Lancaster Fire Department

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Lancaster, NY
Lancaster Fire Department

The Lancaster Fire Department provides fire, rescue, and emergency services for the Village of Lancaster NY and mutual aid jurisdictions.
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The Lancaster Fire Department protects approximately 12,000 residents of the Village of Lancaster. Our district is comprised of a mixture of residential, commercial, and industrial properties. Four active rail lines dissect the Village, along with two major state truck routes (Walden Avenue and Broadway). Five elementary schools, one middle school, one high school, nine churches, Como Lake Park, and the Lancaster Opera House call the Village of Lancaster home.

09/02/2026

Wednesday’s weather will be a bit of a roller coaster. Thunder, lightning and possible hail will move through this morning, followed by clearing skies, high humidity and temperatures in the mid-80s this afternoon.

The greatest concern comes later today, with a line of strong thunderstorms possible between approximately 6–10pm. These storms could bring damaging wind gusts, hail and heavy rain that may cause localized flooding.

We know weather in WNY can be unpredictable - and yes, we’re all used to rain, snow, heat and everything in between! 😉 But we share these updates because our residents travel throughout the region every day for work, sports, appointments and other activities. Even if severe weather doesn’t impact LANCASTER directly, you or someone you know may be traveling through an area that is affected.

As first responders, we also know that severe weather can impact our members’ ability to respond and can create additional hazards, including downed power lines, flooding, lightning strikes and storm-related emergencies.

Stay alert, keep an eye on changing conditions, and have a safe day!

09/01/2026

September is National Preparedness Month!

September is an annual reminder that being prepared before an emergency happens can help keep you, your family, and your community safe.

Take some time this month to prepare for emergencies such as:

✔️House fires
✔️Severe storms & tornadoes
✔️Winter weather & power outages
✔️Flooding
✔️Extreme heat
✔️Medical emergencies

A few simple steps can make a big difference:
✅ Have working smoke & carbon monoxide alarms
✅ Create and practice a family emergency plan
✅ Keep an emergency kit with water, food, medications and flashlights
✅ Know how to shut off your home’s utilities
✅ Make sure everyone in your household knows how to call 911 and what to do if you need to evacuate

Preparedness starts before the emergency. Take a few minutes today to get your family ready!

Your Lancaster Fire Department is here to help keep our community safe.

08/22/2026

Our Junior Firefighters had a full day of training today alongside junior firefighters from the Town and Village of Lancaster, Millgrove, and Depew at a townwide Junior Firefighter training event hosted by the Lancaster / Alden Fire Chiefs Association.

Junior firefighters rotated through numerous hands-on training stations, including the Erie County Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Services survival trailer and forced entry simulator, extrication techniques using a tool loaned by Fire Rescue Products, initial company operations and hydrant basics, and basic first aid with Lancaster Ambulance.

Learning came in many forms - including “playing” Jenga and transporting eggs to help teach the basic operation and control of extrication tools.

After an afternoon of training, the juniors wrapped up the day with a water ball tournament, dinner from Carubba’s, and awards.

A huge thank you to Bowmansville Volunteer Fire Association for hosting and to the Chiefs, advisors, and members from Lancaster, Bowmansville, Depew Fire Department, Twin District Volunteer Fire Company, and Millgrove Volunteer Fire Department who took time out of their Saturday and helped make this a safe, educational, and fun event for our Junior Firefighters.

It was great to see these future members of the fire service learning, working together, and building skills that will benefit their communities for years to come!

08/21/2026

Today, we are proud to congratulate Past Chief Doug Lahnen on being selected as the Firefighter Honoree of the Day at the Erie County Fair!

Doug has dedicated more than 50 years of service to the Lancaster Fire Department and continues to be an active and invaluable member of our department. His knowledge, experience, and willingness to share his time and expertise have made a lasting impact - not only on the LFD, but throughout the greater Western New York fire service community.

Doug has, and continues to, dedicate countless hours to serving others, mentoring fellow firefighters, and helping carry on the traditions and knowledge of the fire service. We are incredibly fortunate to have him as a member of our Lancaster Fire Department family.

Doug will be formally honored during a ceremony tonight at 6pm at the Fireman’s Building at the Erie County Fair.

Congratulations, Doug! We are proud to call you one of our own!

08/15/2026

This week, we took advantage of a beautiful Thursday evening to get some hands-on training in! Our members worked on motor vehicle crash response, extrication tools and techniques, and hydrant hookups.

While our typical meetings and drills are held on Monday and Tuesday evenings - offering training at different times & days of the week gives our members more opportunities to fit required training into their schedules while continuing to fine-tune the skills they may need when responding to an emergency.

Hands-on training is an important part of being ready to serve our community and we’re thankful for the turnout we get from our members each & every month.

Interested in becoming part of the Lancaster Fire Department? We’re always looking for new members who want to make a difference in their community! Visit our website www.lancasterfd.org to learn more and apply.

08/14/2026

🎶 Porchfest is tomorrow! 🎶

With musicians playing throughout the village, there will be more pedestrians, bikes, parked cars, and activity along our streets than usual.

A few reminders to help everyone enjoy Village of Lancaster PorchFest safely:

• Drivers: Slow down, stay alert, and watch carefully for people crossing the street or stepping out from between parked cars.

• Pedestrians: Use sidewalks and crosswalks when available, stay alert, and make sure traffic has seen you before crossing.

• Everyone: Please give emergency vehicles plenty of room. If you hear sirens or see emergency lights, move to a safe location and allow us to pass.

Most importantly, look up, slow down, and watch out for one another. Let’s have a great Porch Fest and keep everyone safe!

08/12/2026

At last night’s department meeting, Past Chief Jerry Enser shared another fascinating piece of Lancaster history - this one taking us back 130 years to 1896.

On October 21, 1896, Lancaster experienced what is believed to be the second-worst fire in the village’s history.

The Hoffeld & Co. Soap Factory was completely destroyed by fire after a disgruntled 29-year-old laborer, William Foster, set the fire. The flames spread across the street, destroying John Mautes Hardware Store, Henry Balthasar’s Hotel (who was a past LFD Chief), the Cushing Block, and our Fire Hall, causing approximately $45,000 in damages.

But there’s an important piece of LFD history that came from this devastating fire that even Jerry didn’t connect until doing the research on this fire…

…just five days later, the Protective Hose Company of the Lancaster Fire Department was organized.

And one piece of the fire’s history still exists today - the bell from our former Fire Hall was saved and is now located in Town Hall.

Another incredible story reminding us that the history of our fire department is deeply connected to the history of our village.

Thanks, Jerry, for keeping these stories alive with your monthly facts, and through your work with the Greater Lancaster Museum of Firefighting.

08/11/2026

Today, our members participated in a daytime drill focused on water supply, hydrant hookups, lay-ins, and truck connections.

Training like this is an important part of staying prepared - and daytime drills serve an especially important purpose for our department.

Not every member works a traditional 9 to 5 schedule. By offering training opportunities in the morning, we give more of our volunteers the opportunity to participate, sharpen their skills, and work toward their annual drill requirements.

We work hard to provide our members with multiple training opportunities every month, covering a variety of topics and offering drills at different times of the day. This allows our members to fine-tune their skills and stay familiar with the equipment and operations they may be called upon to use at a moment’s notice.

And while daytime staffing can be challenging for volunteer fire departments, training during these hours is also part of the solution. The more members who are able to train, the more prepared we are to answer the call when our community needs us.

A huge thank you to our members who took time out of their day to train today!

07/31/2026

Congratulations to the members of the Lancaster Fire Department who were nominated by our Awards Committee for recognition from the Southwestern Association of Volunteer Firemen and were selected as this year’s award recipients!

🏅 Gregg Smith – 50+ Years of Service
🏅 Tip Kryman – 50+ Years of Service
🏅 Jennie Hauser – 21–30 Years of Service
🏅 David Haseltine – Junior Firefighter of the Year

The awards were presented during the Southwestern Association of Volunteer Firemen Convention today at Bolivar-Richburg High School.

Please join us in congratulating these outstanding members and thanking them for their unwavering dedication, commitment, and years of service to the Lancaster community.

Congratulations and thank you for all you do!

07/30/2026

Our monthly meetings always include a Historical Fact from Jerry Enser - and this month - it took us back 113 years to 1913, when Lancaster celebrated Old Home Week from July 27 through August 2.

The week-long celebration welcomed an incredible 150,000 visitors and featured 98 fire companies from across the region. There were baseball games every day and a parade every hour on the hour, making it one of the biggest events in our community’s history.

Want to learn more about the rich history of the Lancaster Fire Department and our neighboring fire departments? Stop by the Greater Lancaster Museum of Firefighting on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4:30–7:00 p.m. There’s a good chance you’ll meet Jerry himself, whose passion for preserving our local fire service history makes these monthly fun facts possible!

Address

5423 Broadway Street
Lancaster, NY
14086

Telephone

+17166831901

Website

http://www.LancasterFD.org/

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