Fire Safety

A Message from Your Stephentown Fire Chiefs

As we have recently been reminded, the winter season is, sadly, also fire season. We have responded to three fully involved structure fires in the last month. We have also responded to a malfunctioning pellet stove backing smoke up into a home. Please help us help you by practicing fire safety.

Have your furnace and heating stoves cleaned and serviced annually. Get your chimney cleaned. Avoid overloading electrical outlets. Water your Christmas tree. Don't leave wood fires unattended. Install smoke alarms, test them monthly, and change the batteries. If you are unable to afford a smoke alarm, please reach out to us at stephentownfiredepartment@gmail.com.

In the case of fire, get out and stay out. Never re-enter a burning building. Call 911 immediately. The sooner we know about the fire, the quicker we can respond.

We are an all-volunteer fire department serving a rural area of 58 square miles. We rely on mutual aid for almost all structure fires. For the recent fires, mutual aid included assistance from Lebanon Valley Protective Association, Tsatsawassa Fire Company, Nassau Fire Company, Hoags Corners Fire Company, Averill Park Sand Lake Fire Department, Hancock (Mass.) Fire Company, New Ashford (Mass.) Fire Company. Assembling crews, getting vehicles to the scene, establishing water sources (there are no fire hydrants in Stephentown) takes time. So please don't delay and don't hesitate to call 911 at the first sign of trouble.

Fully involved structure fires are devastating even in the best circumstance where no one is injured or killed. Please do what you can to prevent fires this winter. We thank all of our mutual aid partners for their invaluable support. And we thank you for your assistance in keeping Stephentown safe.

--Chiefs Corlew & Grant