Albion fire chief appointed county coroner

Rocky Sidari

ALBION – Rocky Sidari, Albion’s fire chief the past five years, has been appointed one of three county coroners.

Sidari took the oath of office and was sworn into the position on Friday. He responded to his first call on Friday night at a fatal Carlton fire. Sidari worked with Scott Schmidt, a veteran county coroner, on the call.

Sidari said he will shadow Schmidt and another coroner, Charles Smith, as part of his training. He also expects to attend a conference for coroners.

“There is a lot to learn and each call is different,” Sidari, 42, said on Sunday.

He was appointed coroner by the Orleans County Legislature on Jan. 14. He fills a vacancy created when Joe Fuller of Albion resigned after being elected Albion town justice.

Sidari is a familiar face to many local residents and the emergency services community. He has been an officer with the Albion Fire Department for about 20 years. He works as a general mechanic at the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion.

He also is part of the county’s critical incident stress management team, which helps firefighters with a stress debriefing after a fatal fire or serious car accident.

Sidari said he will strive to be a calming presence as coroner, especially for grieving family members of the deceased.

“I’ve built up a lot of relationships in the community,” he said. “Maybe it will be comforting for a family to see someone they know.”

Sidari said he will step back from fire chief in April.

“I wanted something that would fill that gap,” he said about his willingness to serve as coroner. “I’m definitely looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”