Fire Suppression
Structure fires, vehicle fires, barn fires, wildland/grass — all of it. Three front-line pumpers plus the heavy rescue.
Since 1920
A Centuryof ShowingUp
Founded in 1920 by neighbors who decided Rush needed fire protection. Over a century later, nothing fundamental has changed — it's still neighbors, still volunteers, still showing up.
Established
1920
Over 100 years of answered alarms
Volunteer
100%
Zero paid staff — all neighbors
Pieces of apparatus
8
Pumpers, rescue, EMS & more
Calls per year
500+
Fire & EMS combined
Our story · since 1920
Built by neighbors.
Kept by neighbors.
In December 1920, a group of Rush residents decided their town needed organized fire protection. No grant, no county mandate — just neighbors who saw a problem and did something about it. They formed the Rush Fire Department, Inc. and started with a Model T Ford chemical truck housed in a barn for $60 a year. A century later, the people answering the call are still neighbors.
100+ years · all volunteer
Photo — E-9, the 1947 Federal, still on the roster
On the roster
E-9
- Year
- 1947
- Make
- Federal Motor Truck Co.
- Role
- Heritage / parade rig
- Status
- Active heritage
Mission
What we're here to do
Protect life and property in the Town of Rush through volunteer fire suppression, technical rescue, and emergency medical services — 24 hours a day, funded by the community that sends us.
Emergency Medical Service
BLS ambulance 589, crewed by volunteer EMTs from this station. One of the very few department-run ambulances remaining in Monroe County.
Technical & Water Rescue
Vehicle extrication, water and ice rescue on Honeoye Creek and area ponds. Rescue 588, two boats, and UTV 5827 for off-road access.
Coverage area
Town of Rush,
Monroe County
Rush Fire Department protects the Town of Rush in the southern tier of Monroe County, New York. We're dispatched through Monroe County 911 — any 911 call in Rush comes to us.
The town is primarily agricultural and residential, with the Genesee Valley south of the city. Long rural road runs, limited hydrant coverage in farm areas, and swift water along Honeoye Creek shape how we spec our apparatus and train our crews.
Station 1 · Station 2
1971 Rush Mendon Rd · 2 Rush West Rush Rd · Rush, NY 14543
Photo — Pumper 584 on the Station 1 apron at dusk
Dispatched by Monroe County 911 — emergencies: call 911
EMS — Ambulance 589
We still run
our own
ambulance
Most fire departments in Monroe County handed EMS off to an outside service years ago. Rush is one of the very few that never did. Ambulance 589 rolls out of this station with volunteer EMTs aboard — your neighbors, trained and certified. When you call 911 in Rush for a medical emergency, it's one of us who shows up. Keeping that going takes people and money. We could use both.
How it works
The department
& the district
Two separate organizations — one that fights fires, one that pays for them. Here's the difference.
Rush Fire Department, Inc.
The volunteer membership corporation — the people who actually answer the alarms. Organized under New York State law as a not-for-profit membership corporation. Members elect officers, respond to calls, maintain the apparatus, and run the carnival. If you join Rush Fire Department, you join this organization.
Become a member
Rush Fire District
The taxing and governing district — the government entity that funds fire protection for the Town of Rush. Has an elected Board of Fire Commissioners that levies a property tax, owns both stations and all apparatus, and contracts with the Department for volunteer fire services. It’s the entity that pays the bills.
Rush Fire District website
The short version: the District owns the stations and trucks and collects the tax levy that pays for them; the Department is the volunteer membership organization that staffs and operates them. Membership applications, fire service, EMS, and the carnival are all handled by the Department — that's us.
People
Leadership
The membership elects line officers every January. They're accountable to the membership — and to every resident who depends on the department.
Chief
Fireground command. Responsible for operations, training, and departmental discipline.
Meet the chief
Deputy & Asst. Chiefs
Share command responsibility and cover incidents when the chief is unavailable.
Line officers
Social Officers
Run the organization itself — president, secretary, treasurer, and the carnival committee that keeps the lights on.
Membership
Life & Honorary
Members who have given decades of service. The institutional memory of the department.
View roster
Part of the story since 1920
Write the next
chapter
Nobody who answered that first alarm in 1920 had fire training. They just showed up. We can teach you the rest.