cleaner — probably composed of sodium or potassium hydroxide — emitted fumes. "A little can really set it off," she said of the potent drain opener. Moyers Corners Fire Captain Ron Turiello said a chlorine bleach container also was found in the bin at the Morgan Garden Apartments, Buckley and Morgan roads. Because the ammonia was released in an open area and not in large quantities, Letteney said it was a minor irritant to people's respiratory systems and did not injure anyone. THE FIRE MAY have smoldered for a while before Michael Alder, a Moyers Corners firefighter who lives in the complex, went out to investigate. He called for a fire truck shortly before 10 a.m. When it became apparent that something worse than smoke from burning garbage was spewing out, container also was found in the bin Because the ammonia was released in an open area and not in large quantities, Letteney said it was a minor irritant to people's respiratory systems and did not injure anyone. It was unknown what else burned in the Dumpster, just off Buckley Road/ ABOUT 10 firefighters were decontaminated as a precaution. They were hosed off over two portable pools. Members of six fire departments responded as did the county's Hazardous Materials response team Moyers Corners Battalion Chief Timothy Chura — at the scene most of Saturday with the "Hazmat" team and a crew from Clean Harbors Cos. Environmental Services — said it is not known what else was in the Dumpster. Yellow tape marked "Caution, caustic hazard" surrounded the bin, which was covered with a thin plastic tarpaulin. "It may take us weeks," Chura said about determining exactly what was in the bin. TURIELLO SAID the Clean Harbors crew assured firefighters nothing hazardous had been identified.

 

 

 

A 55-gallon drum was used to dispose of some of the burned, wet debris. Crews bagged the clothes of the firefighters who went through the decontamination. Chura said some items might have been dumped illegally in the bin "This is a problem you have with Dumpsters — anybody can come by and throw something in " Letteney said she suspected the cans of drain cleaner were thrown away by a tenant PEOPLE EVACUATED from 30 apartments in three of the 11 buildings in the complex. They were allowed back in their homes within two hours of the fire. At about 12:30 p m., moon-suited members of the county's Hazmat response team began removing trash from the Dumpster. Materials were wrapped carefully and placed on blue containers for decontamination and examination At least eight people were treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to Crouse Irving Memorial and University hospitals for routine examinations All were released, according to Chura. Three Moyers Corners firefighters overcome by the fumes were among the first at the scene Jeff Wisely, Steve McGraw and Pete Caluwe. They attempted to douse the fire with water, but found that the material inside reacted by spewing a cloud of gas. THE THREE were given oxygen at the scene as a precaution, Chura said, and later checked at area hospitals. McGraw went to Crouse Irving and was released Wisely and Calloway were treated at University Hospital and released.

 

 

 

Several residents complained of headaches and feelings of nausea "It smelled like ammonia," said Clint Rood, whose second-floor apartment overlooks the Dumpster that caught fire "I smelled it but got out immediately I shut the windows immediately " Rick Passimo, who parked his car next to the Dumpster before he knew it was burning, complained two hours later of a severe headache "I breathed it in, and I'm paying for it now," he said Other residents said they knew nothing about the Dumpster until fire department officials told them to evacuate. "They just told me to get out because there was some kind of poisonous gas or something," said Tina Kimball, who stood holding her daughter on the lawn between buildings. "I can't get to my car to go anywhere". Fire departments responded from Clay, East Syracuse, Elbndge, Minoa, Moyers Corners and North Syracuse. The fire may have smoldered for a while before Michael Alder, a Moyers Corners firefighter who lives in the complex, went out to investigate. He called for a fire truck.

 

 

 

News Interview with Battalion Chief Tim Chura:

 

“About 10:07 this morning the Moyers Corners Fire Department responded to a dumpster fire in the Morgan Gardens apartment complex off Morgan Road. Upon our arrival, an unknown chemical was reacting with water inside the dumpster itself. The water was applied to put the fire out, but we found we had a chemical reaction. The Moyers Corners Hazmat Team along with the County Hazmat team was called to the scene. We sent some people to the hospital as a precaution, firefighters on the first crew. It is all precautionary at this time. We don’t believe there are any injuries right at the moment. We evacuated the building right next to the dumpster just as a precautionary measure to make sure nobody got hurt. Other than that I don’t have any other listed casualties at the moment. Some people were transported to the hospital but I don’t have any information on that. Right now we are attempting to identify the chemical that is inside the dumpster itself. We have no idea. It could be a matter of weeks, we just don’t know. Right now, officials from the DEC are on the scene attempting to isolate the problem, remove the hazard, and attempt to identify what it is.”

 

 

 

August 1st, 1990

 

Car Hits House, Ruptures Gas Line

 

The Post-Standard

 

By Mike McAndrew
A Clay family was left with a gaping hole in their basement wall Tuesday afternoon when a car skidded into their home and ruptured a natural gas line.  Dino A. Dicerbo, 18, of 103 Hibiscus Drive, North Syracuse, escaped injury at 2:13 p.m. when his car struck the 4239 Mayfair Circle home of William and Priscilla Dann, Clay police said.  Dicerbo's 1989 Camaro came to a rest with its front end hanging inside the brown, wood-frame home that the Danns have lived in for six months, police said. Dann, his 14-year-old daughter and one of her friends were inside the home at the time. ``I heard a screech and then I heard it go quiet when it hit the grass,'' said Stephanie Zerrillo, Cathleen Dann's friend. ``Then the whole house shook.'' The impact sent chunks of cinderblock flying onto a bed in the basement of the Dann's home where their son Michael, 22, sleeps, Priscilla Dann said. She had no estimate of the damage to the home. Dicerbo told authorities he could not stop his vehicle because its accelerator became stuck. Clay police issued him a ticket charging him with driving at an imprudent speed. Mayfair Circle was blocked to traffic until a Niagara Mohawk Power Co. crew could shut off the gas to the ruptured pipe. Moyers Corners Fire Department volunteers were dispatched to the scene as a precaution.

 

 

 

 

 

August 2nd, 1990

 

Clay May Consider Firefigther Pensions

 

The Post-Standard

 

By Don Harting

 

WHEN THE MOYERS Corners Fire Department opens its new station on Route 57 across from Seneca Mall next year, it's going to need 15 new volunteers.  More than 20 new members are needed to bring manpower levels up to snuff in the neighboring Clay Fire Department, officials say.  So members of both departments in the town of Clay eagerly embrace a new financial program designed to entice people to join the volunteer fire service and make sure experienced volunteers stay on.  A referendum to approve the program may be on the ballot Nov. 6, but a number of details must be worked out. The Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) is familiar to many firefighters because it was authorized by state law in September 1989. But each fire district must create the program separately, by a majority vote of residents within the district. So far, about 60 programs have been created around the state, including one in Camillus. 

The program gives each member a small pension that can be drawn after the firefighter reaches a certain age, as well as life insurance and disability benefits. The size of the pension depends on how active the member was and how much training he or she received. Cecil Gillespy, president of the Moyers Corners department, thinks the program will make it easier to recruit new members when the department's fourth station opens in late 1991. Moyers Corners has enough volunteers for its three existing stations, but ``you never have too many,'' Gillespy said. Clay is in a different position. Terry King, department president, said the department has fewer than 60 members, far short of the 80 he said are necessary to provide adequate service. Last year the department gained 14 new members but lost five old ones. It's not uncommon for a member to lose interest in the fire service when besieged by time demands from family, friends and job, King said. ``I think LOSAP is going to help retention (of volunteers) a lot,'' King said. 

Details of the program are only tentative. Clay, Moyers Corners and the town's three other fire companies have submitted proposals to the town board describing the programs they'd like to have. But each program costs money, and the richer the benefits, the greater the amount of property taxes the town must collect. For example, allowing Moyers Corners members to start drawing benefits at age 55 would cost taxpayers $179,000 for the first year of the program, while waiting until age 65 would bring the cost down to $112,000. It's up to the town board to decide what kind of program will satisfy volunteers, yet not alienate taxpayers. Town board members must also work out the formidable logistics involved in holding referenda in the Brewerton, North Syracuse and Caughdenoy fire districts. The logistics of holding an election are tricky, because parts of each of the three districts are outside Clay town boundaries. If the referendum passes in one part of a district and fails in another part, then the district cannot set up the program, according to Anthony Granito of Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services of New York. 

Granito was present at the Clay Town Hall during a July 25 special meeting of the town board. Councilman Donald MacLaughlin said he thought the service award program was a good idea but it would take time and effort to put into effect. He feared the town board would be seen as not doing enough to help volunteer firefighters if the awards program were not on the ballot Nov. 6. Patrick DiDomenico, town supervisor, complained during the meeting the state of New York had left local governments little choice but to implement the program by offering no other incentives for firefighters. The state could have given volunteers a break on their property taxes, DiDomenico said.

 

 

 

August 12th, 1990

 

Chicken BBQ at Station 1. Linda Gobin and Martha Arnold co-chaired the event. A profit of $1325.57 was made.

 

 

 

September 1990
Accident involving Rescue 3
Drunk driver cut off Rescue 1 at Wetzel Road and Wetzel East Apartments, pictures from website

 

 

 

October 4th, 1990
Chemical Spills Vehicle Rolls
The Post Standard
By Don Harting
Kevin Wisely can’t wait to install a suit rack in the back of a new truck belonging to the Moyers Corners Fire Department in Clay. The suits Wisely wants to hang there don’t carry and Armani or Learbury label. The’re bulky, rubberized orange and silver suits Wisely and his firefighting colleagues at Moyers Corners use when they respond to hazardous chemical spills. Their new truck, a Special Hazards Vehicle, arrived this summer, and Wisely is planning to customize the interior to make sure it fits firefighter’s needs. The truck is kept at Station 3, at Henry Clay Boulevard and Taft Road, but it could be called into serviceat a major toxic spill anywhere in Onondaga County. So Wisely, his younger brother Jeff and other members of the Moyers Corners hazardous spill team have been spending time learning how to respond to toxic emergencies. Fighting a regular fire usually means rushing in without delay, pulling hoses and dumping as much water as possible on the flames, Kevin Wisely said. But containing a toxic leak requires a different approach. “You want to stand back and size up the situation,” Wisely said. “You don’t want to rush right into an incident without the proper protective equipment.”

 

 

 

Having proper equipment handy will be easier now for Moyers Corners volunteers, thanks to the van purchased with $50,0-00 in the 1989-1990 state budget. Before the van arrived, Moyers Corners relied on a separate, small trailer, which had to be attached to a pickup truck each time it was used. Have a self-propelled van will get firefighters to the scene more quickly, said Jeff Wisely. Also, more gear can be carried on the van, said the older Wisely. For example, the van carries four large barrels containing foam to be used to fight a fire of a flammable liquid like gasoline. Much of the van’s cargo weight consists of bags of dry chemicals, such as sodium bicarbonate and soda ash, used to neutralize acids. In addition, the van carries wrenches to close valves, and mushroom-shaped steel plugs of various sizes to stop holes in the sides of leaking storage tanks. Moyers Corners’ new van hasn’t seen true hazardous duy yet.  It went into service two weeks after a hazardous incident when it might have been used, according to Stephen Wisely, Kevin and Jeff’s father and coordinator of the Onondaga County Hazardous Materials Response Unit.

 

 

 

On July 14, containers of discarded drain cleaner reacted with a container of cholorine bleach in an unattended trash bin outside Morgan Gardens apartments on Morgan Road in Clay. Residents of 30 apartmetns were evacuated to escape ammonia fumes, but no one was injured. At first, firefighters poured water on the smoke and flames, but that only made the problem worse, because the water speeded the chemical reaction, Wisely said. Eventually, the county’s hazardous response unit arrived and solved the problem by covering the container until the flames died down, Wisely said. It would have been nice to have the new truck available at Moyers Corners then, because it could have responded directly without tying up the truck that pulled the trailer for house, Wisely said. Moyers Corners new acquisition was called “superb” by Bruce Holbrook, division manager for Pico Printed Circuits in Liverpool. Pico’s factory at 103 Commerce Blvd. is midway between Station 3 and the Liverpool Fire Departmetn in downtown Liverpool. “That’s just around the corners,” Holbrook said. In case of a major disaster, have the Moyers Corners vehicle nearby “would be very beneficial,” he added.

 

 

 

Records filed with the county Office of Emergency Management show that Pico uses several hazardous chemicals in its operations, including ammonia, sulfuric acid, sodium cyanide and formaldehyde. Ammonia irritates the respiratory tract, acid causes burns or blindness, sodium cyanide gives of lethal cyanide gas when it burns, and formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen. Despite these potential health threats, Jeff Wisely said he’s not afraid of donning  a protective suit and attacking toxic spills for Moyers Corners. “With the training and family background, I’m not really nervous about it,” Jeff Wisely said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 7th, 1990

 

Herald American

 

Baldwinsville firefighter honored

 

Mike Chura, a volunteer with the Moyers Corners Fire Department, was also honored. He tried to save a baby from a burning trailer Dec. 12.

 

 

 

June 13, 1990 
Syroco Mutual Aid, pictures

 

 

 

1990 Softball Team

 

 

 

November 29th, 1990
Riverglen House fire, pictures

 

 

 

December 5th, 1990

 

Casual Estates Fire, 6:53pm
Channel 3 WSTM News Coverage

 

The Moyers Corners Fire Chief says Janice Harke and two friends were in the trailer when the fire began apparently with a candle. The trio tried to put out the flames. It took firefighters an hour and a half to stop it. One firefighters was hurt getting cut on the face when a hose hit him. Just last December, on another street in Casual Estates, a two-year-old girl, Courtney Scott, was killed when the trailer she lived in caught fire.

 

 

 

December 10th, 1990

 

Auxiliary Christmas Banquet was held at Jake Hafner’s Restaurant. $200 was collected in donations for needy families. Sandy Henderson and Cindy Houde chaired.

 

 

 

December 14th, 1990

 

Herald Journal

 

Police probe minor fires at Liverpool High school

 

Fire and water together at Liverpool High School — at least this week. There were three fires set this week

 

at the high school. In one incident, a piece of paper on a wall was burned; in another, a fire was set in a toilet bowl; and the third the fire was set in a boy's locker. There was a fourth more than a month ago, in a waste basket in a boy's bathroom. The last of the fires was set Wednesday. Two fires were found extinguished. The others were quickly put out, said Ray Savarese, executive principal. "The Moyers Corners Fire Department and Clay police were called in the three recent fires," Savarese said. There are several leads the police are following, he said. "If the leads are successful, we will prosecute," Savarese said.  “Police told me it will  be second-degree arson." Then on Thursday, students flushed 24 toilets at the same time — 12.30 p.m. — in what one teen said was an attempt to break a water main "I heard the rumor and checked it out ahead of time to see if it would break a water main, and I was told it was not," Savarese said. He was right It didn't work.

 

 

 

December 16th, 1990

 

Fire Truck Rams Children’s Party
Syracuse Herald American
By Esther Gross

 

Parents screamed for their children as a truck carrying Santa Claus careened out of control, knocking a hole in the fire station where children eagerly awaited Santa's arrival. Eleven people were injured. Police helicopters transported some to the hospital.  Eleven people, including five children, were injured Saturday when a Moyers Corners fire truck carrying Santa Claus crashed through a fire station wall and plowed into a room where children were enjoying a Christmas party.   One of the children was knocked unconscious, according to rescuers. Others at the party suffered broken legs, crushed pelvises, cracked ribs and head injuries. 

The driver, Richard Chicallo, 27, of 8393 Warbler Way, Liverpool, told Clay police the accelerator pedal stuck, causing the vehicle to surge forward and preventing him from stopping.  The fire truck struck two parked cars. One of the vehicles and the fire engine careened through a brick wall and into the building, Station One at the intersection of routes 31 and 57.  No tickets have been issued, police said. But an investigation into the accident is continuing.  Neither Chicallo, who is a volunteer firefighter, nor his passenger playing Santa Claus, David Evans, 25, of 500 Edgerton St., Minoa, was injured, police said. Evans is not a member of the Moyers Corners Fire Department , police said.  Approximately 50 people were in the meeting room at the back of the fire station at the time, police said.  Kenneth Brand, a Moyers Corners deputy chief, was in the kitchen helping prepare food for another Christmas party scheduled for Saturday night. The last thing he heard before the 2 p.m. crash was someone shouting, ``Here comes Santa Claus now.'' 

``All I heard was a bang,'' Brand said. ``I looked out the window and saw a car and truck coming toward me and got out of the way.'' The door of the meeting room was stuck, so Brand ran around to the back of the building, where he saw ``mass confusion'' with parents yelling and looking for their children.  ``The kids didn't know what to do,'' said one former firefighter who was in the room when the crash occurred. He would not give his name. ``They were all in shock. They didn't know what was going on. We had to fight with some of them to get them out of the room.''  Holly Rand of Liverpool, owner of the 1987 Ford Tempo that crashed into the building, said all she remembers is being at the window with her children, Danny, 5, and Michael, 21 months, looking for Santa. None of the Rands was injured.  The announcement of Santa's arrival probably prevented more children from being injured, said Rand, whose husband Paul is a volunteer firefighter.  ``That saved a lot of kids,'' she said. ``They were at the window, not seated at the table where they had been.'' The table was adjacent to the wall where the car and truck plowed into the room. When they heard Santa was coming, the children ran to a window farther along the back wall so they could look out and see him. That move took them out of the truck's path. 

Rand said a few people screamed, but most remained calm. Firefighters acted quickly, passing out blankets to people forced outside in 31-degree weather, assisting the injured and making sure everyone left the room quickly.  Neither Chicallo nor Evans could be reached for comment Saturday night.  Aaron Williams, 5, of Liverpool was the first victim to arrive at University Hospital. He was taken by Onondaga County Sheriff's Department helicopter and was listed in serious condition with multiple injuries.  The New York State Police helicopter arrived at University Hospital next with Denise Brady, 36, of Liverpool. She was listed in fair condition with multiple injuries.  Her son, John Brady, 10, was treated for a hand injury at University Hospital and released. 

Kim Wilcox, 8, of Baldwinsville, was treated for minor head injuries at University Hospital and released.  Three other victims, Kathleen Murdock, 88; Kathleen Chura, 27; and Nancy Zampini, 21, were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center. Murdock was in serious condition Saturday night; Chura and Zampini were treated and released.  John Midgley, 10, was taken to Community-General Hospital, where he was treated and released.  Kathy Sahm, 29, her 2-month-old daughter Lauren and Pam Chicallo, the wife of the truck driver, were treated at Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital and released. Chicallo's age was not available.  The crash created a 30-foot hole in the back of the building, turned over tables and chairs, took out tiles in the drop ceiling and created a twisted mass of wood, glass, metal and bricks.  ``The building was shaking, and I heard a lot of rumbling and saw stuff falling from the roof,'' said Diane Becker, who was in the kitchen with Brand, helping to prepare for the second party. Afterward, firefighters stood at the back of the station, peering into the room where pictures of Santa Claus, wreaths and snowmen were tacked to the walls along with giant foam candy canes and red and green balloons. A Christmas tree decorated with ornaments stood in a corner . 

The damaged wall in the rear of the fire house was covered with plastic Saturday night. The meeting room remained in disarray. Brand said this was the first children's Christmas party Moyers Corners has held in three or four years. Now that more people with young children are becoming volunteers, it was decided to have one again. The party had been under way for about an hour when the crash occurred. Popcorn, cookies and punch were set up on a table in the middle of the room. Children were playing games like ``Pin the Nose on the Snowman.'' In addition to the two helicopters, the victims were taken to area hospitals by ambulances from Phoenix, Liverpool, Moyers Corners and Baldwinsville, plus Syracuse's commercial service, Eastern Ambulance. 
Fire trucks also came from the two other Moyers Corners stations and from the Phoenix and Baldwinsville departments .

 

 

 

Staff writers Don Cazentre and

 

Amber Smith contributed to this

 

report.

 

 

 

December 16th, 1990

 

Santa crashes through wall

 

The Telegraph (ap)

 

Santa Claus surprised children at a fire department Christmas party Saturday when he came crashing through a wall on a fire truck, sending cinder blocks and debris flying. Eleven people, including a 2-month old baby, were injured in the accident and taken to area hospitals. Clay police dispatcher Steve Mauser, said. He said two people, a 37-year old mother and her 5-year old son, were seriously hurt and hospitalized with fractures and internal bleeding. The driver, Richard Chicallo, 27, told police the gas pedal got stuck and forced the vehicle to surge forward. The fire truck hit two cars parked outside the Moyers Corners Fire Department in the Syracuse suburb of Clay, forcing one car through the wall and into the banquet room and startling the 50 people waiting for Santa to appear through the door, Mauser said. “I don’t think the kids knew what was going on. They were shocked,” he said. Chicallo and the Santa, 25-year old David Evans, were not injured. The truck destroyed half of the wall and a significant amount of the building’s internal structure, Mauser said.

 

 

 

December 16th, 1990

 

Fire Truck Rams Children’s Party

 

Syracuse Herald American

 

By Esther Gross

 

Parents screamed for their children as a truck carrying Santa Claus careened out of control, knocking a hole in the fire station where children eagerly awaited Santa's arrival. Eleven people were injured. Police helicopters transported some to the hospital. 
Eleven people, including five children, were injured Saturday when a Moyers Corners fire truck carrying Santa Claus crashed through a fire station wall and plowed into a room where children were enjoying a Christmas party. One of the children was knocked unconscious, according to rescuers. Others at the party suffered broken legs, crushed pelvises, cracked ribs and head injuries. The driver, Richard Chicallo, 27, of 8393 Warbler Way, Liverpool, told Clay police the accelerator pedal stuck, causing the vehicle to surge forward and preventing him from stopping. 

The fire truck struck two parked cars. One of the vehicles and the fire engine careened through a brick wall and into the building, Station One at the intersection of routes 31 and 57. No tickets have been issued, police said. But an investigation into the accident is continuing. Neither Chicallo, who is a volunteer firefighter, nor his passenger playing Santa Claus, David Evans, 25, of 500 Edgerton St., Minoa, was injured, police said. Evans is not a member of the Moyers Corners Fire Department , police said. Approximately 50 people were in the meeting room at the back of the fire station at the time, police said. Kenneth Brand, a Moyers Corners deputy chief, was in the kitchen helping prepare food for another Christmas party scheduled for Saturday night. The last thing he heard before the 2 p.m. crash was someone shouting, ``Here comes Santa Claus now.'' ``All I heard was a bang,'' Brand said. ``I looked out the window and saw a car and truck coming toward me and got out of the way.'' The door of the meeting room was stuck, so Brand ran around to the back of the building, where he saw ``mass confusion'' with parents yelling and looking for their children. ``The kids didn't know what to do,'' said one former firefighter who was in the room when the crash occurred. He would not give his name. ``They were all in shock. They didn't know what was going on. We had to fight with some of them to get them out of the room.'' Holly Rand of Liverpool, owner of the 1987 Ford Tempo that crashed into the building, said all she remembers is being at the window with her children, Danny, 5, and Michael, 21 months, looking for Santa. None of the Rands was injured. 

The announcement of Santa's arrival probably prevented more children from being injured, said Rand, whose husband Paul is a volunteer firefighter. ``That saved a lot of kids,'' she said. ``They were at the window, not seated at the table where they had been.'' The table was adjacent to the wall where the car and truck plowed into the room. When they heard Santa was coming, the children ran to a window farther along the back wall so they could look out and see him. That move took them out of the truck's path. Rand said a few people screamed, but most remained calm. Firefighters acted quickly, passing out blankets to people forced outside in 31-degree weather, assisting the injured and making sure everyone left the room quickly. Neither Chicallo nor Evans could be reached for comment Saturday night. Aaron Williams, 5, of Liverpool was the first victim to arrive at University Hospital. He was taken by Onondaga County Sheriff's Department helicopter and was listed in serious condition with multiple injuries. The New York State Police helicopter arrived at University Hospital next with Denise Brady, 36, of Liverpool. She was listed in fair condition with multiple injuries. Her son, John Brady, 10, was treated for a hand injury at University Hospital and released. Kim Wilcox, 8, of Baldwinsville, was treated for minor head injuries at University Hospital and released. Three other victims, Kathleen Murdock, 88; Kathleen Chura, 27; and Nancy Zampini, 21, were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center. Murdock was in serious condition Saturday night; Chura and Zampini were treated and released. John Midgley, 10, was taken to Community-General Hospital, where he was treated and released. Kathy Sahm, 29, her 2-month-old daughter Lauren and Pam Chicallo, the wife of the truck driver, were treated at Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital and released. Chicallo's age was not available. 

The crash created a 30-foot hole in the back of the building, turned over tables and chairs, took out tiles in the drop ceiling and created a twisted mass of wood, glass, metal and bricks. ``The building was shaking, and I heard a lot of rumbling and saw stuff falling from the roof,'' said Diane Becker, who was in the kitchen with Brand, helping to prepare for the second party. Afterward, firefighters stood at the back of the station, peering into the room where pictures of Santa Claus, wreaths and snowmen were tacked to the walls along with giant foam candy canes and red and green balloons. A Christmas tree decorated with ornaments stood in a corner. 
The damaged wall in the rear of the fire house was covered with plastic Saturday night. The meeting room remained in disarray. Brand said this was the first children's Christmas party Moyers Corners has held in three or four years. Now that more people with young children are becoming volunteers, it was decided to have one again. The party had been under way for about an hour when the crash occurred. Popcorn, cookies and punch were set up on a table in the middle of the room. Children were playing games like ``Pin the Nose on the Snowman.'' In addition to the two helicopters, the victims were taken to area hospitals by ambulances from Phoenix, Liverpool, Moyers Corners and Baldwinsville, plus Syracuse's commercial service, Eastern Ambulance. 
Fire trucks also came from the two other Moyers Corners stations and from the Phoenix and Baldwinsville departments.

 

 

 

December 17th, 1990

 

Herald Journal

 

Patrick Lakamp

 

“My Mommy’s under there, my mommy’s under there’

 

Truck that hit firehall inspected 2 weeks ago

 

Kathleen Chura caught only a glimpse of the fire truck that smashed into the Moyers Corners fire station before her brother shoved her to safety. Her brother, Michael Chura, then saw his 6-month-old daughter, Meghan, in a car seat on a table. He snatched her just as the table gave way. His great-aunt, Kathleen Murdock, 88, sitting at the same table, was knocked past him before he could do anything. She was seriously hurt. "Everything was moving in front and back of me," Michael Chura said, describing the shower of bricks, concrete blocks and glass. "It looked like a tidal wave." CHURA, 29, of 8401 Quadrant Lane is a battalion chief for the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department. He and his daughter were not hurt. Others weren't so lucky. Eleven people were hurt Saturday afternoon when a fire truck — carrying Santa Claus to a Christmas party for children — crashed into Station One at the intersection of routes 31 and 57. Fire department officials said the accelerator petal stuck, causing the truck to surge forward. Three people remain hospitalized, two in serious condition. AARON WILLIAMS, 5. of Liverpool is in fair condition at University Hospital. Denise Brady. 36, of 8401 Warbler Way, Liverpool, is in serious condition at University Hospital Hospital. Kathleen Murdock of Syracuse is in serious but stable cpr.diticr. ir. the surgical intensive care unit at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center. The 14-year-old fire truck that slammed into the fire house was inspected about two weeks ago, a fire department deputy chief said. But the check by a mechanic, the deputy chief said, didn't include an examination of the truck's accelerator which the fire truck driver said stuck Saturday afternoon. "It's not a problem you can spot," said Ken Brand, a Town of Clay Highway Department laborer and a Moyers Corners department volunteers. Clay Police Department investigators have impounded the fire truck, Engine 11, Brand said. Two weeks ago, the fire truck underwent its six month inspection. Brand said. Every six months, mechanics inspect the Moyers Corners' 15 fire trucks, he said. J Every two weeks, a volunteer makes a visual check of each truck — checking the oil, tire pressure — and lakes each truck for a short road test, Brand said. "I WAS standing next to a table in the path of the truck," said Kathleen Chura, 27. "Our table had started out at the center of the room. It ended up against the back wall." Kathleen Chura was treated and released from St. Joseph's. She had severe swelling of her ankle and is on crutches. Kathy Sahm, 29, was standing at the other; end of the table before the crash. She and her 2-monlh old daughter, Lauren, were treated and released at Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital. A 30-foot steel beam fell on Denise Brady. She has a crushed pelvis, broken ribs, collapsed lung and a blood clot in her eye.

 

 

 

December 20th, 1990

 

Post Standard

 

If Not For Friends

 

Don Harting

 

Christmas came early this year for the Morawski family of Bayberry, but it took a near tragedy to move the holiday ahead four weeks on a calendar. On December 4th, a fast moving dryer fire heavily damaged the top two floors of the house on Indian Orchard Lane where John and Kathy Morawski lived with the three youngest of their five children. The family’s cat and hamster died in the blaze, and nearly all the family’s Christmas presents were destroyed or heavily damaged by water and smoke. Damage was complete to the family’s beds, sofas, dining set and kitchen appliances. Yet, through gifts of time, money and furniture from strangers as well as friends, the morawskis’ tears of sadness have turned to tears of joy. “I feel like I’ve had Christmas already,” Kathy Morawski said 10 days before the holiday. “This is what Christmas is all about.” That Tuesday morning, after her husband went to work and John Jr. Jane and Connie left for school, Kathy Morawski placed a load of clothes in the dryer in the laundry room next to the kitchen. Fire investigators say a wad of lint caught in the dryer’s ventilator hose became so hot it caught fire. Investigator Bernard English said a contributing factor was the long run and many bends in the hose between the dryer and the outside wall. As Kathy Morawski swept the kitchen floor, she felt a great heat, and wondered if she’d left something cooking on the stove. “I turned around and saw these flames shooting out of the dryer,” Morawski said. Within seconds, a pile of freshly laundered shirts atop the machine were ablaze. She pulled the dryer’s plug to no avail, then called the fire department. Moyers Corners volunteers were drilling nearby at the company’s station at Morgan and Buckley roads, so it took less time than usual to reach the fire, said Battalion Chief Timothy Chura. When firefighters arrived they found heavy smoke comeing from the first-floor windows in front and flames shooting from a sliding glass door in the rear, Chura said. The fire was knocked down within seven minutes from Kathy Morawski’s call, Chura said, but not before flames gutted the kitchen, the family room, the laundry room and part of the garage. John Morawski came home from h is job as an engineer for Niagara Mohawk nuclear division to find fire engines in front of his house, hoses across his lawn and all the window shattered. Heat from the flames had scorched food inside the freezer. The refrigerator door was melted shut. The smell of smoke permeated items like draperies and bed clothes that the fire did not consume. But no one was injured. Kathy Morawski escaped with little more than her bathrobe and slippers.

 

 

 

December 23rd, 1990

 

State may mandate fire truck inspections

 

Herald American

 

Eric Kriss

 

Fire engines like the one that crashed through a Moyers Corners firehouse wall Dec. 15, injuring 11 people, might have to undergo annual inspections in the future. Assemblyman Michael Bragman, D-Cicero, has written to key officials asking them for advice on how to approach the problem of fire engine safety. As chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee, Bragman wields significant power over any bill regulating such vehicles. The Moyers Corners accident was blamed on a stuck accelerator pedal. The fire truck smashed into a children's Christmas party.  "This accident has underscored concerns regarding the lack of a state mandated inspection program for fire vehicles," Bragman wrote in letters to the state commissioner of motor vehicles and heads the state associations of firemen, fire districts and fire chiefs. BRAGMAN ASKED Motor Vehicles Commissioner Patricia Addqei for her advice on a proposal that would require a DMV inspector to visit each fire department in the state once a year to inspect its vehicles.. "Let's take a look at this thing,'' Bragman said on Friday. "Can we be convinced that these vehicles are being routinely and appropriately inspected by the fire service on their own, or should we look at implementing a program that is not going to place such a burden on them (fire departments) as taking their vehicles out of service" to get inspected. Moyers Corners fire officials said the 14-year-old fire truck had been inspected two weeks before Ihe accident. They said mechanics inspect the department's trucks every six months. The fire chiefs' group said it fully supports requiring annual inspections.

 

 

 

1991
Chief Chet Fritz
 First Deputy Chief: Greg Tiner
Second Deputy Chief Bud Neuman
Battalion 1 Chief Mike Chura
Battalion 2 Chief Ron Turiello
Battalion 3 Chief Tim Chura
Station 1 Captains Jerry Hole, Kevin Wilcox
Station 2 Captains Chris Naum, Paul Weideman
Station 3 Captains John Perkins, Frank Houde 
Station 1 Lieutenants: Ron Williams, Dick Perkins, Steve Fedorko

 

Station 2 Lieutenants: Steve Bressette, Colin Bailey, Dave Munski, Mike Alder

 

Station 3 Lieutenants: Ron Jennings, Dean Leeson, Ed Wisnowski, Jeff Wisely 
Station 4 Lieutenants: Steve McGraw, Ken Filow

 

Executive Board
 President Steve Wisely
Vice President Bob Michelson 
Secretary Jim Wisnowski, Assistant Secretary Frank Brandaio 
Treasurer Mike LeFebvre, Assistant Treasurer Geoff Maes 

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Tom Olsweski, Dave Ferguson

 

 

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Mike Begnoche, 1st Assistant Bill Gonsa, 2nd Assistant Jerry Streeter,
 3rd Assistant Dave Albro

 

 

 

Auxiliary: President Linda Gobin, Vice President Cindy Houde, Recording Secretary Marta Arnold,  Corresponding Sandy Henderson, Treasurer Sue Davison, Chaplain Louise Gillespy, Historian Sandy Morris

New Firehouse – Station 4 (See April 1991)

 

New Apparatus: Truck 2, Sutphen Tower, sold in 2011 to Bville FD for 30k

 

 

 

Scholarship Winners: Sean Rubacky, Rebecca Jarvis

 

1001 Graduates

 

1991 Explorers

 

January 9th, 1991

 

Herald Journal
Dan Kane

 

Fire chief suspend for DWI charge

 

He drove fire vehicle in accident near Clay bar

 

A Moyers Corners deputy fire chief has been suspended after Clay police charged him with driving while intoxicated in a fire department vehicle. Deputy Chief Kenneth Brand was charged at 9:27 p.m. Dec. 21 after a two-vehicle accident at the entrance of the Euclid Hotel, a bar along Route 31 in Clay. He was driving a 1990 CMC station wagon the fire department assigned to him. "Within 24 hours of the incident, Deputy Chief Brand was temporarily relieved of his administrative duties and directed not to use the department vehicle," said Donald DiBenedetto, a Syracuse lawyer representing the fire department. "The vehicle has been removed from the deputy chief's custody. He no longer has control of the vehicle." DiBenedetto said the fire department's chief, two deputy chiefs and three battalion chiefs are assigned vehicles they can use to drive to fire calls. They also are allowed to drive them for personal use as long as the vehicles stay within the Moyers Corners fire district, DiBenedetto said. The Euclid Hotel is in the district, he said. Brand's car collided with a 1988 Ford pickup operated by Irving C. O'Neill, 22, of 7850 Brand was leaving the hotel's parking lot. No one was injured in the accident, according to the police report. Brand, 41, of 8406 Transit Lane, Baldwinsville, could not be reached for comment. He has been a deputy chief for the department for about four years and a member for about 20 years. He works for the Clay Town Highway Department. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Chet Fritz declined to comment on the suspension. DiBenedetto wouldn't say whether the suspension would continue until the charge goes to court. The accident was six days after a Moyers Corners fire truck slammed into the station, injuring six adults and five children. Brand was in the station's kitchen at the time of the accident. The fire truck, driven by-firefighter Richard Chicallo of Liverpool, was bringing Santa Claus to a  children's party at the fire station. The cause of the accident, state police said, was a stuck accelerator pedal. State Department of Motor Vehicle records show Brand has a clean record. The report said the fire department's station wagon sustained minor damage to the front bumper, while the other vehicle sustained minor damage to the driver's side.

 

 

 

January 25th, 1991

 

Herald Journal

 

County will investigate ambulance call

 

Amber Smith

 

On Nov. 27, James Konopelski of Liverpool found his 76-year-old mother, Mary, lying on the floor of her home. He knew she should be evaluated at a hospital. He dialed 425-3333. An Onondaga County dispatcher answered.

 

Konopelski told him what had happened; that it was no emergency but he wanted a Moyers Corners volunteer

 

ambulance to take his mother to Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital. Eastern Ambulance, Syracuse's commercial

 

service, arrived 13 minutes later at Mary Konopelski's home at 136 Riverdale Road. EASTERN BILLEDKonopelski $296.70 for the transport. The same trip in a Moyers Corners ambulance would have been free. "I thought I was very clear. I only  wanted Moyers Corners ambulance," Konopelski said. But Robert Reilly, Spokesman for Eastern, said dispatchers can't always abide by the caller's wishes. "We go by diagnosis, whether it sounds like an emergency or not," he said. In Konopelski's case, for instance, dispatchers interpreted his request for an ambulance as a non-life threatening emergency. He'd reported his mother had Parkinson's disease and had fallen and hit her head. EASTERN OFFERS two types of trans emergency.

 

 

 

A non-emergency run is a scheduled transfer, usually between hospitals or patients' homes and nursing homes. Prices range from $137 to $445, depending on the type of treatment rendered. Ronald Hernandez, director of the county's Emergency Medical Services department, said he and deputy fire coordinator Pete Alberti would review the incident by listening to the taped conversation between dispatchers and Konopelski. "We just want to see how this call went down and why Moyers Corners didn't go," Hernandez said. The Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department, the same as 17 of the county's 57 volunteer fire departments in Onondaga County, operates an emergency ambulance. IF THERE aren't any volunteers to staff the ambulance at a particular Lime, or if, the ambulance crew is handling another call, county dispatchers are supposed to send the closest ambulance. Often, that is Eastern. In recent years, volunteer department have stopped doing as many scheduled non-emergency transfers. "I can't blame them," said Greg Procopio, director of Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps. "With the personnel shortage, you have to prioritize. You have to cover your emergencies first. "We used to do (non-emergency transfers) all the time. Since we've had a personnel crunch, it's a lesser priority." Konopelski said had he known Moyers Corners wasn't available, he would have driven his mother to the hospital in his car or called one of the medical transport companies in Syracuse.

 

 

 

April 1991

 

Moyers Corners Fire Department and Auxiliary Scholarship Winners

 

Lynn Jarvis and Sean Rubacky

 

New Pictures

 

 

 

April 18th, 1991
Grand Opening of Station 4
Engine 41 – 1981 Hahn, Rescue 4 – 1984 Autocar/Saulsbury
Members – Scott Krell, Robert Dreitlein Sr., Dave Ferguson, Mark Rubacky, Lt. Steve McGraw, Tom Catalino?, Steve Rubacky, Frank Brandao, John Kennedy, Lt. Ken Filow, Geoff Maes, Ed Laduke, Bill Siemers, Ron Sorrentino?

 

704 Calls answered by Station 4 in 1991 (April 18th -December 31st)

 

Fire Station Four was constructed in 1991 to meet the increasing demands associated with the growth and emergency responses in the northern and central response areas of the district that occurred throughout the 1980’s. Located on Oswego Road/Route 57 across from Seneca Mall, it has three apparatus bays, sleeping quarters, meeting and day rooms, and offices. The fire station’s response first due district was a composite of areas formally covered by Station One and Station Two, with its first manning compliment comprised of personnel from both respective stations. Original Station Four personnel included twenty-four firefighters. Currently, Station Four has 27 members

 

 

 

March 5th, 1991

 

Woman Plans To Sue Over Fire Truck Accident

 

The Post-Standard

 

By John O’Brien

 

At least one person plans to sue the Moyers Corners Fire Department over injuries she suffered last year when a fire truck crashed through the back wall of the firehouse into a children's Christmas party. Kathleen Chura, 27, filed a notice of claim two weeks ago, saying she intends to sue the fire department over its failure to properly maintain the fire truck before the Dec. 15 accident. The driver of the fire truck, Richard Chicallo, told police the accelerator pedal dropped to the floor and that he could not get it unstuck before the truck smashed through the wall at the firehouse at the corner of routes 57 and 31 in Clay. Just minutes before the crash, the pedal stuck two other times as Chicallo was en route to the firehouse, he told police. But he was able to easily free it with his foot, Chicallo said. An inspection of the fire truck by the state Department of Transportation showed the gas pedal stuck because it was connected to the fuel injector by a rusty part that needed lubrication. 

The emergency engine shut-off system also was not working because of a loose wire, the DOT inspection showed. Chura claims the accident was the result of the fire department's negligence in its inspection, maintenance and operation of the fire engine, a 1976 pumper truck. She suffered a broken right foot, a sprained ankle, and bruises and injuries to her back and legs. Chura's aunt, Kathleen Murdock, 88, also was injured in the crash. Murdock has retained William Lynn, who is also Chura's lawyer. Murdock, who suffered broken ribs in the accident, was hospitalized for three weeks. Lynn said he plans to file a notice of claim for Murdock before a three-month deadline expires. Nine other people were injured in the crash, in which the fire truck plowed through a rear wall at Station 1. A lawyer for the fire department could not be reached for comment. Chicallo, a volunteer firefighter, was transporting David Evans, another volunteer firefighter who was dressed as Santa Claus. ``We were planning to surprise a group of children . . . with the appearance of Santa Claus,'' Chicallo said in his statement to police. ``I have no idea what caused the accelerator to drop to the floor like it did.''

 

 

 

March 22nd, 1991
By Molly Fennel, Staff Writer Syracuse Post Standard:

 

Growth promps call for fourth Moyers Corners firehouse

 

The MCFD is adding a fourth fire station so volunteers can respond more quickly to fires and other emergencies in the rapidly developing district. If events go according to plan, the fire department will break ground on the 625k building in July and move in sometime in February 1990, said Scott Krell, chairman of the construction committee. “There are lots of new developments off Soule Road, and our other stations are just too far away” Krell said. “Hopefully, with this station we can cut down on response time”. The new station will sit on the east side of route 57 north of Seneca Mall. The location is about two miles south of MCFD Station 1. Moyers Corners Fire Chief Chet Fritz said the department conducted a survey of the fire district and found so much growth in the Soule Road area they decided to build the new station near there. The department will redistribute its existing equipment and staff when the fourth station opens. Firefighters from Station 1 and firefighters from Station 2 will form the core of No. 4’s staff, Krell said. The department’s third station at Taft and Henry Clay will not be affected. In Addition, the department will create 15 positions for volunteer firefighters. Krell said he hopes a newly constructed firehouse will lure new volunteers at a time when they’re becoming scarce. “When Fire Station No. 1 was built, it was on the edge of our fire district, out in the sticks, “ he said. “With this firehouse being closer to peoples’ houses, it might get them to volunteer.” Krell said he lives near Soule Road and often became frustrated that it took him so long to get to Fire Station No. 1 to respond to fires. “I’d get out there and the trucks would already be gone,” he said. “This new one will be pretty much in my back yard, I plan to be one of the first responders.”

 

 

 

The Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department works under contract, with most of its fire protection district in the Town of Clay, one of the state’s fastest growing areas, Fritz said. Krell said money from the towns where Moyers Corners provides fire services will offset the construction and operating costs.  The MCFD includes more the 42,000 people and more the $1 billion in property, fire chief Fritz said. In 1988, the fire department responded to more than 1000 calls to fires and traffic accidents. Krell headed the committee that spent a year planning what the new fire hall should include. They recently hired architects from Hueber Hares Glavin to design the building and plan to award a construction bid by the end of May.

 

 

 

Fire Station No. 4 will be smaller than Moyers Corners’ other three fire houses. It will cover about 9000 square feet and have room for four pieces of equipment and gear for about 45 firefighters, Krell said.

 

Fire Station No. 4 will have a small lounge and kitchen are for the firefighters. IT also will provide a common place for the department’s executive offices, which now are spread across three stations. The fire department will start service from Station No. 4 with a rescue truck and a pumper, Krell said. Fritz said the department also will order new jackets and boots for the volunteers out of Station No. 4. By contrast, the other three stations have room for a least six pieces of firefighting equipment. Fire Station No. 1 includes a recreation room and banquet, kitchen, and dining room.

 

 

 

By Molly Fennel, Staff Writer Syracuse Post Standard

 

 

 

April 15th, 1991

 

Ambulance Mega-Merger

 

The Post-Standard

 

By Charley Hannagan

 

TALKS ARE under way among four groups to create a super ambulance corps serving more than 150,000 people in the county's northern suburbs. The merger of the Moyers Corners Volunteer Fire Department Ambulance Corps, the Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps, Liverpool Volunteer Fire Department Ambulance Squad and North Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps would produce a corps that would serve northeastern Onondaga County, which includes some of the fastest growing areas in Central New York. ``We thought that by merging, we could provide better patient care,'' said Michael J. Begnoche, administrator of the Moyers Corners Ambulance Corps. The proposed merger was prompted by some corps' need to become financially stable and to pool resources and volunteers, ambulance officials said. The super corps would have more than 240 volunteers, 12 ambulances and three medic cars to serve Baldwinsville, Liverpool, Clay, Cicero, Salina, Lysander and Van Buren. Merging could be an advantage to everyone involved, say officials exploring the proposal. 

All of the corps survive on donations or fund-raisers, and a merger would provide much needed cash to less profitable corps. Two of the corps, Moyers Corners and Liverpool, are associated with fire departments, which limits their ability to bill insurance companies for their services, Begnoche said. It takes $120,000 to operate his corps, and most of that money comes from donations, he said. Because the Moyers Corners Fire Department is a non-profit group, it can't give financial aid to the ambulance corps, he said. The department does, however, provide the corps with free space to run its operations, Begnoche said. Moyers Corners wants to bill insurance companies for ambulance service, Begnoche said. But, he said, ``As long as we're associated with a fire department we can't do that.'' Corps that aren't associated with fire departments, such as NAVAC, can bill insurance companies, he said. Billing is one way for squads that are continually squeezed for funds to stay alive, ambulance officials said. Volunteers charge a much lower fee than those charged by private ambulance services, they said. ``Billing for services is one way to keep a volunteer status and not charge what a commercial ambulance charges,'' said John Muldoon, chairman of the Liverpool ambulance committee exploring the merger. 

Moyers Corners' desire to merge with another ambulance squad to become financially stable was circulating on the grapevine when it was picked up by people in Baldwinsville, said David S. Weller, Baldwinsville's director of operations. The corps then approached Moyers Corners about a possible merger, he said. Baldwinsville's corps was organized in 1962 and is one of the oldest in the state. It's not associated with a fire department, and doesn't need a merger to stay profitable, he said. ``We're financially stable,'' Weller said. It approached Moyers Corners about a merger because the corps is interested in pooling its resources and volunteers to provide better service to the community, Weller said. The corps currently has three ambulances and a ``fly car'' designed to arrive at the scene with equipment and a medic before an ambulance. It also has 60 volunteers and one full-time paid person to supplement volunteers during the day. ``That still left us short somedays,'' Weller said. Baldwinsville's members have told corps executives to ``cautiously'' move ahead with merger negotiations. Moyers Corners' members also have given the go-ahead to their officials. 

Meanwhile, Liverpool and NAVAC officials have yet to approach their members with the proposal. There just aren't enough facts yet to make a decision, Muldoon said. The talks are still in the early stages, and there are still many questions to be answered before a merger takes place. It will be at least six months to a year before a merger occurs, Weller said. ``We're going to have to map this out very well before it takes place, and look at the pros and cons very carefully,'' he said. ``I think we can make it work.'' No one knows where the headquarters for the super corps would be located, or what form the organizational structure would take. 
``There's a tremendous amount of compromise that has to occur for the groups to make the merger friendly,'' said Dickran S. Garbooshian, director of NAVAC, the largest of the four corps. Garbooshian said he's cautious about a merger, but he's willing to work with the other groups to assist them with the proposals. There's not enough information available for the county to give to bless or curse the proposal, according to Ronald R. Hernandez, director of the county's Emergency Medical Services Bureau. ``If that helps them by sharing resources, that's fine. If it just becomes a larger group with not enough people there could be problems,'' he said. While police departments have merged to provide better service, the talks under way are the first to involve ambulance corps, Hernandez said. The merger doesn't need state or county approval to take place, he said. While the corps are cautious, officials said they feel that something needs to be done to improve service. 
``I think it's to the point now we have to join resources to work toward a common goal,'' Muldoon said.

 

 

 

May 1991

 

MCFD Banquet

 

 

 

May 6th, 1991

 

Auxiliary Installation Banquet at Pensebene’s Park West

 

 

 

May 26th, 1991

 

Herald Journal, Brian Carr

 

Ambulance service sounds financial siren

 

The Moyers Corners ambulance service says it needs money. The backup ambulance is up for sale, and the service has approached three other ambulance districts about the possibility of merging. At the current rate, officials say, the service will be broke in eight months. The 52 ambulance workers and volunteers will start a door-to-door fund-raising drive next month, something they haven't done for years."Our backs are against the wall," said Moyers Corners ambulance spokesman Michael Begnoche. "We are also considering the possibility of having to divest from the fire department and start third-party billing, which is what NA VAC does." The North Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the area's largest volunteer ambulance service, began charging patients S150 per can in June 1990. “We anticipate we will be able to stay in business for probably another six to eight months,” Begnoche said. “After that, it depends on our fund drive.” It takes 5120,000 a year to operate the two Moyers Corners ambulances, stationed at the corner of Routes 57 and 31 and the intersection of Morgan and Buckley Roads in Clay. "We are in trouble financially." said assistant ambulance administrator Jerry Streeter. "People just aren't able to give as much as years ago. But like everything else our expenses are going up."  The Moyers Corners ambulances have been in operation for 11 years, covering an area from Horseshoe Island to the north to Electronics Parkway to the south.

 

 

 

The area has 20.000 homes and business and about 65,500 residents, Begnoche said. Although the ambulances are housed in fire stations, the Moyers Corners service does not run on tax dollars. It depends on private donations. "The ambulance is part of the fire department, but it is a separate medical rescue squad," said Stephen Wisely, president of the Moyers Corners Fire Department board. "They do not get taxpayer's money." Much of the financial crunch comes from the purchase of a 594,000 ambulance in 1989 and a S62.000 ambulance in 1990 to replace other ambulances that were breaking down. They were bought on the assumption that if private donations fell off. the ambulance company could start third-party billing — charging insurance companies for the ambulance runs. But sjnce Moyers Corners is a part of the fire department, it cannot issue bills."We have spoken to NAVAC, Liverpool and Baldwinsville about the possibility of merging," Begnoche said, adding that discussions are still in the early stages. The fire department would not be merged.

 

 

 

May 28th, 1991

 

Herald Journal

 

Rescue company on the rocks, Moyers corners says it could be broke within eight months

 

Brian Carr

 

The Moyers Corners ambulance service says it need money, stat. The backup ambulance is up for sale, and the service has approached three other ambulance districts about the possibility of merging. At the current rate, officials say, the service will be broke in eight months. The 52 ambulance workers and volunteers will start a door-to-door fund raising drive next month, something they haven't done for years. "Our backs are against the wail," said Moyers Corners ambulance spokesman Michael Begnoche. "We are also considering the possibility of having to divest from the fire department and start third-party billing, which is which is what NAVAC does." The North Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the area’s largest volunteer ambulance service, began charging patients S150 per call in June 1990. "We anticipate we will be able to stay in business for probably another six to eight months," Begnoche said. "After that depends on our fund drive." It takes 5120,000 a year to operate the two Moyers Corners ambulances, stationed at the corner of Routes 57 and 31 and the intersection of Morgan and Buckley Roads in Clay. The Moyers Corners ambulances have been in operation for 11 years, covering from Horseshoe Island to the North to Electronics Parkway to the south. There are 20.000 homes and business in their service area, and about 65,500 residents. Begnoche said. "We have spoken to NAVAC, Liverpool and Baldwinsville about the possibility of merging." he said, adding that discussions are still in the early stages. The fire department would not be merged.

 

 

 

June 9th, 1991

 

Auxiliary Chicken BBQ at Station 1

 

Martha Arnold chaired the event which was very successful.

 

New Pictures

 

 

 

June 10th, 1991 
Engine 12 – Hush goes in service as Engine 41

 

 

 

June 12th, 1991

 

Station 4 Grand Opening

 

 

 

June 14th, 1991
Mutual Aid To NSFD – Agway Store Fire

 

Hazmat 3 and BC3 responded

 

 

 

June 20th, 1991
Route 57 and John Glenn Boulevard

 

Rescue 4, Engine 22, Ambulance 1, Eastern Amulance responded to a roll over accident with a full arrest.

 

 

 

June 20th, 1991

 

Driver Killed as Car Creeps Past Red Light

 

Herald Journal

 

By Charles Miller
A 56-year-old Liverpool woman was killed today and a Bridgeport man seriously injured when their vehicles collided in the town of Clay, Onondaga County sheriff's deputies said.  Leatrice Rodriguez of 2310 Chancery Lane was southbound on Route 57 and stopped at a red light at the intersection with John Glenn Boulevard in Clay.  At 6:15 a.m., her 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier crept past the light into the path of an oncoming pickup truck, witnesses told investigators.  ``She had a red light and should have been stopped,'' sheriff's spokesman Robert Burns said. ``Her car slowly moved forward. We still don't know why she was going through the light.''  Tracey A. Bort, 33, of Bridgeport was driving his 1987 Ford pickup truck westbound on John Glenn Boulevard. He stepped on the brakes but crashed broadside into the woman's car, deputies said.  Bort's truck flipped onto its side.  Deputies said he was traveling 55 mph, the speed limit.  They theorized that Rodriguez may have leaned over or inadvertantly taken her foot off her brake pedal.  Rescue workers from the Moyers Corner Fire Department removed Bort from his truck at about 6:30 a.m. He was taken to University Hospital, where he was being treated for multiple injuries. A nursing supervisor listed his condition as serious. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

 

 

June 29th, 1991
Route 57 at Seneca Mall Entrance

 

Rescue 4, Engine 11, Ambulance 1, Eastern Ambulance responded to a Car vs. Pole with a full arrest.

 

 

 

July 8th, 1991

 

The Aftermath of a Fire

 

Herald Journal

 

Embers fade, but not bad dreams

 

In 1989, the average fire in Onondaga County caused $4,521 in damage, according to the state office of fire prevention and control. There are injuries — either to firefighters or residents — in six out of 10 fires.

 

"The damage really goes far beyond what people think," said Peter Alberti, acting fire coordinator for Onondaga County Fire Control. "Even a little smoke goes a long way." "ONCE THE fire department and investigators pick up and leave the scene, homeowners often find themselves in a loss of what to do," said Christopher Naum, a captain with the Moyers Corners Fire Department. "Homeowners are typically in a state of shock." That's partly because fires are much worse than what people see in movies. One example: the film "Backdraft"  depicts a scene in which the officer Kurt Russell emerges from a burning room holding a child in his arms. "This gives the public the wrong sense of what is survivable and a false sense of security of being able to get out easily if a fire occurs," said Naum, a firefighter for 16 years. "(Russell) does not have an airtank on, his coat is unbuttoned, the child is fully conscious, and there is l i t t l e smoke," said Naum. "In a real fire you would not have been able to see beyond the smoke, and the firefighter would not have survived like that, let alone the child."

 

 

 

July 17th, 1991
Engine 11, pictures

 

 

 

August 7th, 1991

 

Herald Journal

 

Solange, M. Louissaint

 

Ambulance corps plan merger
“Losing money, Moyers Corners decides to combine with Baldwinsville corps”

 

The Moyers Corners Ambulance Corps has decided to merge with another company because it cannot raise enough money to operate on its own. Moyers Corners members voted July 18 to consider a merger and corps officials later decided Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps would be a good partner, said Michael Begnoche, Moyers Corners ambulance administrator. The merger, still in the planning stages, will take six months to a year to finalize, said Greg Procopio, past director of the Greater Baldwinsville Ambulance Corps and must be approved by the state Department of Health. Officials have not decided on a name for the new unit. Moyers Corners was losing $60,000 a year, Begnoche said. An April mail fundraiser netted $35,000.Many of the financial problems come from the purchase of a $94,000 ambulance in 1989 and a $62,000 ambulance in 1990 to replace two others, Begnoche said. "The ambulances were six years old, which is a long time for an ambulance because they run pretty hard," he said. It costs $120,000 a year to operate the two Moyers Corners ambulances. One is stationed at the firehouse at routes 57 and 31; the other at intersection of Morgan and Buckley roads in Clay.

 

 

 

Linda Foster, a paramedic and past Moyers Corners Ambulance administrator, said some members feel the merger is being forced on them. "The members of the ambulance squad possible avenues of direction for the future of the squad," Foster said. Sixteen people voted to pursue the idea of a merger and 13 people voted not to merge but to consider a re-organization, Foster said. "That vote didn't say to merge with x department or y department. We seem to be locked into a merger with GBAC," she said. Begnoche said corps and fire department officials decided after the vote to merge with Baldwinsville. "Instead of just continuing informal meetings, the fire department felt it would be better to direct our efforts towards a merger with one department, and that being Baldwinsville," Begnoche said. "There's still the possibility that we could merge with somebody else," Begnoche said. If Moyers doesn't merge with Baldwinsville, officials would consider merging with the Phoenix or Liverpool ambulance corps, Begnoche said. Moyers Corners will be out in the fall to raise more money, he said. "If we could get an extra $70,000 a year, we might not have to merge," he said. James Hawley, president of the Baldwinsville corps since March, favors a merger. "The best thing we can do is pool our resources together which includes our medical personnel, our dollars and our equipment in an attempt to provide the best possible service we can," he said. Procopio said merging with Moyers Corners would allow the ambulance volunteers to raise more money. He said they would be able to supplement volunteer services with paid personnel. "We're providing patient care right now but there are times when we do not have enough advance life support providers on hand," Begnoche said. Baldwinsville has more advance life support providers, he said.

 

 

 

After the merger, the Moyers Corners' ambulance will no longer be housed at the fire departments, Begnoche said. The ambulances are going to be housed in the Moyers Corners district, but exactly where has yet to be decided, he said. Moyers Corners has been operating for 11 years. It includes 20,000 homes and businesses and provides service to about 65,500 residents. The area covers Horseshoe Island to the north to Electronics Parkway to the south. The Baldwinsville ambulance corps serves more than 50,000 people in Baldwinsville School District, Belgium Cold Springs Fire District, the Lakeside Fire District and portions of Phoenix and the Seneca River Fire District.

 

 

 

October 24th, 1991

 

Rummage Sale at Station 1. Doris Jackson, Christine Loop, Louise Gillespy chaired the event. $204.87 was made.

 

 

 

November 1991

 

Live Fire Training at Dewitt Tower Pictures

 

 

 

November 5th, 1991

 

1015 Cloister Court – Trailer Fire

 

 

 

November 22nd, 1991

 

2213 Cotswold Court

 

Trailer Fire

 

BC2, BC3, Car 3, Engine 21, Engine 31, Engine 32, Engine 11, Truck 1, Rescue 4
The Post Standard
By Mike Fish
A family in Liverpool lost most of their possessions when fire struck their trailer home, but their two dogs were saved because they weren't getting along.  Arlene and Carl Streiff lost their furnishings and probably most of their clothes, but Black Velvet, an 8-week-old Labrador retriever puppy, and Buttons, an 8-year-old chihuahua, escaped injury because they were learning to get along during a car ride. The fire started a few minutes after Arlene Streiff and her son Shawn, 14, left home to run an errand. Arlene Streiff, who has brought along the puppy on just about every car trip since she bought him Sunday, decided to bring the chihuahua, too. ``She's downright nasty,'' Streiff said of the older dog. ``We've been trying to get them to get along so they don't bark.'' The Moyers Corners and Belgium Cold Springs fire departments responded. Timothy Chura, battalion chief for Moyers Corners fire department , said the trailer at 2213 Cotswold Court in the Casual Estates trailer park, was heavily damaged by fire in the rear and by smoke and water throughout. It was not immediately clear what started the fire, which was called in at 12:08 p.m. The owners have eight other grown children, several of whom own homes in the area, including Paul, who took them in.

 

 

 

 

 

December 29th, 1991

 

Plymouth Meeting Apartments Building 6 – Structure Fire

 

Cars 1,2,3 BC2,3, Truck 1, Engine 11, Rescue 4, Engine 41, Engine 11, M1, Engine 21, Engine 22, Truck 2, Engine 31, Engine 32, Hazmat 3

 

 

 

1992
Chief 
 First Deputy Chief: 
Second Deputy Chief 
Battalion 1 Chief 
Battalion 2 Chief 
Battalion 3 Chief John Perkins
Station 1 Captain
Station 2 Captains 
Station 3 Captains 
Station 4 Captain 
Station 1 Lieutenants:

 

Station 2 Lieutenants:

 

Station 3 Lieutenants:

 

Station 4 Lieutenants: 

 

Executive Board
 President 
Vice President 
Secretary, Assistant Secretary 
Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer 

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Dave Ferguson

 

 

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator, 1st Assistant, 2nd Assistant,
 3rd Assistant

 

 

 

Auxiliary: President Cindy Houde, Vice President Lorraine Sahm, Recording Secretary Betty Hanlon,  Corresponding Secretary Jean Jones, Treasurer Sandy Morris, Chaplain Jo Guinta and Clara Marshall

 

 

 

Scholarship Winners: Jarod Blake and Kristin Race

 

New Apparatus: Engine 41 1992 E-One, later became Engine 12

 

News Channel 3 Story on Truck 2
Interview with Lieutenant Bob Driscoll:

 

“We have a lot of apartments and business, manufacturing in this area which would require us to have a piece like this to maintain our high standard of performance here. That’s the reason we do have a one-hundred foot aerial platform. It’s not that we have a lot of real tall buildings, but if we are operating from the road we are able to put our aerial out over these buildings to reach the inner most parts of them. That’s basically the reason why we have this. It’s a fine piece, it will continue to provide the best coverage we can give them out here as we have been all along. The old one is sitting in our station now, it’s for sale. It’s being advertised. It’s still in service until we get enough people qualified on the new piece. The other one is still running, it’s still in service. It’s twenty-two years old and that’s one of the major reasons why we have replaced it. We are hoping the new one is up and running somewhere around February 16th. As long as we have enough people that are qualified to drive it and operate it. The old waterhog will still be around.”

 

January 21st, 1992
Fire Aftermath
Post Standard
Picture
Fire Investigator Marty Judge shovels out debris in the search of a cause of a fire in a mobile home at 6713 Ebury Court in Clay. No injuries were reported. The fire was reported at 1:30pm. The occupants of the mobile home, Mark Lovejoy and David Stone, were not home.

 

March 6th, 1992
Auxiliary Fish Dinner at Station 1. Norma Guinta and Sue Romanick co-chaired. The auxiliary had four fish dinners in 1992. In total, 1,074 adults and 59 children were served with a profit of $2,160.47. 
New Pictures

 

March 16th, 1992
Post Standard
Volunteer Firefighters accused of sounding false alarms at hotel
A Moyers Corners volunteer firefighter set off two false fire alarms Saturday at Hotels at Syracuse Square, then tried to force people to evacuate by yelling at them and barged into their rooms, police said. Scott E. Hughes, 28, of Liverpool is accused of setting off alarms that reverberated through four floors of the hotel during the St. Patrick’s Day celebration, police said. After the alarms went off, Hughes shouted to people on the third and fourth floors that they should leave the building, police said. He also forced his way into three rooms and shoved the occupants toward their doors, insisting “that he was a fireman and that there was, indeed, a fire,” police said. In one room, police said, Hughes called the hotel operator and told her there was a fire in that room, police said. Hughes, who was later arrested in the 100 block of Harrison Street, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of falsely reporting an incident, police said.

 

March 30th, 1992
Drill house burn down, pictures

 

April 2nd, 1992 
Herald Journal
 Woman dies after rescue from fire  By Cindy E. Rodriguez

 

A Liverpool woman who had been trapped in her burning apartment died today, about 10 hours after Moyers Corners firefighters carried her from the building. Janet A. Haskell, 34, of the Case Grande Villa complex apartment A-8, died about 7 a.m. at University Hospital. The fire broke out at about 9 p.m. Wednesday. After the fire, a girl emerged from a car and ran to the front of the house screaming, “What happened to my mother?” It was Haskell’s 14 year old daughter, Tiffany. Tiffany and her friend, Mindy Manzietti, 16, were at Carousel Center when the fire began.

 

 

 

Lt. Dave Munski and firefighter Dan Siek arrived at the apartment complex a few minutes after the alarm at 9:13 p.m. They saw smoke coming from the apartment, one in a row of brick townhouse style apartments lining Grande Villa Drive, off Route 57. The door was open, so the two walked in. Munski led the way, and Siek followed with a hose. Haskell, wearing a purple cotton nightgown, was lying a few feet from the door on the carpet near a burning sofa. The room was filled with smoke. The temperature was about 250 degrees. Siek picked up Haskell under her arms and Munski carried her legs. They brought her to the front of the door, where paramedics took over. “My heart was pounding,” said Munski, who has been with the department five years but had never rescued anyone from a fire. “My adrenaline was flowing.”

 

 

 

Fire Chief Chet Fritz said the fire started on the sofa. The cause is being investigated, he said. The fire was confined to the apartment, which was damaged by heat and fire. No one else was injured. Through the shattered first-floor picture window, a few of the remains could be seen. All that was left of the sofa was the coil springs and frame, some of the remaining foam was the color of charcoal. Above the sofa’s frame, fire burned a hole in the ceiling sheetrock, exposing wooden planks.

 

 

 

News Interview with Chief Chet Fritz: 
“We had smoke showing and report of people trapped. We got inside and found a victim shortly after we got inside. Female..I have no idea how old she was. We got her out, got her some medical attention. We went an suppressed the fire. It was really charged with heat and smoke. There was no problem finding the building at all. When you got people trapped, you want to get them out of there you want to rescue them. We got to her as quickly as we could. Lieutenant Munski, Firefighter Siek and myself were the first three in. We grabbed her and got her outside. She was located about five or six feet in the front door. She looked to be in bad shape.”

 

 

 

April 3rd, 1992 
Truck Hauling acid waste overturns in Town of Clay 
Herald Journal
 Jeff Light

 

A tanker truck full of acid waste overturned today at Morgan and Crown roads in Clay. Police closed the roads as a precaution. A little acid spilled but nobody was hurt. Emergency spill teams from the state DEC were called to oversee the transfer of the acid to another truck. “The truck has had only a small amount of leakage right at the valve,” said DEC spokeswoman Kate Lacey. She said the tanker contained ferrous chloride, an acid waste material from a pickling operation.

 

Picture of driscoll and Jennings…by Mike Waters

 

Eagle Brook Tanker

 

 

 

April 4th, 1992

 

Auxiliary Spring Craft Show at Station 1. Sandy Morris chaired the event with a profit of $2,401.23.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 14th, 1992
Fire Destroys a trailer in the town of clay
Herald Journal
By Amber Smith

 

A fire this morning destroyed a trailer in Casual Estates in the town of Clay. Fire investigators are looking for a cause. 

Moyers Corners Fire Department Battalion Chief John Perkins said the trailer at 3523 Berkeley Court was ``burning end to end. They couldn't get inside when they got here.''

 

 

 

May 15th, 1992
Trailer fire, pictures

 

 

 

May 18th, 1992

 

Auxiliary Installation Banquet at Red Door North in Pennellville.

 

President Cindy Houde, Vice President Lorraine Sahm, Recording Secretary Betty Hanlon, Corresponding Secretary Jean Jones, Treasurer Sandy Morris.

 

 

 

May 21st, 1992
Truck gallery, pictures

 

 

 

May 25th, 1992

 

Herald Journal

 

Volunteer fire companies may merge..exerpt

 

Chet Fritz is chief of Moyers Corners, one of the biggest volunteer fire departments in the county He likes the idea of a consolidated purchasing ageno bu>mg such things as tires and hoses getting lower prices by buying in volume But he said the department doesn't want to grow because the administrative duties are already equal to a full-time job He said fire departments next to Moyers Corners work together, responding to each other's fires at times to make sure someone is at the scene quickly. Gone are the days when firefighters would be lambasted for arriving after a rival department "We've evolved to the point where we’re saying. 'Let's look at the big picture, we're here to serv e the public." 'he said

 

 

 

June 1992

 

MCFD Demonstration at K-Mart Seneca Mall. 
Members of the MCFD were on hand to demonstrate to children the clothing they wear while fighting fires to protect themselves. The auxiliary purchased the equipment for the fire department.

 

 

 

June 18th, 1992

 

MCFD and Auxiliary Scholarship winners Jarod Blake and Kristin Race New Pictures

 

 

 

August 30th, 1992

 

Chicken BBQ at Station 1. Norma Guinta chaired the event. Fed 307 people with a profit of $1,015.20. Winner of the 50/50 raffle was Nick Zewiecki. Left over chicken was donated to the Unity Kitchen of Syracuse.

 

 

 

September 23rd, 1992

 

Man’s Death Seen As Suicide

 

The Post-Standard

 

By Scott Scanlon
The widow of a Liverpool man who drowned in the Oneida River Tuesday morning believes her husband took his life because he was upset about his diabetes. Guy E. Hamilton, 74, of 4320 Arlington Circle, Apt. F-4, was diagnosed with the condition about two months ago, Rita Hamilton said. Since then, her husband had been lethargic and had trouble sleeping, she said, adding that even prescription sleeping pills didn't help. His listlessness caused him to leave a security job at hypodermic needle-making business in North Syracuse last week, she said. Rita Hamilton said she had talked to her husband several times, telling him that diabetes is common and treatable, but that he remained "very depressed." Hamilton left his apartment sometime before 8 a.m. "fully aware of what he was doing," his wife said. She said he did not tell her where he was going and did not take his billfold. 

About 10:40 a.m., a woman stopped at the Three Rivers Apartments in Clay, at the south end of the Three Rivers Bridge, and told manager Rie Still that a man was floating near the north shore of the river. "I just snapped to action," said Still, a certified nurse's aide. She called the Moyers Corners Fire Department , then ran across the bridge and waded into the water up to her knees. She then pulled Hamilton to the rocky river bank under the north end of the bridge. Hamilton's two-toned blue Ford station wagon was parked along a fence nearby, on an access road off county Route 57. Still's only thoughts, she said, were "getting the man out, praying for God to help me, and hoping just a little bit that I could revive him." Kenneth Keeney, who lives just west of the bridge, was having coffee with his wife when they heard a commotion outside. He held Hamilton as Still tried to revive him. "There was no pulse," Keeney said. Rescue workers from the Phoenix and Moyers Corners fire departments also tried to revive Hamilton, who was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse by Moyers Corners Volunteer Ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the hospital at 11:33 a.m.

 

 

 

 

 

October 22nd, 1992

 

Rummage Sale at Station 1. Doris Jackson and Natalie Hunter chaired the event with a profit of $362.62. Left over coats and mittens were donated to the Baldwinsville Baptist Church.

 

 

 

November 10th, 1992
Persimmon Path Fire, pictures
 News Interview with Chet Fritz:
“When we pulled up this house was fully involved. Espcially in the garage area extending up to the second floor bedroom quarters. We got some lines on it, we got inside, we cut the fire off. We’ve thrown some tarps in there in the living room and I guess what is the dining area but there is extensive damage here this evening, or this morning I should say.”

 

December 13th 1992 – Tri-R Fire
Chet Fritz: Ron Turiello was the Chief in charge of the Bayberry fire and it may be well to get his recollecions of that event. It may have been one of our "finest hours" in terms of the Department's efforts. Bud Newman was in the helocopter that day overseeing our efforts and he might have information to add.

 

 

 

December 14th, 1992

 

Herald Journal

 

Katherine Scobey

 

Fire rips two shops in Bayberry plaza

 

A drug store and a hair salon were ruined in a fire in the Bayberry Shopping Center Sunday. Investigators

 

are looking for a cause Shoppers and employees in Tri R Drugs fled the building without injury when fire broke out at about 12 20 p m., said Ron Turiello, battalion chief of Moyers Corners Fire Department Tri-R Drugs and Bayberry Hairstylists were damaged severely. Two other businesses, Lucky House Chinese take-out and Bayberry Dental Office, were damaged by smoke and when firefighters cut open the roof to stop the spread of fire, Turiello said. Fire investigators had to stop their search for a cause Sunday when the roof partially collapsed, said Peter Alberti, assistant fire coordinator for Onondaga County. The investigation was to continue today with a professional wrecking crew to make sure the roof is safe.

 

 

 

The Bayberry Shopping Center is owned by Joseph Jankowski, Turiello said Next to Tn-R Drugs is a vacant Big M market, it was not damaged The fire sent a mushroom of dark gray smoke into the bright blue sky over Clay. Traffic slowed to a crawl on Route 57. People milled around the parking lot of the plaza, watching firefighters work and taking pictures. Six volunteer fire departments fought the fire Moyers Corners, Liverpool, North Syracuse, Clay, Belgium-Cold Springs and Baldwinsville  Five firefighters suffered minor injuries, Turiello said. Two were burned on the neck by hot tar dripping from the roof One cut his eye, one suffered heat exhaustion, and one was hit by a falling shelf. All were treated at the scene.

 

 

 

December 14th, 1992

 

Fire guts two shops in Bayberry Plaza

 

Herald Journal

 

Jim Reilly

 

Twenty hours after fire ruined his drugstore and damaged his Bayberry Shopping Center in Clay, Joe Jankowski was regrouping and rebuilding. Fire destroyed the Tri-R Neighborhood Pharmacy and an adjacent barber shop and beauty salon Sunday afternoon and damaged at least two other stores in the Bayberry plaza along Route 57 Investigators this morning were looking for the cause of the blaze. Jankowski said he blames a heater in the barber shop, which shares a wall with the drugstore. More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze, reported at 12:20 p.m. Five suffered minor injuries. Two were burned on the neck by hot tar dripping from the roof. One cut his eye, one suffered heat exhaustion, and one was hit by a falling shelf. All were treated at the scene. "Some guys took a hell of a beating yesterday," said Moyers Corners Fire Chief Chet Fritz today. "That whole mall could have burned down if the guys hadn't gotten inside and done some good aggressive work under some damn dangerous conditions." "My biggest priority right now is getting people's prescriptions filled," Jankowski said this morning. Calls to the Bayberry Tri-R were being rerouted to the Phoenix store, one of five he owns. By 8 a.m. today, he had a crew in adjacent to the drug store, hammering together a makeshift pharmacy. The store is vacant; Jankowski  "This is the worst time of year to be out of business," he said. He said he hoped to have the owners of the Lucky House Chinese restaurant and Bayberry Dental Center back in business by today or Tuesday. It will take a lot longer for his drugstore and the barber shop and beauty salon. Jankowski estimated his losses between $2 million and $5 million

 

 

 

December 14th, 1992
Auxiliary Christmas Banquet at the Cobblestone Hotel, Liverpool. President Cindy Houde presented Hatie Karker with a poinsettia from the auxiliary to enjoy during the holiday season.

 

1993
Chief Chet Fritz
 First Deputy Chief: Greg Tiner
Second Deputy Chief Tim Chura
Battalion 1 Chief Ken Filow
Battalion 2 Chief Ron Turiello
Battalion 3 Chief John Perkins
Station 1 Captain Greg Mazza
Station 2 Captains Steve Bressette, Colin Bailey
Station 3 Captains Ed Wisnowski, Jeff Wisely 
Station 4 Captain Steve McGraw
Station 1 Lieutenants: Greg Wild, Rich Chicallo

 

Station 2 Lieutenants: Bob Driscoll, Steve Fedorko, Mike Alder, Bob Michelson

 

Station 3 Lieutenants: Steve Dembowski, Ed Stevens, Jim Wisnowski

 

Station 4 Lieutenants: Shawn Crispin, Steve Rubacky

 

Executive Board
 President Frank Brandaio
Vice President Richard Perkins 
Secretary Dan Miller, Assistant Secretary Jim McGork 
Treasurer Mike LeFebvre, Assistant Treasurer Geoff Maes 

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Dick Kyle, Dave Ferguson

 

 

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Bill Gonsa, 1st Russ Ziskind, 2nd Assistant Dale Cuny,
 3rd Assistant Fred Sears

 

 

 

Auxiliary: President Cindy Houde, Vice President Lorraine Sahm, Recording Secretary Joyce Bressette/Marta Arnold,  Corresponding Secretary Jean Jones, Treasurer Sandy Morris, Chaplain Jo Guinta

 

 

 

New Apparatus: E11, E-One Glider Kit using the 1976 Hahn

 

 

 

Chet Fritz final year as Department Chief. His thoughts and accomplishments as he remembers: On my watch as Chief I think the most important thing accomplished was having the late Willie Michaelson as the departments rep to the town Planning Board. No commercial structures built in the town, including the GNM, were constructed without hydrants 250' from a standpipe. Not only that, but roads were built that circled all COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES wide enough to accomodate the outriggers on our aerial pieces. Willie was always asked prior to the Planning Board giving permission for the contractor to build if the plans were satisfactory to MCFD. Past Captain Chris Naum did yeoman service with his fire protection work on the GNM. "LOSAP" was established on my watch with the then laison to the town Morley Turner a Counselor.

 

March 27th, 1993

 

Auxiliary Spring Craft show. Sandy Morris was the chairperson.

 

 

 

March 28th, 1993
Candlelight Circle Fire

 

April 1993
Gettman Road burndown, pictures

 

April 1st, 1993

 

Saved by the bag

 

Herald Journal

 

Article Picture

 

An Onondaga County sheriff’s deputy and a truck driver escaped serious injury Thursday when their vehicles collided in a spectacular looking crash in the Town of Clay. Saintarno Estime, 34 of Newark, NJ was driving south on Henry Clay Boulevard about 9:30am when his tractor spun and slid sideways into Deputy Michael T. LeFebvre’s car. Upon impact, the air bag in the patrol car inflated, saving LeFebvre from serious injury.

 

Note: At the time of the accident, 

 

Mike LeFebvre was an active member of the MCFD, firefighter/medic, and dept Treasurer.

 

 

 

April 4th, 1993
Horseshoe Island Fire

 

Flooding hampers fire operations, fire engine gets stuck and has to be towed back to dry land. Firefighters were called to the same street the night before to rescue a woman and her child from the flooding.

 

Interview with Chief Chet Fritz: “You can prepare, but a fire truck is a fire truck. Until you can put pontoons on it, you sort of got to go with the flow.”

 

 

 

April 10th, 1993

 

Herald Journal

 

Vacant home in Clay is destroyed by fire

 

Dan Kane

 

An old vacant home along the Oneida River in the town of Clay burned to the ground Friday afternoon. Firefighters from Moyers Corners and Phoenix responded to the blaze on Bonstead Road, which was called in to 911 at 12:53 p.m. The cause of the fire was under investigation. "The house was fully involved, nobody was in there, it took us about 15 minutes to knock it down," said Moyers Corners Battalion Chief Ken Filow. Filow said the 2 story home was about 70 years old and had been vacant for about two years. There were no injuries.

 

 

 

May 1993

 

MCFD and Auxiliary Scholarship winners Michael G. Brown and Stephanie Cuny.

 

Picture

 

 

 

Pictures

 

 

 

May 17th, 1993

 

Auxiliary Installation Banquet at Green Gate Inn, Camillus. Lorraine Sahm was presented with a 40 year member pin, a gift and a cake.

 

President Cindy Houde, Vice President Lorraine Sahm, Recording Secretary Natalie Hunter, Corresponding Secretary Brenda Kennedy, Treasurer Sandy Morris.

 

Picture of Lorraine

 

 

 

June 1st, 1993

 

Route 57 MVC, pictures

 

 

 

June 27th, 1993
Marcellus Hazardous Materials Waste Fire Forces Evacuation
Syracuse Herald American
By Leslie Eimas
A hazardous material burst into flames Saturday afternoon, forcing 15 to 20 residents from their homes in the village of Marcellus.   Firefighters trained to work with hazardous materials contained the substance at 11 p.m. Saturday, more than 10 hours after the fire started in the driveway of 34 E. Main St.  About 10 people who were near the substance before it was identified as a hazard were showered off in Onondaga County's decontamination unit, said Ron Hernandez, county emergency medical services coordinator.  Those evacuated from a one-block area of the village were taken to the Marcellus Fire Station on Slate Hill Road.  Rescuers were called to East Main Street about 12:40 p.m. when Irene Burke noticed that a cardboard box containing a 5-gallon pail had caught fire in her driveway, said Jim Rossiter, Marcellus fire chief. 

"The moisture from the rain reacted with the chemical in the pail," Rossiter said. "It got so hot the box started burning."  The rain doused the fire , but an unusual pink smoke rose from the box, he said.  Burke put the box in the driveway because she was having work done on her garage. She said the pail had been there for years and she did not know what was in it.  Stephen Wisely, deputy fire coordinator for hazardous materials, said the substance was a caustic, and was probably an old cleaner.  By 3:30 p.m. the county's hazardous materials team - made up of firefighters from several departments - had put the substance in a barrel and left the scene. 

Then Allwash of Syracuse, an industrial cleaning service, was called to remove the barrel.  At about 6 p.m., the hazardous material team was called back because the substance started to foam and smoke when Allwash tried to neutralize it.  "When they started taking it out of the barrel, it became unstable again," Hernandez said. Firefighters donned protective gear before approaching the barrel. At 9:45 p.m., they asked about wind speeds. Dispatchers from the 911 center reported winds were southwesterly, at 3 to 4 mph.  At 11 p.m., Allwash workers had sealed the substance in a container that would go to a New York State Department of Transportation holding site, Wisely said.  Experts from the Department of Environmental Conservation will select a permanent resting site for the container next week, he said.  Firefighters from Clay, Elbridge, Howlett Hill, Moyers Corners , North Syracuse and Skaneateles responded to the call as members of the hazardous material team.

 

 

 

August 1993
1001 Graduates, pictures

 

 

 

September 19th, 1993

 

Benefit for MCFD Firefighter Andy Schiano held at Station 1. In the spring of 1993 one of our fire department members, Andy Schiano, suffered a serious injury on the job falling approximately 18 feet damaging both legs. After several operations and months in the hospital and rehabilitation, the auxiliary learned that the family was having financial trouble. The auxiliary held a benefit pancake breakfast to raise funds to help the family out. 169 adults, 33 senior citizens, 22 kids, 32 workers were served. Profit from the breakfast and donation from the fire department totaled $2,541.47.

 

 

 

September 22nd, 1993

 

Herald Journal

 

What, isn’t being fire chief enough??

 

Laurel Rogers

 

Four days a week John Marko wakes at 6 a m to get ready for his shift as a senior paramedic at Eastern Paramedics of Syracuse. His shift starts at 7am by checking the equipment and supplies in the ambulance he 11 spend most of the next 12 hours in If there isn't an emergency, he and his partner will drive to an assigned post in the city and wait for a call from a dispatcher When his shift ends at 7pm Marko usually doesn’t go straight home.  He stops to see what's happening at the Jamesville Volunteer Fire Department He's the chief He puts in 30 Lo 60 hours a week at the fire station he said Marko is one of the only volunteers in Onondaga County to be a fire chief and a paramedic "I've always got something to do," said Marko, 28, 4686 North St, Jamesville. "I’ll never be bored". Meeting credentials to be a paramedic and fire chief is no easy task. It is a "rare combination," said Tony DiGregono, assistant director of Emergency Medical Services and a battalion chief for the Baldwinsville Volunteer Fire Department ' John has tried very hard lo get what he achieved," DiGregorio said "That's an accomplishment." Does Marko view his achievements as rare "To be honest with you, I never thought of it until it was brought up," Marko said. "I just kind of worked my way up." He admits it took many hours to get lo where he is. "You're making a big commitment," Marko said "I'm serious about it and went and took extra training". His interest in emergency service started when he was 6 or 7 years old. "I just liked helping people," Marko said His brother, Theodore 44, was also a member of the fire department and worked for Eastern for about 19 years. In 1978, at 14 years old, John Marko became a junior firefighter for Jamesville He's been with the department ever since. In 1982, as a senior at Jamesville-DeWitt High School, Marko completed a course to be a certified emergency medical technician That was the first step to becoming a paramedic He started working as an EMT for high school In 1985, Marko was certified as a critical care technician In 1988, he obtained his paramedic certification, advancing to senior paramedic at Eastern "It's an exciting job," Marko said "If you can save one life that can make you feel good " At the fire department, Marko has been captain and 1st assistant chief.  He’s also taken non-required, fire-related courses in this area and at the state Fire Academy in Montour Falls. Marko also has worked for the Fayetteville and Moyers Corners fire department. Marko gets a lot from volunteering at the fire station "(I'm) donating my free time to the community, working with the volunteers in the department and I'm getting a lot of good administrative experience," Marko said "And putting all the hours of training that I have to use " Marko admits it's sometimes hard to juggle his time between home and work, he doesn't mind working close to 70 to 100 hours a week His wife, Jacqueline, 29, who works full time for Spectrum Office Products, has always been supportive, he said Marko wouldn't change a thing

 

"I'm sure I'll be in the fire and paramedic business for the rest of my career, ' Marko said. "I feel pretty good

 

about what I've done so far "

 

 

 

October 24th, 1993

 

Auxiliary Chicken BBQ at Station 1. Natalie Hunter and Lorraine Sahm chaired the event with a profit of $864.07.

 

Pictures

 

 

 

December 22nd, 1993

 

American Red Cross Blood Drive at Station 1.

 

1994
Chief Greg Tiner
 First Deputy Chief: Tim Chura
Second Deputy Chief Ron Turiello
Battalion 1 Chief Ken Filow
Battalion 2 Chief Steve Bressette
Battalion 3 Chief John Perkins
Station 1 Captain Greg Wild
Station 2 Captains Steve Fedorko, Bob Driscoll
Station 3 Captains Ed Wisnowski, Ed Stevens 
Station 4 Captain Steve McGraw
Station 1 Lieutenants: Rich Bittel, Ron Florzykowski, Jim Zampini

 

Station 2 Lieutenants: Mike Alder, Mike Zaferakis, Bob Michelson, Colin Bailey
Station 3 Lieutenants: Jim Wisnowski, Steve Dembowski, Jason Blake, Mike Wick
Station 4 Lieutenants: Shawn Crispin, Chris McGraw

 

Executive Board
 President Richard Perkins
Vice President Greg Mazza 
Secretary Dan Miller, Assistant Secretary Ed Armstrong 
Treasurer Geoff Maes, Assistant Treasurer Robert Dreitlein Sr. 

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Tom Delasin, Dick Kyle, Dave Ferguson

 

 

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Russ Ziskind, 1st Dale Cuny, 2nd Assistant Deb O’Connell,
 3rd Assistant Paul Wells

 

 

 

Auxiliary: President Cindy Houde, Vice President Lorraine Sahm, Recording Secretary Natalie Hunter Corresponding Secretary Brenda Kennedy, Treasurer Sandy Morris, Chaplain Jo Guinta

 

Scholarship Winner: Victoria Jarvis

 

New Apparatus: Ford F350 Squad 4, Engine 31 E-One

 

 

 

1994 thoughts from Chet Fritz: With much help from many, our department went from a class "5" ISO rated agency to an ISO class "3" department. During one meeting with the ISO representative, Stu Fish, he said; "shut off the recording machine".W hen the machine was shut down he stated to those assembled MCFD was the best volunteer department he ever rated. This can be verafied by Greg Shaffer who was in attendance. I believe the year was 1994.

 

 

 

April 5th, 1994

 

Teen-age Girl Dies In Crash

 

The Post-Standard

 

By Mike McAndrew

 

A 16-year-old Clay girl apparently committed suicide by driving a car full-speed Monday into a cement wall at the Shops at Seneca mall after arguing with her father about buying her a new car, Onondaga County sheriff's deputies said. Bishop Ludden High School junior Nancy R. Armstrong died in the 1:45 p.m. crash, which left a 5-foot wide hole in the warehouse section of the Raymour & Flanigan furniture store at the former Seneca Mall. 
Armstrong telephoned her mother at work minutes before the crash and told her she would never see her again, said Bob Burns, sheriff's department spokesman. But Armstrong's father said he does not think his daughter tried to kill herself. He thinks his daughter's tendency to drive fast when she was upset is what caused the crash, Jessie Armstrong said. "I don't think it was a suicide to be quite honest with you," he said. "I hope it's not." Witnesses told deputies that Armstrong twice raced her mother's white 1992 Saturn down an access road between Clay Commons Mall and Seneca Mall. On the first pass, she veered to the left as she approached the building. On the second trip, she drove an estimated 40 mph straight into the furniture store's cement wall, making no attempt to stop or turn, witnesses told deputies. 

"There were no skid marks from her vehicle, whatsoever," said Deputy Thomas Ristoff. No one was injured inside the Route 57 store. "She's the last kid in the world you would expect to be contemplating that kind of thing at all," said Bishop Ludden teacher Tom Pietropaolo. "She's one of those kids who just bops up and down the hallway. I'm thinking, jeez, I just can't believe it." Armstrong lived with her father and mother, Georgann Armstrong, at 4185 Ursa Course. "We're going to miss her. That's for sure," Jessie Armstrong said of his youngest child. "She was lovely. And always happy." Monday, Armstrong called in sick and did not attend Bishop Ludden, school officials said. Armstrong and her father had argued Monday afternoon because she wanted a new car, detectives told Burns. Jessie Armstrong said his daughter was upset because they had just dropped off her 1987 Mercury Lynx at a automobile dealer's to be repaired. After telephoning her mother at her office at Syracuse University's Archibold Gym, Nancy headed to a 2 p.m. appointment at a tanning salon at Clay Commons, her father said. "She was speeding because she drives fast to begin with. Anything that gets her upset, she'll drive out of the driveway 40, 50 miles per hour. She drove out of here fast," he said. She was wearing a seat belt when her car sped down the quarter-mile long access road and slammed into the building, Burns said. 

Moyers Corners firefighters cut the top off Armstrong's car to try to free her but they were unable to save her life. Detectives will have her car examined to determine if mechanical problem helped cause the accident, Burns said. Bishop Ludden Principal Dennis Meehan said he started calling teachers and guidance counselors Monday afternoon after learning of the death, so they could be prepared to help students cope with their grief. 
Armstrong attended Liverpool public schools until high school, Pietropaolo said. He said she had adjusted well to the Catholic high school. Until this year, Armstrong was a sweeper on Ludden's girls' junior varsity soccer team and competed as a sprinter on the school's track team. This year, Armstrong did not try out for the soccer team, opting to concentrate on her school work and two jobs, instead. Armstrong worked part time at Lox Stocks & Bagels in downtown Syracuse and at L&N Seafood at Carousel Mall. She planned to attend college when she graduated from Bishop Ludden, her father said. Raymour and Flanigans remained open after the crash but sent its stock room workers home early because they were upset, said Jim Dillard, vice president of the corporation.

 

 

 

April 25th, 1994

 

Herald Journal

 

Man badly hurt after accident in Clay

 

A Cicero man was in critical condition this morning after a diabetic reaction caused him to lose control of his car, which hit another car, plunged down an embankment and slammed into a deck. Steven Hill. 34, of 5927 Lakeshore Road, suffered massive head injuries and may lose an eye, which was severely punctured in the crash. After Hill's car careened off the road, it became wedged under the backyard deck of a house in the town of Clay. He was trapped in the car for almost an hour while Moyers Corners firefighters propped up the deck and nearby pool at the house at 7704 Fitzpatrick Drive, state Trooper Ron Morse said today. According to police reports, Hill was driving west on Buckley Road at about 8 p.m. when a man driving behind him used a cellular phone to report that Hill was driving erratically. The man, who called the 911 emergency line, said Hill had pulled his car off the road, stopped, then weaved back into traffic again. Moments later, Hill's car swerved into the oncoming lane and hit a car driven by Jason J. Austin, 79, of 122 Edden Lane, North Syracuse. Hill's car continued after the crash, careening through back yards on Fitzpatrick Drive, which runs parallel to Buckley Road. His tar hit a sign and a fence before slamming into Scott Ogata's deck, pushing the deck about eight feet. Morse said the impact of the crash smashed the windshield and peeled the roof off Hill's car. Firefighters had to use blocks to shore up the deck while they tried to remove Hill. Hill, Morse said, was conscious, but incoherent when he was taken away by ambulance. Trooper Michael Eberl, who was the first to arrive at the scene, found a card in Hill's wallet that said he had diabetes. No one else was injured in the accident, police said December 31st New Years Eve 1994

 

 

 

March 1994 Stillwood Lane Fire, bailouts

 

 

 

May 1994

 

Firemen’s Home Birthday Celebration, Home on the Hudson. Betty Hanlon, Doris Jackson and Marge Rybinski went to the Firemen’s Home to celebrate the May birthdays, which was sponsored by the MCFD Auxiliary. Everyone had a great time as can be seen in the pictures. The ladies also visited the FASNY Museum.

 

Pictures

 

 

 

May 16th, 1994

 

Auxiliary Installation Banquet at Pier 57 Restaurant.

 

President Cindy Houde, Vice President Lorraine Sahm, Recording Secretary Brenda Kennedy, Corresponding Secretary Sharon Catalino, Treasurer Sandy Morris, Chaplains Clara Marshall and Jo Guinta, Historian Jean Jones.

 

 

 

May 25th, 1994

 

Herald Journal
A friend in need

 

Residents in the Moyers Corners area have scheduled several benefits to raise money for Steve Bressette, battalion chief in the Moyers Corners Fire Department Bressette is recovering from an April 24 liver transplant in Dallas and must remain there for three more months To help offset his expenses, the Moyers Corners auxiliary is hosting a chicken barbecue from noon to 4 p m on June 5 at Moyers Corners Station 1. at routes 31 and 57. The department's Explorer Post will sponsor a car wash at the same time June 12 has been designated Steve Bressette Day at the fire station. There will be a pancake breakfast in the morning followed by a push ball competition and dancing. County Executive Nicholas J. Pirro will present a certificate stating the County Legislature and Pirro will declare the day “Steve Bressette Day”.

 

 

 

June 1994
Hazmat 3 to Marcellus, pictures

 

 

 

June 1994

 

MCFD and Auxiliary Scholarship Winner Victoria Jarvis

 

Picture

 

 

 

June 5th, 1994

 

Auxiliary Chicken BBQ at Station 1. Martha Arnold and Linda Gobin chaired with a profit of $1006.64 after selling 173 dinners and 58 halves. Money goes towards Steve Bressette’s medical expenses as agreed by the auxiliary.

 

Pictures

 

 

 

June 12th, 1994

 

Benefit for Battalion Chief Steve Bressette sponsored by the MCFD and the Auxiliary at Station 1. Pancake breakfast and raffles yielded $1705 plus other donations of $210 and $530 from the fire department. A total of $5500 was raised for Steve. Other activites included men’s pushball. Nicholas Pirro proclaimed that June 12th, 1994 was Steve Bressette day, presenting a letter to Fred and Joyce Bressette.

 

Pictures.

 

 

 

June 27th, 1994

 

Auxiliary Annual Picnic at Station 1. Martha Arnold presented pins to Nancy Delasin, Sharon Catalino, Brenda Kennedy, Chris Loup, Sandy Morris and Mildred Morris. A check was presented to Joyce Bressette from the June Chicken BBQ and Benefit to help defray expenses for her son Steve’s surgery.

 

 

 

August 20th, 1994

 

Chicken BBQ at Sam’s Club Route 31. Sponsored by the MCFD, sports club and Auxiliary with a $1021.36 profit.

 

Pictures

 

 

 

December 12th, 1994

 

Christmas Banquet held at Santangelo’s on Old Liverpool Road. A letter was presented from John Kennedy requesting the auxiliary to purchase a laryngoscope in the amount of $1200 for the rescue in order to be a better responding unit when first on the scene of an accident.

 

 

 

December 12th, 1994: 
Auxiliary purchased a Louringascope for Squad 4 for $1200. Auxiliary also donated $300 for x-mas baskets for the needy.

 

 

 

December 22, 1994

 

Herald Journal – HJ

 

An alarming malfunction

 

Liverpool High Schooladministrators almost had to cancel school one day last week because of a malfunction in the school's alarm system. The school had to be evacuated on Monday, Dec. 12 when a wastebasket fire was discovered in a girls' bathroom about 1-45 p.m. When the Moyers Corners Fire Department arrived a few minutes later, the fire had already been extinguished by a teacher. Coatless students waited outside in the 40-degree Liverpool weather nearly 10 minutes. During the evacuation, the fire alarm system was not functioning properly. The bells would ring once or twice, stop for a few seconds, ring a few more times and then stop again, according to Managing Principal Terry Piper. At one point at the beginning of the evacuation, the bells on the third floor did not even ring. The company that services the alarm was in the building for most of the evening repairing the system. "The system is the same one they had in place" when Liverpool opened, Piper says. The fire alarm system would have been replaced under a building renovation proposal, which was defeated by 
more than 2,000 votes the day after the incident.   Jared Paventi, senior, Liverpool High School

 

1995
Chief Greg Tiner
 First Deputy Chief: Tim Chura
Second Deputy Chief Ron Turiello
Battalion 1 Chief Ken Filow
Battalion 2 Chief Steve Bressette
Battalion 3 Chief John Perkins
Station 1 Captain Greg Wild
Station 2 Captains Mike Alder, Bob Driscoll 
Station 3 Captains Ed Wisnowski, Ed Stevens 
Station 4 Captain Steve McGraw
Station 1 Lieutenants: Rich Bittel, Mike Zaferakis, Jim Zampini

 

Station 2 Lieutenants: Dan Smith, Steve Race, Bob Michelson, Peter Caluwe
Station 3 Lieutenants: Jim Wisnowski, Sean Schermerhorn, Ron Jennings, Mike Wick
Station 4 Lieutenants: Jason Blake, Colin Bailey

 

Executive Board
 President Greg Mazza
Vice President Gene Young 
Secretary Gary Johnson, Assistant Secretary Eric Houde 
Treasurer Dennis Lyons, Assistant Treasurer Mike Moe 

 

Fire Police:  Captain Bob Swahn 
 Lieutenants: Ken Brand Sr., Tom Delasin, Dick Kyle, Dave Ferguson

 

 

 

Ambulance Admins: Administrator Dale Cuny, 1st Assistant Deb. O’Connell, 2nd Assistant Lisa Carey,
 3rd Assistant Deb Freeman

 

 

 

Auxiliary: President Cindy Houde, Vice President Lorraine Sahm, Recording Secretary Brenda Kennedy Corresponding Secretary Sharon Catalino, Treasurer Sandy Morris, Chaplain Jo Guinta and Clara Marshall

 

 

 

Scholarship Winners Katrina Goettel and Stephanie Johnson

 

 

 

New Apparatus: Engine 11, formery 1976 Hahn – rehabilitation using Glider Kit

 

 

 

January 3rd, 1995
Herald Journal
article picture

 

About 45 firefighters from Moyers Corners spent part of the chilly New Year's holiday evening battling a blaze that destroyed a vacant home on   Route 57 near Route 31 in Clay. The fire was reported at about 7:30 p.m. Monday, and it took firefighters an hour to knock it down. With winds blowing near 20 mph, the wind chill was near zero. Moyers Corners Chief Greg Tiner said the fire is considered suspicious and remains under investigation. No one was injured.

 

 

 

January 26th, 1995

 

Perserverance Finally Pays Off For Moyers Corners Firefighter

 

The Post-Standard

 

By Jim Emmons