2016-2017 Officers Installed during 110th Annual Conference & FIRE 2016 Expo

Chief Joseph M. Fahd Jr. of the Cohoes Fire Department (Albany County) was installed as president of the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC) during the 110th Annual Conference & FIRE 2016 Expo Installation Ceremony held on June 18, 2016, at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, NY. He will serve a one-year term leading the statewide organization.

Fahd has served as chief of the Cohoes Fire Department since 2003. He is the second Cohoes fire chief to lead NYSAFC, following Chief Thomas C. Collin who served as president from 1918-1919. Fahd is a life member of the association, which he joined in 1978, and served on the EMS and Paid Chiefs Committees before being elected to its board of directors in 2006. In 2012, he was named Career Fire Chief of the Year by NYSAFC.

Fahd’s fire service career began in 1966 with the Albany Fire Department, where he served as lieutenant, captain, and deputy chief. He retired from the department after 35 years of dedicated service in 2002. Fahd has served in many capacities with various organizations related to the fire and emergency medical services. He currently serves as the chief deputy in the Office of the Albany County Fire Coordinator, a position he has held for over 20 years. Fahd is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and was recently elected the New York director for the Eastern Division IAFC (EDIAFC). He is also the eastern regional director of the National Society of Executive Fire Officers and a member of the Governor’s Fire Advisory Board of the Office of Fire Prevention and Control. Fahd obtained an associate’s degree in fire science from Corning Community College and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy, where he completed the Executive Fire Officer Program. He was awarded Chief Fire Officer designation from the Commission on Professional Credentialing.

Also during the ceremony, Chief John P. Sroka of the Defreestville Fire Department (Rensselaer County) was sworn in as 1st vice president and Chief Julius J. Leone Jr. of the Fredonia Fire Department (Chautauqua County) was sworn in as 2nd vice president. Both will serve one-year terms.

Chief James E. Hare of the Hilton Fire Department (Monroe County), Chief James W. Harrington of the Gates Fire District (Monroe County), Chief Anthony V. LaFerrera of the North Babylon Volunteer Fire Company (Suffolk County), and Chief Lee Shurtleff of the Groton Fire Department (Tompkins County) were sworn in as directors.

Harrington will serve an additional three-year term as a paid director and Shurtleff will serve an additional three-year term as a volunteer director. Hare and LaFerrera, newly elected to the board, will serve three-year terms as volunteer directors.

Congratulations to the 2016-2017 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.

A wrap-up on the 110th Annual Conference & FIRE 2016 Expo will be featured in upcoming issues of The NYSAFC Bugle and SIZE UP magazine. Photos from the event will be available on NYSAFC’s Flickr photostream later this summer. Also, the digital edition of the official FIRE 2016 Program Guide is still available, if you're looking for information on show vendors.