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Early Sunday November 13th the
Dryden Fire Department participated in a live burn with the
McLean Fire Department. The owner of an old barn by the intersection of Salt Rd and State Route 222 needed it to be burned down. McLean and Freeville Fire Departments setup onsite for the burn. Dryden's Engine 502 was used to setup a fill site at a private residence by the intersection of Salt and Old Stage Roads. Dryden's Tanker 521 was used in conjunction with other tankers to shuttle water across route 222 to the fire scene. The barn was removed from the owners property successfully and all units were cleaned up and back in-service from the burn by Noon that day.  |
The Dryden
Fire Department acquired two new 5" TurboDraft units during the
last couple months. These will help provided better fire protection to the town of Dryden and surrounding departments. It can be used for direct fire attack or filling tankers. These devices are used to gain access to water supplies like ponds, rivers, or streams that we could not normally get close enough too. Normally our fire trucks needs to be within 40 feet of a water source for drafting when performing rural water supply operations. When the TurboDraft is connected and placed into the water source, water can be accessed from up to 250 feet away from our fire truck. Our department now has greater possibilities for accessing water sources throughout our district. Each unit is currently housed on our 2010 KME Engines  |
 
On Sunday
October 16th, Dryden Fire and
Ambulance held its annual Open House. This years activities
included a vehicle extrication demonstration to show how
firefighters extract victims from car accidents. Guthrie's
Helicopter was scheduled to land that day but they had to be
diverted to respond to a real emergency.This local Boy Scouts cooked hot dogs for the enjoyment of the crowd. The New York State Police brought down their Seat Belt Convincer, the Ithaca Police Department brought their SWAT Team Bus, and the Freeville and Etna Fire Departments each brought a truck, their members participating in the days activities. During the day our members held a free raffle for the children. Kids got to ride in the ladder trucks bucket, which happens to be one of the favorite activities each year. They also got to spray water from a fire hose. Sparky the Fire Dog was cruising around the station promoting fire prevention and eating the occasional hot dog left unattended by the kids. Our department would like to thank the numerous agencies that came together last month to give the public a fun and educational experience.  |
Its that time
of year when everyone starts to turn up the heat inside their
houses. Each fall the Dryden Fire Department responds too a
number of residents with high Carbon Monoxide levels.
Carbon Dioxide is the number one cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States. Amanda's Law went into effect on February 22, 2010 in New York State. The passage of this law requires all residences to have a carbon monoxide alarm installed.  On average roughly 200 residents are hospitalized each year in New York State due to CO poisoning. Nationally over 400 people are killed each year. Carbon Monoxide is an odorless, tasteless gas. You can't see it and wouldn't know it was there unless you begin to feel the effects of CO poisoning, or you have a working Carbon Monoxide Detector alerting you to its presence. Some of the symptoms of CO poisoning are: Headache, Dizziness, Nausea, Fatigue, short of Breath, Impaired Judgment, Chest Pain, Confusion, Depression, Hallucinations, Agitation, Vomiting, Drowsiness, Fainting, Seizures, Memory or walking problems. It is important to note that you may experience some or none of these symptoms.
The new law
was named in honor of a girl from the City of Buffalo, New York.
Amanda Hansen was a bright young teenage girl who lost her life
to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. She
went to sleep one night at her friend's house in January
2009. While she was sleeping the gas leaked throughout the house from
a defective boiler. She never new what happened.
For more
information on Carbon Monoxide and what you can do to protect
yourself, checkout our link on Carbon Monoxide. Amanda Hansen Foundation |
On September 17th the
State Police utilizing the Dryden Fire Station, setup a base
of operations to help coordinate the capture of an escaped
army officer. The State police had been attempting to
apprehend Pfc. Russell Marcum from West Virginia since
Thursday night. A soldier at Fort Drum, the private had been charged with  Burglary
in Watertown. At roughly 8PM Thursday night, he was being
taken back to Fort Drum when he assaulted the Military MP
escorting him. The suspect was considered armed and
dangerous. He had reportedly said he would force police to
shoot him. Marcum was able to flee the area by taking his parents vehicle. Authorities up north pursued him and a car chase took place through Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, and Onondaga Counties. Marcum finally ended up in Otsego County where he was able to evade police by ditching the vehicle and fleeing into the woods. From the woods he eluded police and later stole a car in Herkimer County. Early Saturday morning the Tompkins County Sheriffs Department spotted the stolen vehicle with Marcum inside. Another police chase followed down route 13 with Marcum becoming cornered on Gee Hill Road. Just after 2AM , he ditched the stolen vehicle on Budzinski Road in Dryden and fled into the woods again. State police setup a four  mile
perimeter around the Gee Hill Road area where the suspect
was last seen. An intense manhunt took place with over
60 officers on the ground combing the area. Dryden residents
were warned to stay indoors and to lock their houses Saturday.
Two state police helicopters could be seen taking off and landing at the Dryden Fire Station. For much of the day. At approximately 3:30PM on Saturday, the suspect finally gave himself up on Bradshaw Road. Extra crews for the Ambulance were pulled in early Saturday morning while the manhunt took place. Good work to all the agencies involved making the operation a safe and successful one. |
During the early morning hours of Wednesday September 14th,
 the
Dryden Fire Department responded mutual aide to McLean for a
working house fire on Stevens Road. Tanker 521 was initially dispatched and enroute at 5:30AM driven by Capt. 584 Adam Talbot with a crew of FF. Chadd Clark. Upon arrival at 5:37AM, McLean Engine 1201 and her crew were engaged in interior operations with heavy fire load. McLean Tanker 1221 had already dumped her water and left for the fill site. The Dryden tanker and crew began water supply operations, dumping for Engine 1201. Freeville Engine 701 arrived behind 521 and setup the tanker fill site behind the McLean Fire Station.  Two
additional tankers out of Groton, Tanker 821 and 822 arrived on
scene and dumped their water. A FAST team arrived on
Cortlandville Engine 1304.Dryden was toned at 5:55AM for our Rescue truck with manpower. At 6:04AM Rescue 541 arrived driven by Capt. 581 George Wildridge with a crew of Capt. 585 Ken Vorstadt, Safety Officer 590 Jim Drew and F.F. Frank Palmer. When 541 arrived the structure was heavily involved and crews off Rescue 541 and 543 assisted with interior fire attack. Groton Engine 801 arrived on scene and provided her manpower at 6:20AM. After the fire was knocked down crews 
assisted with overhaul of the exterior and attic areas.
Groton Ambulance
852 stood by at the scene during fire ground
operations and Locke backfilled Groton station.
Additional manpower was brought in on 543 driven Chief 561 Mark Bell, with a crew of F.F. Marc Ninivaggi, and F.F. Beth Handler. Other Dryden Units on scene included Asst. Chief 563 Dave Cotterill, Asst. Chief 564 Rick Young, and Asst Chief 565 Pete Tyler. Dryden station was manned by Firefighter Jeff Kirkland. All Dryden Fire units were cleared from the scene by 8:30AM.  |
On Sunday September 11th
members of Dryden Fire & Ambulance gathered to honor the
victims and heroes of the 9/11 tragedy that befell our
country ten years ago. The Dryden Methodist Church held a small ceremony remembering the events that took place and to give thanks to the local volunteers who continue to protect our community. At 9:00AM, the department ladder truck was setup at the four corners of Dryden. Our American Flag was raised high into the air, over the heart of our village for all to see and for all to remember. At 10:30AM Our Members gathered in the church for the remembrance and paid our respects during the service. At the conclusion of the service, a lunch was given by members of the church. We would like to extend our appreciation and thanks to the members of the Dryden United Methodist Church for their generosity. We would also like to thank Rev. Rick Sivers for his efforts and kind words. It seems like only yesterday that those events took place...
An unimaginable number of us
will forever be affected. |
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During the week of
July 11th the Dryden Fire Department hosted the third annual
Junior Fire Academy. This year 22 kids completed the week long
program designed to give kids an idea what its like to become a
volunteer firefighter.
Each day was a lot
of fun for both our members and the kids as well. Id like to
thank all the department volunteers that helped out during the
course of the week. It was a lot of work. I'd also like to thank
Dave Hall again for his assistance on making this year another
success. |
 The Dryden Fire Department was present to help celebrate the opening of the new Lincoln Center, addition at the Southworth Library. The addition adds over 4,000 square feet of space to the library. At the center of the new addition is a bronze sculpture of Abraham Lincoln reading to his son Tad. Funding for the addition was accomplished through the auction of a copy of President Lincoln's second inauguration speech. The paper had been safely kept by the library for many years. Construction on the original Library began in 1893 and is officially opened in 1894. The original buildings construction cost was $15,000 |
On Saturday June 11th, The Dryden Community celebrated the 27th Annual
|
  On
Saturday June 26th Dryden Fire assisted with a FAST Team during
the final evolution of Tompkins Counties Firefighter 2 class.
The class was taught by New York State Fire Instructor Joe Lisi
and consisted of eight class sessions totaling over 30 hours.
Two members from Dryden; Lt. Bruce Eck and Firefighter Chadd Clark attended and graduated with state certificates. Our congratulations go out to Bruce and Chadd on their accomplishment and a job well done. |
On Sunday morning
May 15th, Dryden Firefighters were awoken to a call for mutual
aide by the Virgil Fire Department in Cortland County. One
Engine and One Tanker were requested to Route 215 for a working
structure fire. Engine 501 punched enroute at 6:30AM with a full
compliment of interior Firefighters. Engine One was driven by
Asst. Chief 563 Dave Cotterill with a crew of Captain 585 Ken
Vorstadt, Deputy Chief 562 Mike Hall, Captain 581 George Wildridge,
Lieutenant 586 Troy Pudney, and Lieutenant 587 Bruce Eck. Tanker 521 was
out the door 30 seconds later Driven by Captain 584 Adam Talbot
with a
|
 On May 12, 2011 Dryden Ambulance Inc. took delivery of their new ambulance and the first Chevy Ambulance the organization has ever put into service. The new 2010 Chevy Duramax 4500 Diesel joins two other Ford ambulances. All three of Dryden's rigs are Type III ambulances. The new vehicle replaces a 2005 Ford E-350 Ambulance which was taken in trade.  |
On April 23, 2011 Dryden
Fire Department was alerted to a reported house with it's roof
blown off on Dryden Road just outside the village. The Freeville
Fire Department was originally dispatched to the
call outside their territory. Dryden was dispatched after the
correction and Freeville stood by at their station.
Engine 502 responded at 9:24AM driven by Capt 584 Adam Talbot
with a crew of Capt 585 Ken Vorstadt, Lt. 587 Troy Pudney, and
FF. Harlan Pudney. Rescue 541 followed Engine 2 out the door
driven by Asst. Chief 563 Dave Cotterill with a crew of Capt 581
George Wildridge, FF. Tom Warner and FF. Chad Clark.Dryden Deputy Chief 562 Mike Hall & Asst. Chief 565 Pete Tyler arrived to find that a tin roof had blown off of the residence. The trucks arrived at 9:27AM and interior crews provided assistance to the home owner by covering the personal belongings inside the residence. All Dryden units returned in service. High winds continued to blanketed the area until they subsided laterthat evening.  |
The old Ambulance Fly car
which served as the Ambulance Directors Vehicle over the past
two years has been switched over to the fire department,
allowing it to be utilized from both the fire and ambulance.
The vehicle renumbered 543 will still serve as transportation for fire/ambulance personnel to and from trainings, runs, and other daily activities that keep our department running smoothly. It will also be utilized to assist our Fire Police during large incidents when roads will need to be shut down.. It will also be used as a backup to the current fly car if it is needed. |
During the early morning hours of Friday March 11th Dryden
was dispatched to a reported smoke condition at an apartment complex within
the village.
Right after the initial tone out, dispatch upgraded it to a
structure fire. Tompkins County dispatch fielded the first call
at 2:52AM. Two residents of the apartment complex from separate
apartments woke up to the smell of smoke. The residents quickly
knocked on neighboring doors and evacuated the building.
The Dryden Fire Department was initially dispatched at 2:54AM. Deputy Chief 562 Mike Hall and Assistant Chief 569 Rick Young arrived at 2:59AM. While enroute another alarm was issued for a full response out of Freeville, with an Engine from Cortlandville, and Cayuga Heights for their FAST Team. Residents outside reported that everyone had been evacuated and that the resident of the burning apartment wasn't home. Upon initial size up fire was seen blowing out the windows of corner D/A. on both first and second floors with smoke pushing out the eaves of the roof. Dryden Engine 501 punched in route at 2:59AM  driven by Capt 581
George Wildridge with a crew of Lt. 587 Bruce Eck, Capt. 585
Ken Vorstadt, Lt. 586 Troy Pudney, and FF. Chad Clark. They
arrived a minute later from West Main St. and tail boarded the
structure
as they turned on to Wall Street. Captain Wildridge & FF. Clark hit
the hydrant on the West Main/Wall Street corner and
setup the truck. Capt. Vorstadt, Lt. Pudney and Lt. Eck began to
pull hand lines.Deputy Chief 562 requested NYSEG to cut power to the structure at 3:00AM and upgraded Cortlandville to their ladder truck. Dryden Engine 502 was the next to check in route at 3:02 driven by Capt. 584 Adam Talbot. Ladder 531 followed seconds later driven by Fire Chief 561 Mark Bell with a crew of Assistant Chief 563 Dave Cotterill. Engine 502 tail boarded the hydrant just before the structure on West Main St, allowing Ladder 531 access in front of the building. The crew from 531 setup the ladder with the driver of 502 pulling 5 inch off the ladder truck and hitting the hydrant behind Engine 502.  Ambulance 552 arrived on scene and began to evaluated the residents who escaped the building. Cayuga Heights Engine 202 was next in route at 3:03AM with four FAST Team members; 1st LT. 281 Openshaw, 3rd LT. 283 Waller, 4th LT. Tomasulo 284 and FF. Morgan. Less then 10 minutes after the initial call interior crews from Dryden were inside the structure. Capt. Vorstadt and LT. Pudney first made entry into the structure through the front right corner apartment. They encountered heavy smoke and flames. The second floor above had already been damaged by the fire and items from the apartment above were dropping through the floor. Dryden Assistant Chief 565 Pete Tyler arrived on scene. With additional manpower starting to roll in, a line was pulled from Ladder 531 and a team made entry on the second floor. A primary search of the structure began at the same time. 
Freeville Engine 701 checked in route at 3:05AM.
Dryden Rescue 541 checked in route at 3:07AM driven by FF. Tom
Warner with a crew of FF. Christy Warner, FF. Tim Arnold,
and Safety Officer 590 Jim Drew. At the same time Deputy Chief
Hall asked dispatch to issue the all hands tone for the
Town of Dryden requesting manpower. An Engine with manpower out
of Groton was also requested at that time.Assistant Chief 563 Dave Cotterill from 531's bucket began to ventilate the roof of the structure. Rescue 541 arrived on scene at 3:09AM staging behind Engine 502. The crew from 541 setup it's light tower. Safety Officer Jim Drew became the entry officer to the structure. Additional support from Dryden Firefighters Matt Wood, Jen Wildridge, and Maynard Wells arrived.  Engine 701 arrived at 3:12AM and hit
the hydrant on Wall and Elm Streets. They laid in pulling even
with Dryden Engine 501. Cortlandville Ladder 1331 arrived on
side B of the structure from Wall St and setup their operations
ventilating the roof to alleviate the smoke for crews inside. Engine 701 supplied Cortlandville Ladder
1331 with water. 1st Assistant Chief 262 Matt Abbinanti along with Engine 202 out of the Heights arrived at 3:12AM and setup their FAST operations outside the structure. Additionally more manpower was requested from Cayuga Heights with their pickup 242 responding with 5 interior firefighters; Rescue 2nd Assistant J. Couce, FF. Maley, FF. Miroiu, FF. Price, & FF. Sorensen. At 3:17AM the Virgil Fire Department was asked to standby at Dryden Station with one Engine. Etna Engine 301 with additional manpower checked in route at 3:19AM. Groton Engine 802 arrived on scene around 3:20AM with Deputy Chief 862 in his personal vehicle.
Engine 702 out of Freeville checked in route at 3:20AM.
It arrived at 3:27AM staging behind Rescue 541 on West Main St.
It was determined that the fire started in an Apartment on the
first floor. The fire began near a gas heater
and quickly spread through the old balloon structure to the
attic before any fire units had arrived.
The building was converted from a house to five separate
apartments years ago by the Dryden Apartment Company.
The Smoke Detector in the apartment above the fire had
no
working battery. If the resident was home that night they
probably would not be alive.
It is the responsibility of everyone to test your smoke alarm every month. Please help us help you, Check Your Smoke Detector! |
 On Sunday February 20th at 10:42AM, the Tompkins County 911 center fielded multiple calls of a house fire on Brooklyn Road in Freeville. Dryden was automatically requested mutual aide for a full response out of our station. An Engine out of Etna was also automatically dispatched to Freeville. Dryden Assistant Chief 563 Dave Cotterill and Assistant Chie  f 564 Rick
Young
checked enroute at 10:44. Both officers were the first Dryden
units on the
scene with 563
assuming
command of the incident. Additional Tankers were
requested
mutual aide to Freeville
from
Groton, McLean, and Lansing.Ladder 531 checked enroute at 10:47 driven by FF. Doug Cotterill with a crew of (Deputy Chief 562 Mike Hall and Captain 585 Ken Vorstadt). Engine 501 followed four minutes later driven by Captain 584 Adam Talbot with a crew of (Lieutenant 586 Troy Pudney). Tanker 521 followed seconds later driven by FF. Tim Arnold. Engine 702 out of Freeville was first apparatus on-scene at 10:51AM and laid into the driveway up to the structure. Ladder 531 arrived at 10:53 and setup to supply Engine 702 from the roadway. Freeville Tanker 721 and McLean Tanker 1221 both arrived and their portable ponds were dropped on the road. Engine 501 arrived on the other side of Brooklyn Road at 10:56AM and began to setup the tanker fill site. Tanker 521 arrived and dumped its water. Pickup 542 came down driven by Dan Hill with Diane Hill to provide additional manpower. Freeville Chief 761 Andy Down assumed command upon his arrival. Other tankers Groton 822, Etna 321, and Lansing 1121 arrived and dumped their water. The fire was out by 1:00PM. Other Dryden units on the scene included Assistant Chief 565 Pete Tyler. Captain 581 George Wildridge and FF. Ed Bell stood by at Dryden Station with a manned engine out of Cortlandville.  |
 On Saturday January 15th, Dryden was called the scene of a snowplow rollover at the seven hundred block of Irish Settlement Road. Assistant Chief 564 Rick Young checked enroute 2:53PM. Rescue 541 checked enroute at 2:57PM driven by Captain 581 George Wildridge with a crew of Captain 584 Adam Talbot, Lieutenant 586 Troy Pudney, FF. Tim Arnold, and FF. Chad Clark. Assistant Chief Young arrived on scene at 3:00PM followed by Dryden Ambulance 551. Safety Officer Jim Drew and Firefighter Matt Wood arrived in their personal vehicles to help out. Rescue 541 arrived 3:06PM and helped provide traffic control. Firefighters Doug Cotterill and Jon Kirkwyland remained at the station incase any other calls came in. All Dryden units were released at 3:15PM with the scene being turned over to state police units. |
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To coincide with the ten year
anniversary of September 11th, the month of September is
National Preparedness Month. Each family, every individual must
do their part to prepare for the unexpected and unthinkable. 
On Day One the students went through orientation, including
familiarization with equipment and turnout gear. Each
student got a hands on tour of our working fire station. 
crew
of Firefighter Harlan Pudney.
