Frequently Asked
Questions
Controlled Burns
Who should I notify if I want to burn something?
If you are planning a controlled burn at your residence, property you should
first call the
Yates County 911 Center. The phone number to report controlled
burns is 315-536-3033 or 1-866-308-3225. By notifying the dispatch center of
your plan to burn material, it lessens the chances of an unnecessary fire
department response to your location.
What rules pertain to controlled burning?
The burn must be attended at all times.
In the event your burn becomes out of control call 911 immediately to request
the fire department. Large piles, abandon structures or other unique burns are
subject to Encon and fire department approval. You may only burn items that are
yours and came from your property, it is an Encon regulation violation to transport
debris to your property for the purpose of burning. It is also an Encon
regulation
violation for a business or individual to burn debris of a commercial business.
Open burning is not allowed within any incorporated village including the Villages of Penn Yan,
Rushville, Dundee, and Dresden. This FAQ is not intended to cover all possible
scenarios for controlled burning. See NYSDEC Regulations website at
Chapter III, Part 215 and/or a DEC officer for
more information.
Fire Alarms
Who should I notify if I have a fire alarm system?
If you have a fire and/or burglar alarm system installed in your home or place
of business that is, located in Yates County, you are required by Yates County
Local Law 2-02 to register the alarm system with the
Yates County 911 Center.
Call 315-536-3033 or 1-866-308-3225 for more information.
Who should I notify if I accidentally trip my fire alarm system and there
is no real problem?
If you accidentally trip a fire alarm system in your home or place of business
and there is no real problem call the
Yates County 911 center at 315-536-3033 or
1-866-308-3225 tell the dispatcher what happened. It is very likely that the
fire department will still respond, but the dispatcher will be able to update
the responding units.
Hall Rental
I want to rent the fire hall
for a private party?
Strictly speaking, we do not rent
the fire hall to individuals for any purpose. The fire hall is private
property owned and maintained by the Middlesex Hose Company, it is not a public
building.
I want to rent tables and
chairs?
We regretfully are not able to rent
tables and chairs. Tables and chairs are expensive items essential for the
operation of our own funds raisers. Too often, for the little money gained,
tables and chairs would come back broken or damaged; sometimes they never made
it back at all.
Are there any exceptions to
the hall rental policy?
Established members of the Middlesex
Hose Company or the Middlesex Sirenettes may rent the dinning hall for their own
use.
Special organizations may make a
request to use the hall for a special event. The request must be in writing and
detail the purpose, date and time of the event. If the hall is available on the
requested date, the request will be discussed at the next regular meeting of the
Hose Company. This process can take a month or more and there are no guarantees.
What about having the fire department
cater a private party for me?
The Middlesex Sirenettes will, on occasion,
cater private parties and banquets at the Middlesex Fire Hall. The request must be in writing
and detail the purpose, date and time of the event. If the hall is available on
the requested date, the request will be discussed at the next regular meeting of
the Sirenettes. This process can take a month or more and there are no
guarantees.
Responding to Calls
How do firefighters know when there is an emergency?
The
Yates County 911 Center receives and
dispatches all calls for service in the Middlesex Fire Departments response
area. When the 911 center receives a request for the fire department they
transmit the call via radio to voice pagers. The firefighters all wear pagers
that alert, the details of the call are received from the dispatcher.
Road/Weather
Conditions
How can I get current
information for local road conditions during storms?
During inclement weather,
particularly in the winter, the Yates County Sheriff’s Office will occasionally
issue travel advisories or even road or lake closings by issuance of a special
state of emergency as declared by the Sheriff. Citizens need to tune into a
local media outlet for current travel conditions. Please DO NOT call the
Yates
County 911
Center or the Middlesex Fire Station for road and travel conditions. Dispatchers need to keep
phone lines open for disseminating this information to the media and other
public service agencies. Any significant information relating to highway and
travel safety will be provided to local news media as soon as possible for their
immediate release to the community. You can also click
here for
road condition updates from the NYS Department of Transportation. If you have
doubts about traveling safely and your commute is not necessary, it may be best
to stay off the roads.
Scanner
I have a scanner, what frequency should I listen on?
All fire departments in Yates County are
dispatched on, and use, 46.500 mhz as the primary radio channel. The secondary
radio channel is 46.220 mhz which is a state-wide channel.
Siren
Why is there a siren on the fire station?
The fire siren serves several purposes. It
acts as a secondary alerting device to firefighters in the case that there is a
problem with the paging system. As a secondary alerting device it positively
affects ISO ratings which help your fire insurance rates. It also serves as a
means of alerting the community that there will be emergency vehicle traffic in
the area around the fire station.
When does the siren on the fire station get activated?
The fire siren is activated by the
Yates County 911 center on all emergency
level fire calls. When activated for a fire, the siren cycles up and down
continually for one minute. The siren is not activated for EMS first response
calls or non-emergent fire calls. The siren is also tested once daily Monday
though Saturday at 12 noon. When activated for a test, the siren cycles one time.
On the fourth Wednesday of every month, at 12 noon, an Emergency Warning Siren test
is conducted. The siren blows one continuous tone for one minute.
Volunteering
How do I become a firefighter?
Go
here
and read all about
Joining Us.
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