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Henrietta Fire District History
In 1931 and 1932, the Town of Henrietta was petitioned by Henrietta Fire Company No.1 and the West Henrietta Fire Department to Form a Fire District. This district, from historical records, seems to have been formed in 1933. In 1941, the Genesee Valley Fire Department joined the Fire District. From 1933 to 1969, this Fire District operated under the authority of the Town Board of Henrietta. In 1969, the Fire Departments filed papers with the Town of Henrietta requesting the Fire District be set aside as a separate entity of Town Government and, by resolution of the Town Board, this was accomplished. The Henrietta Fire District operates under the laws of the State of New York.
The Fire District covers approximately 39 square miles. It covers the entire Town of Henrietta, 20 miles of the New York State Thruway and 7 miles of I-390.
There are six fire stations: the Fire District owns three of these stations, and independent volunteer fire companies own the remaining three. The Fire District rents space from these fire companies to place fire apparatus in.
One Fire District, Four Organizations: Who’s Who?
The Fire District is the governing body commissioned with providing fire, rescue and emergency medical service to its residents. The cost for this service is paid for through the collection of your tax dollars. The Henrietta Fire District does not solicit funds through mass fund drive mailings. Any fund drive mailing you may receive is from one of the three social organizations (volunteer companies), and any monies collected do not go to the Henrietta Fire District and are not used to provide fire protection or emergency service to you or your families.
The Fire District employs the career personnel. The career staff collective bargaining unit is the Henrietta Professional Firefighter and Dispatchers Association, and this association is also a member of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
The Fire District is also comprised of three social organizations, or volunteer companies, that supply volunteer manpower to the Fire District. These companies are the Henrietta Fire Company No.1, the West Henrietta Fire Department, and the Genesee Valley Fire Department.
The Department is a Combination Fire Department
A combination Fire Department means it consists of career and volunteer firefighters. Most combination departments began as all-volunteer — but as areas develop, population’s increase, roads clog with traffic, and job roles expand, the workload drastically increases. Combine that with members working out of the area, the increased dangers in an ever-changing fire service, the higher training requirements, and members having less time to volunteer, it is understandable why a full volunteer service could not effectively protect the needs of our residents.
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