Fire & Safety FAQ

  1. Are there any other ways I can help the fire department without volunteering?
  2. How can I donate money to the Apalachin Fire Department or Emergency Squad?
  3. Tot finder stickers, Should I use them and where do I get them?
  4. Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms, what should I do if these begin to alert within my house?
  5. How do I donate vehicles and/or buildings to the fire department for training?
  6. How come I always hear the Fire department is looking for volunteers?
  7. Can I burn my yard debris?
  8. What am I supposed to do for the Blue or Green light?
  9. What am I supposed to do when I see and hear a vehicle with Red lights and sirens?
  10. What is the difference between the Red, Blue and even Green light I have seen being used on personal vehicles?
  11. Can Apalachin Fire Department pump the water out of my basement after it floods?
  12. Will Apalachin Fire Department fill my swimming pool?



Are there any other ways I can help the fire department without volunteering?

  • Yes, there are many ways and most of the time depend on the time of year you ask. There is always our favorite time of the year when extra hands on the field day grounds would be of great support. Please contact our volunteering officer prior to arriving to help.
  • The Apalachin Fire Department also has a department Auxiliary which assists the department on numerous occasions.  Please contact our Public Information Officer (PIO) if interested.
  • Another way you could help would be with Pre-plans.  For more information about pre-plans, please see our emergency pre-planning section.

How can I donate money to the Apalachin Fire Department or Emergency Squad?

  • First, we thank you for considering the donation.
  • There are a couple ways we encourage this action to happen. You may send a check to the fire department or squad via our mailing address in the contacts portions of the web page.
  • Or something new we are trying is the ability for those making donations to use PayPal for their donation. If this is a path you are comfortable in using please return soon to the webpage and look for the symbol from PayPal that you may be familiar with. We are in process with setting up this new feature and will be adding it to our new web page very soon.

Tot finder stickers, Should I use them and where do I get them?

  • The stickers are a personal decision and can be argued good or bad for their use. The Apalachin Fire Department and departments all over the world are taught many ways to search for personnel within a structure.
  • When a fire department arrives on scene there are numerous factors that are taken into account about the occupants of a house. The stickers would be another piece of information used by the fire department during its initial assessment when search operations would begin.
  • The best plan for you and your family is to have an evacuation plan AND TO PRACTICE!! For more information see the Fire Prevention section of the web page.

Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms, what should I do if these begin to alert within my house?

  • First and foremost, your safety is first!! If you do not know why these have begun to give a continuous alert, exit the house and dial 911. Either one of these alarms may be the early sign of a much more dangerous condition.
  • Common problems with Smoke Alarms and CO alarms have to do with dust contamination and/or battery life. There are many manufacturers for these devices, but in general a chirping alert is the unit’s way of identifying a problem with itsself and is chirping in order to have maintenance conducted.
  • Read the manufacturer's instructions for the unit to better understand the alert that is being given.
  • Don’t be afraid to call if you are unsure of the problem. Remember these devices are meant to provide early warning and should be fully attended to when they provide an alert. This is for your safety!
  • If you have any doubt that there may be an emergency, please dial 911.

How do I donate vehicles and/or buildings to the fire department for training?

  • There are lots of legal requirements for donated vehicles and or buildings. Please contact the chief in order to discuss the donation with more specific questions.
  • We are always looking for these items, there are just more questions for this than there is space to answer so please inquire!!

How come I always hear the Fire department is looking for volunteers?

  • Many hands make easy work….With this department being volunteer, the more people we have who are willing to help the greater the value of service we can provide. Also, by having more individuals willing to help the committment needs from each member within the department grows smaller.

Can I burn my yard debris?

  • The easiest way to say this is NO. According to the following link from the Department of Environmental Conservation, (DEC) you may not open burn.
  • There are stipulations for cooking, but please pay attention to the fact that if someone finds the fire to be a nuisance because of the smoke, you may be required to extinguish the fire.
  • There are also times when the conditions are just not favorable for the action and the fire would be highly discouraged or prohibited (red flag alerts).

What am I supposed to do for the Blue or Green light?

  • Again this color in NY is a courtesy light and it requests that the courtesy be given with much the same as that for a red light. Do remember though, red lights have legal right of way….blue and green are requests for this courtesy.

What am I supposed to do when I see and hear a vehicle with Red lights and sirens?

  • Without trying to be a legal writer, the best policy for you to follow is; CLEARLY signal your intentions, ensure that your maneuver is clear, then complete the maneuver to the right side of the road or where it would be safe and appropriate to provide a clear passage for the emergency vehicle.
  • Most of the time an emergency vehicle will pass on your left side though the road conditions may  change this.
  • Most important is to be alert to the vehicles around you and see the vehicle BEFORE it is right behind you. If you do find that a vehicle is immediately behind you, don’t make a sudden erratic lane change. Signaling with your turn signal is the clearest communication that you see the emergency vehicle.

What is the difference between the Red, Blue and even Green light I have seen being used on personal vehicles?

  • The different colors are specific to purpose. Listed are the rules for NY state and  are different in each state.
  • Red lights are used to designate emergency vehicles and are to be treated the same as an emergency apparatus, police car or ambulance with a legal right of way.
  • Blue lights are authorized for use by members of a fire department. The blue light is considered a courtesy light and is a means for volunteers to be identified in their response to an emergency.  The blue light does NOT provide the responder with a legal right of way. As a courtesy, drivers may move over allowing for the responder to continue to the emergency response as expeditiously as possible.
  • A green light is an authorized light for use by members of a strictly emergency services provider. In Apalachin you would not normally see this since AFD is a fire and EMS agency. Our neighbors in Vestal do have this where seeing a green light may be more common. The same authority and courtesy should be given to a vehicle with a green light as would a blue.
  • Generally a blue light or green light will be displayed on the roof of a vehicle though another common place is on the center dash of the vehicle.

Can Apalachin Fire Department pump the water out of my basement after it floods?

  • Unfortunately No. Again this is to ensure the safety of our members, protection of the resident's home from infrastructure damage and the availability of the apparatus for emergencies.
  • The department does have small portable pumps which may be loaned to Apalachin residents at the Chief’s discretion. These units are limited in quantity.

Will Apalachin Fire Department fill my swimming pool?

  • Under a couple conditions…First it is policy that no fire apparatus will be used to fill swimming pools. This is to ensure the apparatus are available for emergency use .
  • Next, If an AFD member is willing to volunteer his/her own time to help you they are authorized to utilize certain resources from AFD to assist with filling a pool from a hydrant.
  • Though, it is up to the owner of the pool to obtain the permit from the Town of Owego for permission to draw water from the hydrant

If you have questions that are not addressed in our Online FAQ, please don't hesitate to contact us.