Neptune Hose Co #1 of Dryden Inc. Dryden Ambulance Inc.

07/18/2026

Probably a good idea to keep an eye on the weather this afternoon.

07/16/2026

Message from Tompkins County Wholehealth Dept.

Health Alert Update: Poor Air Quality for Tompkins and Surrounding Counties Continues and Increased to Very Unhealthy Levels

(Ithaca, N.Y., July 16, 2026) – Tompkins County Whole Health (TCWH) is continuing to update the community about local air quality due to wildfires in Canada and the Western United States. As of the afternoon of July 16, the air quality in Tompkins County is “Very Unhealthy”, as defined by the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale.

The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each category also has a specific color. The color makes it easy for people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities.

With Air Quality in the purple zone, everyone may experience health effects, while sensitive groups have a higher risk of serious health effects. Sensitive groups include: children and teens, older adults, pregnant people, those with lung or heart conditions, those with asthma, those who exercise or work outdoors, and those in underserved communities.

When pollution levels are elevated to “Very Unhealthy” for the general public, the New York State Department of Health recommends the following strategies to reduce risk of adverse health effects:

Avoid physical activities outdoors.
Move physical activities indoors or reschedule.

High-quality masks, such as N95 and KN95 masks, can be worn outdoors to reduce the inhalation of fine particles from the air. N95s are available to the public, at no cost, at our offices at 55 Brown Road (near the airport) and 201 E Green St., Ithaca NY, for pick up during office hours Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm. Masks are also available at the downtown Tompkins County Public Library during open hours. Cloth masks and surgical masks are not effective at reducing inhalation of pollutants.

Do-It-Yourself indoor air cleaners are an affordable and accessible way to protect yourself from air pollutants. DIY air cleaners are made with a box fan and a high-quality air filter. For visual graphic on how to create an indoor air cleaner, as well as additional tips on how to protect yourself indoors or outdoors during poor air quality events, visit Cornell’s Wildfire Risk Mitigation webpage.

Sign up for Tompkins County SIREN (Safety & Incident Real-Time Emergency Notifications) to receive key community alerts to your phone, text or email. Sign up online at: https://tompkinscountyny.gov/siren or dial 211 (1-877-211-8667) for assistance over the phone.

For additional information, please visit our website or call the NYS DEC Air Quality Hotline at: 800-535-1345.

Tompkins County Whole Health: envisioning a future where every person in Tompkins County can achieve wellness. Find us online at: https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/health and follow us on Facebook, Instagram or X. Sign up to receive Whole Health updates or other county announcements via email or text.

Our mission is to build a healthy, equitable community in Tompkins County by addressing the root causes of health disparities and integrating mental, physical and environmental health.

07/15/2026

This morning Dryden Fire and Ambulance members welcomed a local day care at the station to see what we do.

Kids were able to see all the equipment and apparatus & even got to spray some water on a hot day.

Tomorrow’s firefighters and paramedics!

07/15/2026

Dryden Fire & Ambulance along with the Dryden Recreation Dept. announce our annual Junior Fire Fighter Academy for 2026.

Both fun and educational for kids this summer.

Sign up via the link below.

When you get to the RecDesk home page select the “hamburger” menu (three dashes) in the top right. Then select programs from the drop down menu. Scroll to programs and then select youth. From there scroll down until you find Junior Fire Academy . Log in or create a new profile and register for the appropriate dates and age group.

http://drydenrec.recdesk.com

07/12/2026

Another long night assisting our neighbors.

07/12/2026

Today, firefighters from Dryden & Varna Fire Departments hoisted the flag over Route 38 (North St) for the 17th annual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway of Valor “Tribute Ride" as it passed through the village. 🇺🇸

07/10/2026

Dryden Fire & Ambulance members are proud to announce the recipient of the Annual Neptune Hose Company and Dryden Ambulance high school scholarship.

This years Dryden High School graduate recipient is Sheldon Swartwood from McLean. (4th from
Left in photo)

Sheldon is a member of McLean Fire Dept. and is looking into attending Onondaga Community College in the Fire Science program.

Congratulations Sheldon and good luck in your future career with emergency services.

07/08/2026

On June 2nd 2026, Neptune Hose was dispatched to a possible basement fire. First arriving units confirmed a basement fire. Engine 501 arrived shortly thereafter. The crew on that engine retrieved a handline, got it to the door, flaked it out (spread the hose out and remove kinks), 4 members masked up for interior work, and the driver provided water to that line all in under 70 seconds. These actions along with the resident keeping that cellar door closed helped save that house.

These volunteers put in thousands of hours a year to train for situations just like this.

Have you ever wanted to become a first responder? There is more to running a fire department than just people willing to run into a burning building. We can use help of all kinds. If this interests you please stop over to https://dryden.org/join/ to learn more.

07/05/2026

July 5, 2026

Public Information

From: Dryden Fire Department

Re: Fatal house fire July 3 – Town of Dryden

Early Friday Morning July 3rd just after midnight (OO:21 hrs) Tompkins County 911 received a call from a Lake Road resident reporting a neighboring house on fire. Dryden Fire and Ambulance were immediately dispatched. While units were en route dispatchers attempted to obtain further information about the situation. The house was a two-family home (upstairs and downstairs) but it was unknown to the 911 caller how many people resided there. While enroute Deputy Chief Bell immediately called for a second alarm assignment, which included significant mutual aid from surrounding departments for water, manpower, and equipment.

Upon arrival Bell confirmed a fully engulfed two story home with downstairs occupants (5) exiting the structure. Sizing the situation up and questioning the downstairs occupants, it was determined that the upstairs residents may be home along with some pets.

Dryden’s first engine and aerial truck arrived just a few minutes later and had been made aware via radio that there may be upstairs occupants trapped. Firefighters made a rapid and aggressive entrance to the second floor to locate the missing persons. One was quickly located near a window deceased and the second could not be located immediately with the excessive fire and smoke. Minutes later after crews were able to suppress the fire enough to allow firefighters to re-enter the structure, the second victim was located.

Additional crews set up immediately and attacked the fire while arriving mutual aid personnel assisted and established a water supply and portable ponds to pump from.

Heat and humidity were oppressive and added to the significant challenge to firefighters working in heavy gear.

The fire was eventually extinguished, and fire investigators were able to begin their investigation. Overall firefighters were on the scene for over 13 hours.

Fatal fires are extremely, emotionally difficult to deal with, and Dryden Firefighters have been directly involved with two in the past four months as well as another via mutual aid. This can take a toll on a firefighter's well-being, and the department is making the necessary mental health resources available to those needing it.

The Tompkins County Sheriff’s Dept along with the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC) are continuing their investigation.

Dryden Fire Department wishes to acknowledge the outstanding support of mutual aid departments, local businesses, and citizens of the community that provided food, water, and emotional support throughout the incident.

The following departments provided apparatus, manpower, station backup, and support resources:
Freeville Fire Dept., Varna Fire Dept., McLean Fire Dept., Tompkins County Airport Fire, Lansing Fire Dept., Groton Fire Dept., Cortlandville Fire Dept., Virgil Fire Dept., Harford Fire Dept., Cayuga Heights Fire Dept., Marathon Fire Dept., and Dryden Ambulance.

In addition, Assistance was provided by Dryden Police Dept., Tompkins County Sheriff’s Dept., New York State Police, Town of Dryden Highway Dept., Village of Dryden, Dryden Town Code Enforcement, NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control, NYSEG, and Brecht’s Towing.

Further support came from many citizens as well as Speedway and Dedrick’s Market.

Thank you all for the support and any further updates will be provided from the investigating agencies.

Respectfully

Mark Bell
Deputy Chief
Incident Command

Pete Tyler
Department Chief
Neptune Hose Company