Onondaga Hill Fire Department

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Onondaga Hill Fire Department

The Onondaga Hill Fire Department is a volunteer organization in the Town of Onondaga that borders the southwest corner of the City of Syracuse.

The volunteers of the Onondaga Hill Fire Department respond to approximately 1000 emergency calls annually. The Onondaga Hill Fire District is very diverse and contains the SUNY Onondaga Community College Campus, The SUNY Upstate University Hospital Community Campus, as well as suburban and rural areas. The members respond to calls for structure fires, motor vehicle collisions, emergency medical services, and numerous other types of incidents.

09/04/2026

It was a busy day for the Onondaga Hill Volunteers. Members handled 8 in district alarms including 3 simultaneous dispatched reported elevator entrapments.

At approximately 11:30am Engine 32 handled a truck into wires call.

At approximately 12:40pm Rescue 1 handled a fluid spill after a non injury motor vehicle collision.

At approximately 1:10pm the Rescue was back out for an elevator entrapment at Upstate Community Hospital. Three occupants were extricated from the elevator.

At approximately 3:00pm Rescue 1 handled a motor vehicle collision with injuries at the intersection of W. Seneca Turnpike and Velasko Road. Crews evaluated two patients and addressed environmental hazards.

Just before 4:00pm Engine 32 and Car 1 handled a tree on wires call in the 4700blk of W. Seneca Turnpike. Crews located primary power lines entangled in a tree causing smoke and fire, closing off the area in order to prevent risk of electrocution.

At approximately 4:50pm while crews were clearing the tree on wires alarm, members were alerted to an elevator entrapment at the SUNY OCC campus. While enroute members were notified of 3 separate possible entrapments, one at each of the main dormitories on campus, due to power outage in the area. Rescue 1 responded to Dorm A, securing the elevator and making access finding the elevator unoccupied on arrival. Engine 32 responded to Dorm B to the same results. Cars 2 and 4 arrived at Dorm C finding one party trapped with the elevator car between floors. Once complete of their original assigned locations the Rescue and Engine relocated to Dorm C. Crews “Drifted” the elevator to the first floor to safely remove the occupant at ground level.

Drifting an elevator is a technique of using the manual lowering valve to move a hydraulic elevator into a safer position to remove trapped occupants and is just one of the many methods our members train on for elevator rescues.

Interested in learning how to rescue people from stalled elevators? Check out our website for information on becoming a highly trained Onondaga Hill Volunteer.

09/01/2026

***Press Release***
At 14:23 hours the Onondaga Hill Fire Department, AMR Ambulance, and the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office were alerted to a single vehicle rollover involving an ambulance.

A TLC EMS Ambulance responding to a separate motor vehicle collision left the roadway and rolled over, ejecting a member of its crew. There were no patients onboard at the time of the collision.

Members in addition to a neighboring Fire Chief treated both crew members for various injuries before they were transported to the regional trauma center. Both individuals were conscious and transported in apparent stable condition.

The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of the accident. Fire units on scene included Onondaga Hill Car 1, Rescue 1, Squad 5, Engine 32, and Taunton Engine 6 with Car 3.

08/18/2026

Bunk In orientation week is now in progress! Yesterday incoming bunk ins began receiving instruction for skill sets they will use during their time with Onondaga Hill. Skills reviewed on day one included medical call simulations, static and dynamic water supplies, brush fire response tactics, and firefighter survival techniques. This is just the first part in a 6 day training series designed to rapidly acclimate our new bunk ins to the wide range of responses handled by our members every day.

08/03/2026

At approximately 11:10pm last night, the Onondaga Hill Volunteers and automatic aid were alerted to a reported apartment fire at the Meadows at Westbrook complex.

Car 1 (Chief D. Garofalo) arrived 3 minutes post dispatch, finding a 2 story, wood framed, multiple occupancy with smoke coming from an apartment on the second floor, and assumed command. Car 2 (DC S. Garofalo) and Engine 3 (Lt. Rodgers) arrived shortly after, units located a “Signal 98” minor kitchen fire which was able to be knocked down within 5 minutes of dispatch using a “Water Can” extinguisher. Ladder 2 (Lt. Oconnor) arrived shortly after to assist with ventilation and overhaul, ensuring there was no fire extension into the walls, with command reducing the alarm to Onondaga Hill units only. Units remained on scene for approximately an hour before returning to service.

Fire damage was confined to the kitchen area and two occupants were evaluated for minor smoke inhalation by TLC EMS. The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office assisted on scene and the displaced occupants are being assisted by the Red Cross while their apartment is repaired.

Always be sure to have an extinguisher available and ready anytime you are cooking. Want to learn how to use a fire extinguisher, stop by our open house or contact the station to learn about our live action extinguisher training.

07/21/2026

This afternoon at 14:14 the Onondaga Hill Volunteers were dispatched for a reported vehicle fire in the area of Country View Apts. Rescue 1 (Capt. Taylor) and Ladder 2 (FF. Rodriguez) staffed in quarters arrived approximately 3 minutes post dispatch and found a signal 98 fully involved vehicle fire.

Crews were able to knock fire down within 10 minutes of dispatch, keeping the fire from spreading to the attached tow truck or the other vehicle being towed. Crews remained on scene to conduct overhaul and clear hazards from the roadway returning to service at approximately 14:33.

07/04/2026

Yesterday morning the duty crew staffing Ladder 94 was able to get out into the district to conduct rope rescue training.

Despite feels like temperatures approaching 100 degrees, current and aspiring members of the rope rescue team staged a respond in drill along one of the many ravines in the district. Members responded to a report of an injured party who had fallen partway down the ravine face, becoming entangled in a tree part way down the approximate 70 foot slope. The crew was able to locate the victim, repel to them, package them to immobilize their spine to prevent further injury, haul them back to the top of the ravine, and drive them out of the woods on the ATV within approximately 40 minutes of starting the scenario.

Trainings like these are essential to ensuring that when real rescues happen they are fast, efficient, and safe.

06/27/2026

It was a busy morning for the Onondaga Hill Volunteers with members taking in 3 calls for service, including a double stabbing before 06:00 AM.

Just before 02:30 Engine 3 and Car 2 took in a fire alarm activation at Upstate Community Hospital. Units found an accidental activation from use of to***co products.

At 04:50 members were alerted for a vehicle rollover on Makyes Rd near the district line, Rescue 1 and Car 2 handled the call finding four patients who had self extricated from the vehicle.

While units were picking up from the MVC, members were alerted to a double stabbing at one of the apartment complex’s at the opposite end of the district. Car 1, Car 2, Squad 5, and Rescue 1, handled the alarm treating two patients. Both patients were transported in apparent stable condition to the regional trauma center for further care. For further information about the stabbing please contact the Onondaga County Sheriffs Office.

Interested in learning how to provide life saving care to someone who is bleeding? Check out our friends at ONX Dynamics for Stop the Bleed trainings.

06/20/2026

This morning at approximately 10:32 the Onondaga Hill Volunteers were dispatched for a reported electrical fire in the 4100blk of Old Winding Way in the Taunton Fire District. Truck 44 (Lt. Rodgers) staffed in quarters arrived simultaneously to the Taunton Engine 6, operating as the first due Truck Company.

First arriving crews were met with a 2 story single family residence with an evident smoke condition in the rear of the residence. As such, the alarm was filled as a possible residential fire as a precaution. The Truck crew completed a quick search of the first floor before opening up for the Taunton Engine. All occupants were confirmed to have safely evacuated prior to the fire department arrival. Crews quickly located the fire in a rear wall of the residence knocking it down with minimal extension and holding the alarm to a signal 98. The Truck crew continued aiding in salvage and overhaul before returning to quarters to cover for Taunton until they cleared at approximately 11:45. Onondaga Hill units on scene included Truck 44 and C2.

This alarm was the second Signal 98 Box Alarm handled by duty crews in the past 24 hours. Yesterday, Engine 3 (FF. Moore) responded as the RIT on an Industrial Box Alarm in the Lafayette Fire District.

06/06/2026

This afternoon members on the duty crew got out into the district to work on rope rescue skills. Three members began working through our internal training program (QPS) with the goal of becoming qualified rope rescue team members. Members focused on building repelling skills, determining suitable anchors, and building basic systems. Interested in bunking in with us? We still have 2 spots for the fall semester, visit our website at OHFD.net for more information on our program.

05/22/2026

This afternoon at approximately 17:05 the Onondaga Hill Volunteers and Automatic Aid were dispatched for a reported residential structure fire in the 4900blk of Skyline Dr. Ladder 2 (Capt. Taylor) staffed in quarters arrived 5 minutes post dispatch assuming first due engine duties. First arriving crews were met with a 2 story single family residence with heavy smoke from the rear and roof of the structure. Ladder 2 deployed a preconnect to the rear of the structure to knockdown the exterior fire before moving to the interior. Taunton Ladder 5 arrived as the second due company deploying a second preconnect to the structure, locating and rescuing 2 cats in the process. Additional mutual aid from Fairmount, Solvay, Howlett Hill, South Onondaga, and Navarino assisted onscene, while Camillus and Marcellus units provided area coverage. The bulk of the fire was knocked down within 20 minutes of dispatch, with all units in service after approximately 2 hours. All occupants were able to safely evacuate prior to the fire department arrival and a total of 4 occupants and 2 cats were displaced by the fire, they are being assisted by the Red Cross. At this time the fire was believed to be an accidental result of burning weeds too close to the home. Onondaga Hill units onscene included 44LD2, 44E3, 44SD5, and 44R1.

Address

4831 Velasko Road
Syracuse, NY
13215

Telephone

+13154929191

Website

http://www.ohfd.net/

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