Medina FD responded to nearly 3,000 calls in 2015

File photo by Tom Rivers – Congressman Chris Collins, right, visits with Captain Jonathan Higgins at the Medina Fire Department on May 8. The Fire Department was approved last year for a federal grant for $77,837 to purchase new fire hoses, nozzles and a thermal imaging camera.

MEDINA – The Medina Fire Department responded to 2,834 requests for service in 2015 with 2,558 of those for ambulance service, and the other 276 for fire or fire-related calls.

The average response time from call dispatched to arrival on scene for all calls inside the Village of Medina was 2 minutes, 45 seconds, said Steve Cooley, a firefighter/paramedic for the MFD and the department’s public information officer.

The total call volume is just below the 2,986 in 2014, the most calls ever for the Fire Department. In 2013, the previous high, the total calls were 2,755. That makes 2015 the second-most ever for the Medina Fire Department.

In 2015, the busiest months for calls were March (269) and July (263).

Several firefighters completed training programs last year, Cooley said. Two firefighters (Young and Wolck) completed Fire Instructor II School. Two firefighters (Lang and Jackson) completed Paramedic School, and two firefighters (A. Wengrzycki and Parker) completed their EMT Basic. Three firefighters (Herriven, Jenkinson and Lang) also graduated from the NYS Fire Academy Recruit Program.

Firefighter Young was chosen by the village to be the Municipal Training Officer. Young overhauled the department’s training program for both career and callman firefighters.

Cooley, in the departments annual report, said each career firefighter must complete at least 100 hours of fire training on top of the required EMS continuing education hours. Each callman firefighter also has an annual amount of required training that must be completed. Total training hours logged by all firefighters in 2015 was 4,187.

Firefighters participated in 60 hours of Community Education/Fire Prevention this year. All classes at both Head Start School and Oak Orchard Elementary School received a Safety/Fire Prevention Seminar.

The Fire Department also received a $77,837 grant from the Federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant to purchase new hose lines (supply and attack), new nozzles as well as a new thermal imaging camera.

“This past year we also witnessed the retirement longtime Fire Chief Todd Zinkievich. Chief Zinkievich selflessly served the department, the village and all of Orleans County faithfully for 21 years here as a firefighter,” Cooley said. “We wish Todd a very happy and prosperous retirement!”

Cooley said the new year has been busy with calls and training for Medina firefighters.

“It is our pleasure to serve you,” he said in a message to the community. “Rest assured, if you require our services you will receive highly trained firefighters, EMTs and paramedics in an expeditious manner.”