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Under the leadership of Captain Ron O’Brien, the station—which covers a total of 8 miles of waterfront—has enhanced its capabilities with a boat donated by the Traver family for water rescues.
Captain Ron O’Brien became part of Cody’s Fire Station 2, located next to Thunder Island, about a year ago. It soon became his mission to add water rescue capabilities to his new department, which covers 6 miles of the Oswego River and 2 miles of Ox Creek.
“This has been Ron’s special project,” said 1st Assistant Chief Kris Ferrara with a laugh.
The captain is well-versed in water rescues thanks to his experience as a firefighter in Sandy Creek. It was a big change coming to Cody, which works with the City of Fulton and the Village of Phoenix as mutual aid partners in water rescues and did not have its own watercraft.
“They have their own districts to care for,” said O’Brien. “It’s not a matter of if a water emergency happens in our district—it’s when.”
In many cases, local departments will collaborate as mutual aid partners; this allows a diversity of equipment across districts to reduce the burden of equipment costs on taxpayers. Or, in the case of volunteer-run departments like Cody, the time they need to spend on fundraising. “We don’t need $2 million ladder trucks every 5 miles in each separate district—that would be a waste,” noted the captain.
The need for their own equipment was identified because mutual aid partners Fulton and Phoenix both use larger watercraft that are ill-suited to the shallow and swampy areas of Ox Creek that lie in Granby.
“We also have lots of interest in water rescue among our members; we’ve had people taking awareness and rescue swimming technician training, registering for courses offered by the state and taking advantage of in-house training,” said Captain O’Brien.
The project has been several years in the making, beginning in 2021 after receiving a donation from the estate of long-time Cody firefighter Fred Rumsey. "We are so grateful to the Rumsey family for this donation," said Ferrara. "Fred's generosity was so important in making this project possible."
Then came a long period of window-shopping, followed by a surprise donation after the captain made a personal purchase offer on a small watercraft.
“Our boat was actually donated by the Traver family in Theresa, NY. When they found out what I was buying the boat for, their son Aiden immediately wanted to donate it.” The department thanked the family with a care package including a Good Citizen Award for their son.
The vessel, lovingly dubbed the S.S. Rumsey, will improve rescuers’ access in case of emergency and reduce the response time for water rescues in the district.
O'Brien told iHeart Oswego, “It’s the perfect craft for our district. It’s small, so we can navigate Ox Creek, and we don’t need a ramp to launch it. Four of our guys can lift it and place it in the water just about anywhere.”
After obtaining the vessel, the department worked closely with Burritt Powersports in Oswego to purchase a suitable motor. Other gear they’ve acquired to support the project using the charitable donation from the Rumsey estate has included a trailer and Type V special use swift-water life jackets.
To learn more about the Cody Fire Department or how to join, connect with the department on Facebook or visit codyfiredepartment.com.
