100% Volunteer Fire & EMS — Rush, New York
Answeringthe callsince 1920
Fires, crashes, water rescues, and medical emergencies across the Town of Rush — answered around the clock by neighbors who train for it. No paychecks. No shifts. Just people who show up.
Dispatched by Monroe County 911 — if you have an emergency, call 911
We still run our own ambulance
Most departments handed EMS off to an outside agency years ago. Rush is one of the very few in Monroe County that never did. Ambulance 589 rolls out of this station with volunteer EMTs aboard — your neighbors, trained and certified, on your worst night. Keeping her in service takes people and money. We could use both.
Unit file
589
- Rig
- 2012 Ford / Marque Type III
- Level of care
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Crew
- Volunteer EMTs & drivers
- Status
- In service
1920
Year founded
A century-plus of answered alarms
100%
Volunteer
Zero paid staff — all neighbors
8
Pieces of apparatus
From pumpers to rescue boats
500+
Calls per year
Fire & EMS combined
From the station
Latest news
March 6, 2026
Open House: See What It Takes to Answer the Call
Tour the station, climb into the cab, meet the crew, and find out where you'd fit. Friday, 6–8 PM.
Read the post
January 20, 2026
2026 Line Officers Elected
The membership has chosen the officers who will lead fireground and EMS operations this year.
Read the post
February 8, 2026
Drill Night: Vehicle Stabilization & Extrication
Cribbing set, struts rigged — crews worked vehicle stabilization and patient access on two cars.
Read the post
The fleet
Built for the worst day
Pumper 582
2003 HME / Smeal · 1,500 GPM foam pumper-tanker
Pumper 584
2014 Spartan / Star · quick-attack foam engine
Rescue 588
2010 HME / EVI · special-ops heavy rescue
Ambulance 589
2012 Ford / Marque · still run from our own station
Membership
No experience needed.
Training provided.
Nearly every member of this department walked in the door knowing nothing. We put you through fire training at the county training facilities, EMT courses, and every piece of gear — at zero cost to you. What we can't provide is you.
Interior Firefighter
Run into it. County fire-school training, gear issued, mentors assigned.
EMS Provider
Crew Ambulance 589. We'll put you through EMT class.
Fire Police
Control scenes and traffic — critical work, lower physical impact.
Social & Support
Carnival, fundraisers, rehab, admin — the engine behind the engines.
No. Almost nobody walks in with experience. You bring the willingness — we provide the fire training at the county facilities, the equipment, and mentorship from members who started exactly where you are.
Honest answer: what you can give. Drills run Monday nights, and you respond to the calls you're available for. Our members have day jobs, farms, and families — nobody makes every alarm.
Yes. Fire training at the Monroe County and Livingston County training facilities, EMT certification, and continuing education are covered, and your turnout gear is issued at no cost — and active members qualify for the New York State volunteer firefighter tax credit.
Absolutely. Fire police, EMS, apparatus drivers, scene support, fundraising, and the Ladies Auxiliary keep this department running. There's a job here for every comfort level.
Ready to find out
where you fit?
More than alarms
Part of the town since 1920
Carnival & Parade
Rides, fried dough, and polished chrome. The carnival has packed Rush Mendon Road — and funded this department — for generations.
Learn more
Ladies Auxiliary
On long scenes they feed and rehab the crews. The rest of the year, they out-fundraise the rest of us combined.
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Explorers Post
Ages 14–21. Real training, real drills, real mentorship — learn the job years before you can drive the engine.
Learn more
Find us
Stop by the station
The best way to meet us is to walk through the door. Drill night is Monday at 7:00 PM — come watch, ask questions, try on a pack. No appointment. No commitment.
Station 1 — 1971 Rush Mendon Rd, Rush, NY 14543
(585) 533-2058 — business line only
Drills: Mondays, 7:00 PM at Station 1
Map — Station 1, 1971 Rush Mendon Rd, Rush, NY 14543
