2015-2016 Officers Installed During 109th Annual Conference & FIRE 2015 Expo

Chief Daniel J. Schwertfeger of the Floyd Fire Department (Oneida County) was installed as president of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs during the 109th Annual Conference & FIRE 2015 Expo Installation Ceremony on June 20, 2015, at the Turning Stone Resort Shenendoah Clubhouse in Verona, NY. He will serve a one-year term leading the organization.

Schwertfeger has been a member of the Floyd Volunteer Fire Department since 1975. A life member of the department, he has served as captain, 2nd assistant chief, and 1st assistant chief and is currently serving his 30th year as chief. He is also a life member and past president of the Oneida County Fire Chiefs Association, as well as a member and past chairman for five years of the Oneida County Fire Advisory Board. Currently, Schwertfeger is an Oneida County deputy fire coordinator for Zone 3. In this position, he serves on the County Radio Committee, Long Range Planning Committee, and County Training Tower Committee. Additionally, he is the chairman of the Task Force for the Cause and Origin Team in Oneida County. Schwertfeger is a life member of NYSAFC and joined the association in 1981. He served for 13 years as a member of the Legislative Committee, Volunteer Chiefs Committee, and most recently the Conference Committee before being elected to the board of directors in 2010. In addition, Schwertfeger is a member of the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY). He has been a town of Floyd councilman since 2011. Schwertfeger has owned and operated U.A.P. Engine Rebuilders, Inc. as president since 1998, and has been employed with the company since 1974.

Also during the Installation Ceremony, Chief Joseph M. Fahd Jr. of the Cohoes Fire Department (Albany County) was sworn in as 1st vice president and Chief John P. Sroka of the Defreestville Fire Department (Rensselaer County) was sworn in as 2nd vice president. Both will serve one-year terms.

Chief Thomas M. Cain of the Scarsdale Fire Department (Westchester County), Chief James R. Comstock of the Henrietta Fire Department (Monroe County), Chief Bernard J. Lee of the Salamanca Fire Department (Cattaraugus County), and Chief Robert P. Parese of the Little Falls Fire Department (Herkimer County) were sworn in as directors.

Cain will serve an additional three-year term as career director and Parese will serve an additional three-year term as a paid director. Comstock and Lee, newly elected to the board, will serve three-year terms as paid directors.

Congratulations to the 2015-2016 officers of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs. Look for more information on all NYSAFC directors and committees on the NYSAFC website later this summer.

Look for a wrap-up on the 109th Annual Conference & FIRE 2015 Expo in upcoming issues of The NYSAFC Bugle and SIZE UP magazine. Also, the digital edition of the FIRE 2015 Program Guide is still available, if you're looking for information on our vendors.