North East Joint Fire District

Prior to 2005, the Northeastern portion of Penfield and the Eastern portion of Webster were served by three different fire protection entities. These were the East Webster Fire Protection District, the Penfield North East Fire District and the Village of Webster Fire Department. Discussions took place among many prominent members of these entities in regards to the possibility of consolidating the fire protection services. A consolidation committee was established and they worked feverishly for over 2 years to make the consolidation a reality. The Consolidation Committee included: Steve Wright, Lee McMullen, Gene Miller, Gary Partridge, Tom Indiano, Jon Freckleton, Bill Boulter, Mike Hyman, Ron Hosenfeld and Peter Klem III. The Consolidation Committee gave the Webster Volunteer Fire Department members a presentation suggesting the establishment of a new fire district that would consolidate the Village, Town and Northeast Penfield Districts. The Consolidation Committee received overwhelming support from the Webster Volunteer Fire Department members. The committee was off and running with this lofty goal in their sights.

The consolidation committee reported in January 2004 that there had been several meetings and that the outgoing and new Penfield Town Supervisor as well as the Village and Town of Webster Boards agreed to determine a list of items to complete in order for the consolidation to become effective at the end of 2004. In March the committee reported that terms and conditions had been created and all three entities had to approve them in order to continue to move forward. At the April meeting the body was given a presentation of the Fire District Consolidation with Webster Supervisor Cathy Thomas, Mayor Bill Ruoff and NEP Commissioner Jon Freckleton present. Upon completion of the overview, all three expressed that the time was right to make this happen and thanked the committee for pulling it all together. After that, Chairman Steve Wright gave thanks to Dave Galeazo for his support and help in getting the information the committee required. During the May/June time frame the residents of each district were given presentations about the consolidation. At the June WVFD meeting the committee reported that the State of New York needed to approve the transfer of funds and the hiring of the Union Hill Ambulance. Then at the July meeting it was reported that the State Assembly and State Senate approved the consolidation of three entities into one. It was now up to the Governor to sign the bill. The report given at the September meeting informed the members that the consolidation was finally in the hands of the residents. On October 5^th, 2004, all residents over the age of 18 and living in one of the districts would get a chance to vote on the consolidation. Good news was announced at the November meeting: The residents had approved the consolidation. Chairman Steve Wright reported that sub-committees were working on insurance and fuel procurement. The attorney, George Harris, was working on all the legal issues. He recognized Mayor Ruoff and North East Penfield Chairman Jon Freckleton for their tremendous support throughout the process. In December the Towns and Village got together to appoint the first board of fire commissioners of the North East Joint Fire District. The five people appointed as the first commissioners were William Boulter, Jon Freckleton, Peter Klem, Jr., Gary Partridge and Steve Wright.

The new commissioners had their work cut out for them in their first year. As physicals were now a must for firefighters the new district needed to pick a district doctor. That turned out to be Doctor Kukfa who showed up at the Association’s June meeting at the request of the commission to go over how the physicals would be conducted. As it turned out, having Doctor Kukfa as the district physician was good for the members. During the thorough physicals of the members, possible life threatening medical conditions were identified early. One of the biggest events for the new Commission was that the fire commissioners would now have to be elected by the residents of the new district. Voting took place in December 2005 and the commissioners officially began their elected careers as commissioners on January 1, 2006. The way the election worked was that the commissioner with the most votes would get the five-year term, the one with the second most votes getting the four-year term and so on. Bill Boulter received the most votes of the six candidates running. The four-year term was a tie between Mike Hyman and Peter Klem, Jr. A coin was flipped with Mike getting the four-year term and Pete getting the three-year term. Next came Steve Wright followed by Gary Partridge.

Today, your North East Joint Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners and District Officials are working hard to provide the community with the best public safety possible. As the community's needs for the fire service continue to grow, the NEJFD continues to be progressive and responsive toward these needs. The District is currently involved in many large scale projects as well as the required day to day operations. The North East Joint Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners pledge to continue their commitment to excellence in providing public safety to our community.

The Principal Mission of the North East Joint Fire District is to Provide Protection of Life, Property, and Environment From the Adverse Effects of Fire, Medical, and Hazardous Conditions. This Mission is Accomplished Through Excellence in Organizational Management, Sustained Training, Progressive Education, and Constant Diligence to Provide the Highest Level of Response and Customer Service.

NEJFD History