Senate Resolution No. 5821

BY: Senator GRIFFO

commending seven firefighters from the Massena
Volunteer Fire Department upon the occasion of being
named the 2018 Firefighters of the Year by the
Northern New York Volunteer Fireman's Association on
June 8, 2018

WHEREAS, Citizens across our State and Nation are inspired by and
indebted to our noble volunteer firefighters who exhibit courage and
bravery every day in the course of their duties; and

WHEREAS, Volunteer firefighters exemplify the power of human
compassion and the strength of the American spirit through actions of
the most heroic magnitude; their sacrifices and their selfless
dedication merit tribute and recognition by all citizens of this great
country; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend seven
firefighters from the Massena Volunteer Fire Department upon the
occasion of being named the 2018 Firefighters of the Year by the
Northern New York Volunteer Fireman's Association, celebrated at a
Ceremony at its 122nd Annual Convention on Friday, June 8, 2018, in
Copenhagen, New York; and

WHEREAS, Lieutenant James R. Debien, Captain Mike Macaulay and
firefighters, James F. Debien, Jason Newcomb, Conner Terrance, Matt
Chontosh, and Jason Horan were honored for their outstanding bravery and
commitment to the residents of Massena, New York; and

WHEREAS, On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, at approximately 9:58 p.m.
the Massena Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a working
structure fire with entrapment on Route 420 in Massena; upon arrival
they observed St. Lawrence County Sheriff's Deputies and New York State
Troopers attempting to gain access to the burning building; and

WHEREAS, The firefighters entered the house but were unable to gain
access to the upstairs due to the intense heat and smoke, and
subsequently, evacuated the residents; upon learning there was a young
child in the upstairs bedroom, the firemen immediately sprang into
action; and

WHEREAS, Lieutenant James R. Debien and his father, James F. Debien
swiftly entered the building and sprayed water from the bottom of the
stairs after encountering flames at the top of the stairway; and

WHEREAS, Shortly thereafter, Firefighters Jason Newcomb, Conner
Terrance, Matt Chontosh and Jason Horan entered the residence in full
turnout gear with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) as directed
by Captain Mike Macaulay; and

WHEREAS, The firefighters made it to the second floor and Captain
Mike Macaulay, without SCBA, entered the bedroom where the child
reportedly was and unfortunately, could not get past the end of the bed

due to the heat; Jason Newcomb and Conner Terrance continued to search
the bedroom for the boy; and

WHEREAS, Approximately eight minutes after being dispatched, Jason
Newcomb located the child in the bedroom and handed him to Matt Chontosh
who then handed the child to Captain Mike Macaulay who rushed him out of
the house to Chief Wayne Love of the Massena Rescue Squad who
immediately started performing emergency care; and

WHEREAS, Despite the immediate and valiant efforts of those at the
scene, the five-year-old child passed away; and

WHEREAS, These seven brave men are true heroes; they unwaveringly
serve our great State with pride, valor, and integrity; these respected
volunteers are often the first to respond to an emergency, whether the
emergency is a fire, transportation accident, natural disaster, act of
terrorism, medical crisis, or spill of hazardous materials; and

WHEREAS, It takes a special dedication, a strong desire to help
others and a tireless sense of community to forsake precious time with
family and friends to respond to the signal that a neighbor is in need;
these seven individuals are such firefighters; throughout their many
years of devoted service, these volunteers heroically performed, above
and beyond the call of duty, those responsibilities which define the
task of fire protection; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend seven firefighters from the Massena Volunteer Fire Department
upon the occasion of being named the 2018 Firefighters of the Year by
the Northern New York Volunteer Fireman's Association; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the aforementioned firefighters from the Massena
Volunteer Fire Department.