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Congratulations to Casey Lynk, the newest Probationary Airport Firefighter. Casey joined our ranks just over two weeks ago and quickly made the decision to join his Union, becoming the latest in a long line of Firefighters that have maintained our 100% membership rate. Casey is currently working a training schedule that allows him to learn the job of an Airport Firefighter from all of our members, while also working 1-on-1 with Training Captain Jason Friday on a daily basis. The leadersh...

One year ago tonight, on January 20th, 2021, the members of IAFF Local 1636 were part of a large public safety contingent that responded to Mendon for the crash of a Rochester-based NY Army Reserve National Guard Blackhawk helicopter. In a sequence of events reminiscent of the Mohawk Airlines crash, several off-duty Firefighters were at the firehouse due to an Alert 2 that had concluded just minutes before. In 1963, a false alarm brought many personnel to the firehouse shortly before the wor...

Recently, NY State Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed Senate bill S4859 which would have created a 25 year retirement plan for Firefighters within the NYS Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA). This bill was unanimously passed by members of both the State Senate and Assembly, along with each of the committees assigned to research its impact. We are unsure as to why she vetoed the bill, but the Governor will not feel the ramifications of her action - our brother and sister firefighters will. W...

Congratulations to Airport Firefighter and Local 1636 member Jeff Prince as he transfers from the Rochester Airport Fire-Rescue to the Henrietta Fire District. Jeff joined our ranks just over one year ago in August 2020, and worked his final shift on Group 2 over the weekend. He has been a solid contributor since day one and while his work ethic is tough to beat, it will be even harder to replace. We wish him the best and know that he will be a positive addition to both the Henrietta Fire Distr...

“20 years now, Where'd they go?” Bob Seger posed that question 35 years ago and it has likely been asked today by every adult old enough to have witnessed the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. For all of us involved in public safety, this is a day we remember every single year, and for Firefighters in particular, we recall the 343 FDNY Firefighters that were killed when the World Trade Center towers came down. Not counted in the 343 is Patrolman Keith Roma, of the NY Fire Patrol (a...

August 1, 2021 - Rochester Airport Firefighters responded for an Alert 2 after being notified of a CRJ-7 diverting to ROC reporting a fuel leak with 54 souls on board, and 2,100 pounds of fuel remaining - incorrectly relayed as 21,000 pounds. As Firefighters positioned along the runway to await the its arrival, ROC’s Air Traffic Controllers guided the aircraft to land on Runway 4. As the pilots began their final approach, it became obvious that the leak was a significant one due to the fuel s...

In spite of what many people have heard or been led to believe, the Firefighters and Fire Captains that this Union represents have been working without the guidance of a Fire Chief at the Frederick-Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport since March 2020. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of the responsibilities a Fire Chief is supposed to handle instead fell largely on the shoulders of the junior Captains and even on the Union leadership. We have remained quiet on this ma...