A multiple car crash on March 31, 2011 just before 5pm on Route 9 in the Town of Poughkeepsie resulted in 1 man having to be extricated from his truck after he crashed into 2 other cars just north of the Marist College Campus. In the accident 1 other person was transported to St. Francis hosiptal and another refused treatment and transport to any hospital. The man having to be extricated appears to have been driving north on Route 9 in a Black Ford pick-up truck when he struck the two other vehicles involved. The male who had to be extricated from his tangled mess of metal that surrounded him in his truck and the extrication took approximately 45 minutes to complete.

Fairview firefightersresponded to the scene around 4:50pm and upon arrival quickly evaluated the scene and called for additional resources in an additional 2 ALS ambulances from Mobile Life Support Services. Seeing the potential duration of time this incident would take an engine from the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department was relocated to Fairview for stand-by till Fairview was able to clear. The accident in under investigation by the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Traffic Enforcement Bureau.  Route 9 which is normally a 4 lane Road (2 South, 2 North) in the area,  was closed down to a 2 lane Road (1 South, 1 North) for over an hour while the Fire Department and Police operated.  

The members of the Fairview Fire District and IAFF Local #2623 would like to thank any motorist traveling through that area of Route 9 at the time of the accident for their patience with the slowed traffic.  We all would also like to thank the West Clinton F.D. member,  Roosevetl F.D. member and East Fishkill F.D. member  that were passing by and stopped to assist with the incident for helping out. 

        

Tonight, March 30, 2011 at 7PM, at the Fairview Fire Station, The Fairview Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners will be holding a SPECIAL meeting to address Fire District issues that affect Public Safety. We encourage all district residents to attend the meeting. Public Safety Matters, and it all starts here.

The Brothers of Local 2623 would like to Thank Lt. Peter Wawrzonek for his many years of Dedicated Service to the Fairview Fire District.

Please come and join us in celebrating his retirement.

The Flyer below provides all information regarding the celebration.

We Hope to See You There!

March 3, 2011     The Fairview Fire District (Poughkeepsie, NY) is seeking resumes for the position of full time Firefighter.  Candidates for the position must currently be serving as a civil service permanent appointment Firefighter in New York State.    The Fairview Fire District encompasses approximately 4.

Fairview Professional Firefighters Local 2623 would like to Thank all those who donated to the 2011 Polar Plunge. Local 2623 was able to raised a Grand Total of $1,045 for the Special Olympics of New York. The Plunge was a great time and we are looking forward to next year!

The members of Local 2623 wish to express their sincere condolences to the men and women of the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, and the Family of Police Officer John Falcone, whose watch ended on February 18, 2011. Officer Falcone demonstrated tremendous bravery, and we ask the public to keep both him and his family in their thoughts and prayers.

IAFF FIGHTS BACK Sisters and Brothers, We are being targeted by political and legislative threats like never before. There are efforts underway to enact Right to Work laws in 13 states. We expect to see paycheck deception bills in 17 states that would eliminate the ability of our members to engage in the political process. Alabama has passed legislation to deny dues deduction for public workers, including our members. The same measure has been introduced in Tennessee, and it is expected to be introduced in Oklahoma and five more states. Legislative proposals attacking collective bargaining rights have been introduced in Michigan, Nebraska and Colorado, and we expect it to be introduced in Ohio.  None of us can afford to sit back while our opponents launch these assaults, so we have been working on a multi-faceted public relations/media/communications initiative to respond to the wave of attacks coming at you from numerous fronts.  We will launch our first salvo next week when we run a full-page ad in USA Today. It’s important that our media campaign not end with publication of that ad or be limited to what we do from here at IAFF headquarters. So we have included a link to our ad and we encourage all affiliate leaders to engage in a grassroots effort by making copies and handing it to state and local lawmakers or distributing it as a flier. We encourage you to run it in your local newspapers, and we can provide you with assistance if your newspaper needs a graphic file other than what we are making available here. We also have included links to some of the op-eds that we have written and submitted in the past several days to respond to those who are attacking you. These op-eds can be adapted for use in your communities. When we become aware of editorials or op-eds that attempt to target fire fighters and paramedics as “the enemy” or as the reason for economic problems in a municipality or state, we are quickly engaging the other side by submitting a response. We will provide affiliates with ongoing support to draft their own op-eds and letters to the editor to submit to papers and blogs in their communities.  We have included a press release distributed February 4 to inform people that 10 government organizations – from the National Association of Counties to the National League of Cities – that also are saying that the vast majority of public pension funds have sufficient assets to pay promised benefits well into the future.  The January-February edition of the International Fire Fighter includes a comprehensive cover story detailing the onslaught of threats our affiliates are facing from all sides on pay, pensions, collective bargaining and other worker rights and benefits. You will receive your issue by mail soon, but we have attached a copy of the feature here. In addition to all of these print pieces, we have produced a new video and will make that available soon. Our intention is to distribute the video through a viral campaign. Other video pieces will be produced in the near future and all of them will be made available so affiliates can use them to bolster their grassroots efforts.  You can also stay current on these efforts by visiting the IAFF web site, Facebook and Twitter. I am also happy to report that as of this week, the Pension Resources Department here at the IAFF is fully staffed and running on all cylinders as we do all we can to help you in this very trying time.  We have maintained an intense focus on efforts to fight back – nationally and locally – against the lies about pensions. Now it’s time to begin rolling out some of the components of our campaign, and we need you to be engaged with us. In Solidarity,   Harold A. Schaitberger General President

Local 2623 Firefighters are asking for assistance from residents to ensure that fire hydrants on their streets are shoveled so that they can be accessed by firefighters if necessary. In the event of a fire emergency, the fire hydrants are the first line of defense. It is very important that they are accessible. Should a fire occur, precious seconds could be lost if the fire hydrant is not accessible.

 

If you have a fire hydrant in front of your home or business, please take the time to uncover it. Residents are being asked to be mindful of the hydrants and not pile snow on or near a hydrant when clearing driveways and sidewalks. Valuable time is saved when fire crews do not have to dig out a hydrant when responding to fire calls. When a fire emergency occurs, seconds do count; the time saved by fire crews being able to have immediate access to water to fight a fire may be the difference between life and death.

 

In addition to this being a benefit to all parties, it is also the law!

 

In the Town of Poughkeepsie Town Code § 174-5 requires:

 

“It shall be the duty of the owner or occupant of premises in front of which or adjacent to which there is a fire hydrant to remove snow from around the hydrant for a distance of two feet and between the sidewalk or the curb and to keep the fire hydrant free from snow throughout the winter.”

 

Town of Poughkeepsie Town Code § 174.2 A. requires:

 

Each and every owner or occupant of a home, building or lot of land in the Town and along which there is a sidewalk shall keep the sidewalk free from snow and ice and shall remove or cause to be removed any and all snow from such sidewalk within four hours after any fall of snow occurring between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. or, if occurring between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., shall remove or cause the removal of the snow within six hours after the expiration of such period.

 

Town of Hyde Park Town Code § 90-1 A. (3) requires:

 

No person shall in any way or manner obstruct the use of any fire hydrant in the Town or allow any snow or ice to be thrown or piled upon or around the same or have, place or allow to be placed any material in front thereof, from the curb-line to the center of the street and to a point within five feet from either side thereof, and all snow or ice accumulating within such space shall be removed by the owner or lessee of the premises fronting the same. This section shall apply only to those fire hydrants listed in a schedule adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Hyde Park pursuant to this chapter, which schedule may be amended from time to time as deemed necessary by resolution of the Town Board after consultation with the fire departments serving the Town of Hyde Park. [Added 11-24-2003 by L.L. No. 10-2003]

 

Town of Hyde Park Town Code § 90-1 B. requires:

 

Removal time. Every owner or occupant of a house, building or lot of land as above set forth shall remove the snow and/or ice from the entire sidewalk in front of their properties and the owner or lessee of a premises fronting those fire hydrants listed in the schedule issued by the Town Board pursuant to § 90-1A(3) hereof, as such schedule may be amended from time to time, shall clear snow or ice from the curb-line to the center of the street and to a point within five feet from either side thereof within 24 hours after any fall of snow. Likewise, the Parks and Recreation Department of the Town of Hyde Park shall clear all sidewalks as is required in the previous description. [Amended 11-24-2003 by L.L. No. 10-2003]

 

Firefighters also recommend citizens clear snow and ice from around exit doors to ensure that an escape from a fire emergency is possible, as well as furnace vents to prevent malfunction. We thank you in advance and hope that all of our citizens have a happy and safe winter season.

 

Sincerely,

 

Your Local 2623 Firefighters

This February 26 members of Local 2623 will be participating in The Special Olympics of New York Polar Plunge. This event is held every year to raise money for The Special Olympics of New York. Since its inception 13 years ago, more than 500 plungers have raised funds in support of the charity. When members take the plunge they will be helping the Special Olympics provide year-round training and athletic competition to more than 48,000 athletes of all ages. Children and adults with intellectual disabilities who participate in Special Olympics develop improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence and a more positive self-image. This years plunge will be held at Sharpe Reservation, Camp Mariah in Fishkill, NY on Saturday February 26, 2011 at 12pm. If you would like to sponsor our team you can visit http://sony.kintera.org/fishkillplunge/local2623 and make a donation to this generous charity. Thank You in Advance and We Hope to See You There!!

It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of City of Poughkeepsie Local 596 member Capt. David Seifts. Captain Seifts was a 24 year veteran of the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department.Our thoughts and prayers are with the Brothers and Sisters of Local 596 and the Seifts Family, More information to follow as it is received.