ROUSES POINT FIRE DEPARTMENT

MONTGOMERY HOSE, HOOK & LADDER COMPANY NO. 1, INC.

48 Lake Street, Rouses Point, NY 12979
518-297-6431

Emergency DIAL 911


Our Facebook:


» NUMBER OF CALLS «

Fire Calls: 133
EMS Calls: 442
Total Calls: 575
Station

Celebrating 134 years of dedicated volunteer service to the community.
1890 - 2024

Members

Perseverance, Bravery, and Dedication are all part of the character in the long tradition of the volunteer firefighters of the Rouses Point Fire Department. We are proud of our long tradition of volunteer service and will continue the dedication of all those who have made us what we are today. If you are interested in volunteering with the Fire Department, live in the Rouses Point area, and are willing to give up some of your free time to help your community, we would be glad to hear from you..

Believe.

If you believe in yourself, Anything is possible!

History of Montgomery Hose Hook and Ladder Co

On May 7, 1889 the Village Board of Rouses Point received a petition from concerned citizens to form a hose company. At this time 18 men were appointed members of the company. The records of this hose company state that on April 25th 1890 the company was actually formed and approved by the Village.

As fires grew in number and size the Village was petitioned to form a hook and ladder company and on January 17, 1894 such a resolution was passed by the Village Board.

As years passed bad feelings grew between the two companies and as a result on January 5th 1904 the Village was petitioned to disband the present companies and form the Montgomery Hose, Hook and Ladder Co. This ended the constant disputes between the companies.

In these early years there were numerous fires on a regular basis. In 1908 the Village suffered an earthquake and in 1934 a cyclone occurred with reports of "trees as large as four or five feet in diameter and eighty feet tall uprooted and strewn all over the Village".



In 1927 the Fire Department became motorized with the purchase of a Dodge hose wagon. This engine served the Village well into the 1950s. It is remembered that the motor was so loud that no siren was necessary.

On September 2, 1952 the Department formed its first rescue squad. This ambulance service and rescue squad was the first fire company sponsored rescue squad in Clinton County. An ambulance was purchased by the company and donated to the Village. It should be noted that all the ambulances purchased were purchased by the company and donated to the Village up until the 1990's. The money was raised from donations and from the various community activities such as the July 4th celebration.

On January 27th 1958, the ladies auxiliary was formed. Eighteen wives of firefighter's decided that waiting and worrying was too much to bear, and thought that they could "relieve the strain on their men" by being actively supporting them when serious fires took the men from their families for so many hours. They continue to support the firemen up to the present day. They certainly deserve the appreciation of the Fire Department and all the mutual aid companies that have benefited from their efforts over the years.

In 1963 the pager system was introduced to the Department. Each firefighter could now be paged directly twenty-four hours a day allowing for a quicker response.

A fireman and Village employee, James Lefebvre, made his community proud on February 1, 1967 when his fire pager summoned him for a 14 month old child choking. He was repairing a village snowplow at the time and when alerted, ran across the street to the Harold Ashline home on Lake Street. There he found the lifeless baby who was turning blue. He was successful in dislodging a marsh-mellow candy and breathing life back into the child. Mr. Lefebvre was later recognized for his heroic actions on February 8th by then Mayor Leo Letourneau at a Village Board meeting. It should be noted that back in 1952 Leo Letourneau was one of the individuals responsible for the formation of the rescue squad.

In March of 1967 a new custom American LaFrance pumper was purchased by the Village and serves the Village to this day.

In the late 1960's there was a concern that the larger and heavier fire apparatus were outgrowing the fire station. The old station would creak and moan as the trucks were backed in as the station had wood floors. A new fire station was completed and dedicated on January 18, 1969.

In the 1980's Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals donated a chemical truck to the department.

Also, during this period the Department organized and trained a Cold Water Rescue Unit and a hovercraft was obtained enabling the Department to respond to emergencies on water and ice.

In 1998 the Northeast suffered though the great Ice Storm. At this time all the experience and resources of the department were put to the test. Many of the firefighters did not sleep for two days answering the call for help from the community. Then Chief, Robert Ethier, probably received less sleep then anyone in the department as he directed emergency men and equipment.

In 1998 a new ambulance arrived. This unit had state of the art equipment to provide our community with the best possible medical assistance. This was the first time donations could not provide the necessary funding to support the purchase of the ambulance, but donations do support the upgrading of supplies and equipment. In2001 we responded to 401 incidents.

In May of 2000 Montgomery Hose Hook and Ladder realized the need to replace our 50 year old ladder truck. A committee selected a used American LaFrance 85 ft aerial ladder and this truck was purchased with company funds and presented to the village. Olen Harvey and Sons Trucking transported the truck from Pennsylvania at no charge to the company. We are very appreciative to them for their generous help in the acquisition of this apparatus. The lettering on the truck was donated by Richard Deso of Vital Signs. Soon after the truck was put into service it played a major role at an industrial fire.

After the events in New York City a group of EMS units responded from Clinton County to Ground Zero. Our ambulance and crew spent two days helping in the recovery efforts at the World Trade Center. We were one of the very few fully staffed advanced life support units to be put into service that weekend in support of our fallen firefighters.

In February 2002 the Village completed the installation of a 125 kilowatt, 400 amp diesel generator at the firehouse to provide emergency power. This improves our ability to serve the community as an emergency shelter.

In January of 2004 Montgomery Hose Hook and Ladder company got a new 2000 gpm pumper. It was one of the first trucks with a CAFS system in the county.

In 2008 Montgomery Hose Hook and Ladder company got a brand new Ambulance. The Ambulance is a 2009 Freightliner and is still in service today

Also in 2008, a 2009 18 foot seaark boat with a 60 hp mercury was purchased to help with lake rescues and fires. It is Still in service today.

We are proud of our long tradition of volunteer service and will continue the dedication of all those who have made us what we are today.

Compiled from company records and recollections of firemen. We wish to thank the Village Historian, Dawn O'Boyle, and James L. Munafo, who compiled a history of the company on our 100th anniversary.



Duty. Honor. Community.

When I am called to duty, god wherever flames may rage, give me the strength to save a life, whatever be its age.

Recent Training Photos and Videos

Coming Soon!

Our Members

  1. Allen Nautel
  2. Dennis Roberts
  3. Jim Seguin
  4. Gerald Robert
  5. Ben Arno
  6. Mike LeBlanc
  7. Charles Lapan
  8. Brian Pelkey
  9. Junior Moore
  10. Walter Laramie
  11. Kevin Chagnon
  12. Victoria Brunelle
  13. Brad Martin
  14. Joe Krone
  15. John Mott
  16. Eric Miller
  17. Don Deso
  18. Pat Birkett
  19. Jennifer Blair
  20. Shawn LaBombard
  21. Scott Post
  22. Jonathen Rodriguez
  23. Jeffery Garrand
  24. J.J. Lafountain
  25. Maurice Snide
  26. Kevin Butler
  27. Julie Kirby
  28. Josh Babbie
  29. Justin Gumlaw
  30. Adam Gokey
  31. Shawn Snide
  32. Chris Matott
  33. Gordon Snide
  34. Jordan Brilotti
  35. Jerrad Mesec
  36. Bernie Savage
  37. Edward Martin
  38. Madison Gumlaw
  39. Michael Weller

Our Officers

  1. Fire Chief
    Michael LeBlanc
  2. 1st Assistant Chief
    Shawn LaBombard
  3. 2nd Assistant Chief
    Chris Matott
  4. Captain
    Maurice Snide
  5. 1st Lieutenant
    Adam Gokey
  6. 2nd Lieutenant
    J.J. Lafountain
  7. Captain of Fire Police
    Kevin Chagnon
  8. Lieutenant of Fire Police
    Vicky Brunelle
  9. Captain Of Rescue
    Walter Laramie
  10. 1st Lieutenant of Rescue
    JR.Moore
  11. 2nd Lieutenant of Rescue
    Julie Kirby


  1. President
    Gerald Robert
  2. Vice President
    Ben Arno
  3. Secretary
    Vicky Brunelle
  4. Treasurer
    Kevin chagnon
  5. Warden
    Vicky Brunelle
  6. Executive Committee
    Jim Seguin
  7. Executive Committee
    Chris Matott
  8. Executive Committee
    Jonathen Rodriguez
  9. Executive Committee
    Maurice Snide

Our Trucks

Calming Fears. Easing Minds. Saving Lives.

“Hard times don't create heroes. It is during the hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed.” - Bob Riley.

Events/Contact Us

Contact Us

Format: 123-456-7890