Community Fire & Rescue Dept 24

08/19/2026

Boxes packed? 📦 Chatted with Roommate ? 💬 Before you officially unpack and make your room your own, take 5 minutes to run through this quick campus safety checklist! 1️⃣ Save the numbers: Don’t wait for an emergency. Program your Resident Advisor (RA) and Campus Public Safety numbers into your contacts right now.
2️⃣ Map your route: Walk your regular class routes during the day and take note of where the campus emergency “blue light” phones are located. 3️⃣ Check for fire hazards: Locate the nearest fire extinguisher and emergency exit route in your hall. Keep all power strips uncovered, and remember to double-check the campus policy on candles, hot plates, or microwaves before plugging them in! 🔥🚫.
4️⃣ Lock it up: Get into the habit of locking your dorm door every single time you leave—even if it’s just a quick trip down the hall to grab ice or do laundry. Welcome to your new home! Let’s make it a safe, incredible semester. 🎉✨

08/17/2026

🔥 VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT | A LIFETIME OF SERVICE, LEADERSHIP & LEARNING 🚒👨‍🚒

When you talk about public service, this is what it looks like. Fire. EMS. Law Enforcement. Emergency Management. Education. Leadership. And above all, a commitment to never stop learning, leading, teaching, and serving. 🇺🇸

Today, we are glad to introduce David Lanning, Chemung County Deputy Fire Coordinator, Fire Chief of Community Fire & Rescue, and longtime NYS Fire Instructor. 🚒 David also serves in Emergency Management for Centralus Health, bringing decades of experience in public safety, leadership, and emergency services to the community.

🎓 EDUCATION & TRAINING

📚 B.S. in Human Development & Family Studies - Cornell University
📚 A.S. in Individual Studies - SUNY Alfred
🚑 Graduate - Arnot-Ogden Medical Center Paramedic Program
🏛️ Training - Center for Domestic Preparedness, Anniston, Alabama

But the classroom is only part of the story...

🚒 A CAREER BUILT AROUND SERVICE

🔥 Current Fire Chief - Community Fire Rescue, serving as Chief for 8 years
👨‍🏫 Current NYS Fire Instructor - 18 years
🏥 Current Emergency Management - Arnot Health System / Centralus Health
🔥 Former Recruit Firefighter Training Academy Instructor
🚔 Retired Police Officer - 21 years of law enforcement service
• City of Ithaca - 6 years
• Village of Cayuga Heights - 15 years
🚑 Former Paramedic - Bangs Ambulance, Ithaca
🩺 Currently certified as an EMT
☣️ Former Emergency Response Specialist - EMS / Fire / HazMat, Cornell University

Dave has also served with both the Spencer Fire Department and Lansing Fire Department, holding officer positions in each organization.

And his impact on the fire service goes well beyond responding to calls...

Dave also....

📖 Co-Authored the New York State Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC)
🔥 Assisted with development of the NYS Firefighter I / BEFO-IFO curriculum that all Firefighters complete....

That means generations of firefighters across New York have benefited from the knowledge, experience, and lessons he has helped put into the classroom. 👨‍🚒📚

When the radios are quiet, you might find him enjoying:

⛳ Golf
🦌 Hunting
🥾 Hiking
🎯 Shooting
📸 Taking Photos
🐕 Enjoying time with his Dogs
🪚 Construction & Woodworking
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Spending time with Family
📚 Taking Leadership Development

But perhaps the most important part of his story is the lesson he passes along to the next generation:

💬 “You can never have enough education.”

Learning is a lifelong process, and the fire service is no different. You must constantly study, train, practice, and learn your craft.

And one lesson stands above the rest:

🔥 Professionalism has nothing to do with a paycheck.

"It's the drive to become better at what you do and the will to pass that on to others. Put those egos aside and do what's best for the craft and the Community."

I take that as....

Train hard.
Stay humble.
Never stop learning.
Share your knowledge.
Take care of your people.
And always do what is best for the craft and the community you serve.

Because whether you're career, volunteer, paid-on-call, EMS, law enforcement, or emergency management...

The uniform may be different. The mission is the same: SERVICE. 🇺🇸

🚒 Train like it matters. Lead like it matters. Serve like it matters. Because someday, it will.

Thank you, Dave, for being such a valuable asset to our Deputy Fire Coordinator Team. Your experience, knowledge, leadership, and dedication to the fire service are truly remarkable, and we are fortunate to have you serving alongside us! 🚒🔥

08/08/2026

🚒 BIG THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY! 🚒

We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has donated cans and bottles to our recycling program. Your support makes a direct impact in two incredible ways.

🌍 Protecting the Planet: Every bottle and can recycled is less waste in our landfills, keeping our community clean and green.

🔥 Equipping Our Team: 100% of the redemption funds go directly toward purchasing critical fire suppression equipment. We are excited to share our most recent purchase!
Thanks to a Forestry Grant, we were awarded a 50% matching grant. We covered the remaining 50% entirely using your donated bottle and can funds. Because of your donations, our team now has brand-new brush fire equipment, just to name a few:
🪾Chainsaws for clearing fallen trees and hot spots.
👷‍♂️Chainsaw safety gear to protect our operators.
🪓 Pulaski’s for cutting roots and clearing brush.
🔥Fire swatters to quickly smother flames.
⛑️Safety helmets to safeguard our crew.
💦Portable fire pump for remote water access.

We could not do this without you. Keep those donations coming, and thank you for helping us stay ready to protect and serve!

07/28/2026

Fire, ems, law enforcement and farm personnel come join us for training on farm emergencies.

Thank you for your interest in the RF-DASH program and our upcoming training in Van Etten, New York on September 26, 2026. The RF-DASH training is open to first responders, farmers, and other agricultural community stakeholders.

07/25/2026

Come see us at Panther Pride Day in Banfield Square.

07/24/2026

And that’s a wrap on Day 5! 🎬🚒 What an absolutely incredible week we all had!We finished out our final day with some amazing field trips and a much-deserved celebration
Stop 1: Chemung County 911 Dispatch Center ☎️🎧 – Campers learned about the vital first contact made during an emergency. Dispatchers are true first responders, and their role is incredibly important in getting fire and EMS agencies exactly where they need to go!
Stop 2: City of Elmira 🚒🏢 – Our crew got a firsthand look at the career side of being a firefighter and first responder.
Stop 3: Pool Party & BBQ! 🍔🏊‍♂️ – To end the week, everyone finally got to relax, enjoy a great meal, and jump into the pool for a long-awaited swim at Keturi Acres! And a quick game of water ball. We wrapped up the day handing out awards and certificates for fun achievements like the Best Darn Jenga Player, the Go-Getter Award, and so much more! 🏆🏅These kiddos did an incredibly good job all week and it sure looked like they thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. We already have so many big ideas for next year and can't wait to make it even better!
To all the parents, grandparents, and guardians: thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing your amazing kiddos with us this week. We truly hope we sparked an interest in their hearts for the fire and EMS service. So many wonderful careers and life opportunities can stem from volunteering! 🌟❤️
Thank you to everyone who made this camp possible! See you next year! 👋

07/24/2026

Day four of camp, and the campers dug in and got dirty—literally! 😅🪏 Tonight, our crew was introduced to Hazmat identification and mitigation, learning how real responders keep our communities safe.
They rotated through four incredible, hands-on skill stations:
* Station 1: Spill Control – Campers tackled a simulated hazardous spill, using diking and damming techniques to contain the liquid and protect the surrounding environment. 🌊
* Station 2: Hazmat Identification – They learned to recognize placards and use the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) to isolate the area. Plus, they practiced reporting their findings directly back to Incident Command (IC)!
* Station 3: Gas Emergencies – Campers learned how to detect atmospheric hazards and air emergencies using the specialized SENSIT detector. 💨
* Station 4: Gross Decon – And when I say gross, I mean gross! 🟢 Wait until you see the green gunk they had to scrub through in the pictures!
We had a little extra time so we did a quick introduction to wildland fire fighting. Actually we just wanted our trails cleaned. NOOOOO JUST KIDDING 😉
A massive thank you to the Chemung County Hazmat Team and EMO (Emergency Management Office) for coming out, bringing your expertise, and giving these kids an unforgettable experience! 🙌
And a huge shout out to Spencer Fire Company y’all are amazing 🤩

Drop a comment to let us know which station your camper loved the most! 👇

07/23/2026

07/23/2026

Day three here we go... and it was an absolute spark-plug of a night! 🔥🚒🧯 Thank you Erin Volunteer Fire Department and Spencer Fire Company for coming out to make this camp truly unforgettable.
We had our highly anticipated Fire Suppression Night, and wow, did these campers bring the heat!
Our future first responders jumped right into action learning:
Hose line management & advancing a live line 💧
Hose rolls & appliance relay
Fire suppression techniques 👨🏻‍🚒
save Chief from a second-floor window!! Nooo just kidding it wasn’t the real chief.
We even let them race the fire trucks—because honestly, who gets to do that?! 🚒💨
To top off an already unforgettable night, all of our amazing families gathered together for a special dollhouse burn demonstration.
The kids got a first-hand look at fire behavior and practiced using real fire extinguishers. 🏠🔥And just when they thought the night was wrapping up... we hit them with the Bucket Brigade challenge! 🪣💦 Secret surprise: we drilled holes in the bottoms of the buckets! 😂🤣 Drop some love for these awesome kids in the comments! 👇

07/22/2026

Day two of camp is in the books, and I am telling you, the days are just getting better and better! 🌟
You all have some truly incredible kiddos!
Tonight, we dove straight into more skill stations. The campers worked hard learning:
Basic CPR 🫁
Stop the Bleed training (hence the pool noodles!) 😉
Splinting long bone fractures 🩹Packaging a patient for transport 🚑Basic technical rope rescue rigging 🪢
Oh and a couple of relay races like knots relay and harness relay. 🪢📿
To top the whole night off, the campers put their skills to the test rescuing a hunter from his tree stand! Shoutout to our dear old rescue dummy—Andy, Bob, or whoever he is today! 🌲🎯
These kids are learning so fast and doing an amazing job.
Shout out to Spencer Fire Company thank you for your help and support and making unforgettable memories with us.
Check out the photos from tonight! 👇