24/7 Coordination of Emergency Fire Services
The Office of the Fire Bureau provides firefighter training, fire investigation services, juvenile fire setter intervention programs, hazardous material responses and provides field coordination to the 39 county, town and village fire departments. In addition, the Fire Bureau is the conduit to the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control for fire reporting, firefighter training databases and initiatives offered by New York State.
The Monroe County Fire Coordinator administers The Monroe County Mutual Aid Fire Plan. This Plan, in existence since 1941, is the basis for mutual aid fire resources and responses for both in and out of Monroe County for major fires, disasters and hazardous material-related incidents. Monroe’s 10 volunteer deputy fire coordinators assist the Fire Coordinator with field responses and administration of the Mutual Aid Fire Plan.
The Fire Bureau leads a specialized unit of firefighters from all Monroe County fire agencies. These firefighters comprise the Monroe County Hazardous Materials Response Team. The Hazmat Team has been in existence since 1984 and continues to respond to hazardous material incidents today. The Hazmat Team is led by the Assistant Fire Coordinator and a volunteer deputy hazmat coordinator.
Firefighter Training
Firefighter training is a primary Fire Bureau function. Our goal is to provide quality training that fulfills the needs of the county’s fire services.
The Fire Bureau offers training programs in three areas:
- In-Service Training
- Specialized Firefighter Training
- Fire Training Ground courses.
In-Service training is training that is conducted at the local fire stations and consists of the basic skills all firefighters are required to have. All In-Service Training programs are based upon the National Fire Protection Association’s Firefighter I criteria.
Specialized Firefighter Training programs are designed to meet the annual OSHA requirements for firefighters. In addition these programs cover topics in highly specialized firefighter skills and techniques.
Fire Training Ground courses are those courses that are delivered at the Fire Training Grounds, 1190 Scottsville Road, and consists of hands-on training evolutions with live fire training props.
Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program (JFIP)
The Monroe County Fire Bureau’s Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Program (JFIP) serves the children and families of Monroe County. The JFIP specifically targets children who have engaged in fireplay or firesetting behaviors. Each year, JFIP sees on average over 200 children in Monroe County (excluding the City of Rochester) who have been involved with some type of fireplay or firesetting incidents. The average yearly damage cost to these fires totals over $350,000 per year. Nearly 35% of the children that JFIP sees are involved with or are referred on for mental health services. Each intervention and education program done with a child is done in the child’s home with a parent present.
In addition to the education and assessment that is completed with each child, JFIP staff work with each family on developing a safety and home escape plan, provide smoke detectors if necessary, and assist the family in finding ongoing mental health or preventive services as needed. JFIP staff follow-up with the family as long as necessary to ensure the problem is resolved. There is no cost to families and JFIP have 24/7 availability.
In addition, the JFIP does community education presentations to over 3,000 children per year and is used as a model program throughout New York State.
Other JFIP programs include smoke and carbon monoxide detector programs, community education campaigns, the Monroe County Juvenile Fire Prevention Task Force and a focus on senior citizen fire safety.
JFIP program staff consist of the Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist and three juvenile officers and several masters’ level graduate student interns. Combined the staff have over 50 years experience working in the fire service and working with children.
If you have questions regarding any of JFIP’s programs, would like to make a juvenile fire intervention referral, are interested in becoming a member of the Juvenile Fire Prevention Task Force or have other fire prevention or safety questions, contact Fred Rion at the Monroe County Fire Bureau at 585-753-3750.
View the video program Moving Forward with Monroe County: Juvenile Firesetting.
