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K 1208

Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Oswego Fire Department

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Will Barclay

New York Assembly honors the Oswego Fire Department’s 150 years of service with a ceremonial resolution recognizing its historic evolution and ongoing public-safety role.

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Bill Summary · K 1208

Summary: Bill A. 1208 (K 1208) – Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Oswego Fire Department

Jurisdiction: New York
Session: 2025-2026
Sponsor: Assembly Member Barclay (Co-sponsor: Will Barclay)

Purpose and Intent

  • The bill is a ceremonial resolution honoring and commemorating the Oswego Fire Department on its 150th anniversary, with celebrations planned for 2026.
  • It recognizes the department as a longstanding public institution that protects life and property and contributes to the safety, welfare, and heritage of Oswego and the State of New York.

Key Provisions and Content

  • Formal Commendation: The resolution pauses the Assembly’s deliberations to acknowledge the Oswego Fire Department’s history, service, and evolution.
  • Historical Overview (as context within the resolution):
    • Origins date back to 1828-1829 with early volunteer firemen and the first fire wardens.
    • First official volunteer firemen appointed in 1829; first hand-operated engine in 1830; first fire station in 1834.
    • Incorporation as the Fire Department of the Village of Oswego (1842) and later redesignation as the Fire Department of the City of Oswego (1852).
    • Technological and organizational milestones, including steam engines (1865) and hydrants (1867).
    • Growth to 10 companies and 600+ members by 1875.
    • Transition to a paid professional department beginning May 19, 1876, with a Board of Fire Commissioners and first paid officers.
    • Notable incidents and evolutions such as the 1892 fire, transition to motorized apparatus in the early 20th century, introduction of EMS in 1972, and expansion into marine and scuba rescue.
    • Recognition of a fallen member (Fireman John W. Dougherty, 1904).
    • Current status as a modern, well-equipped department, noting the addition of new apparatus in 2026.
  • Clerical Directive: A copy of the resolution, engrossed, is to be transmitted to the Oswego Fire Department.

Who/What is Affected

  • Oswego Fire Department (organization acknowledged and honored).
  • City of Oswego and its residents (indirectly, through recognition of the department’s service).
  • State of New York (through formal acknowledgment by the Legislature).

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Status: Introduced and Adopted on April 27, 2026.
  • The bill functions as a ceremonial legislative gesture; no fiscal provisions or statutory changes are included.
  • The primary action is a formal resolution praising the department and commemorating its 150th anniversary, with distribution to the Oswego Fire Department.

Plain-Language Takeaway

This bill is a ceremonial resolution by New York’s Assembly recognizing and commemorating the Oswego Fire Department’s 150 years of service, detailing a concise historical arc from early volunteer fire companies in the 19th century to a modern, professional department. It serves to honor firefighters past and present and to celebrate the department’s ongoing role in protecting the Oswego community and contributing to the state’s public safety heritage.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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