Caughdenoy Volunteer Fire Department Inc.

10/16/2026

Last evening, some members headed to the Oswego County Emergency Response Training Center (ERTC) for a rigorous, hands-on live fire drill.

Our crews put our teamwork and tactics to the test, focusing heavily on critical interior firefighting skills:

🔹 Initial Attack – mastering quick, efficient deployment to suppress fire early.

🔹 Advancing Hoselines – moving lines seamlessly through challenging, simulated interior environments.

🔹 SCBA Requalification – ensuring our interior structural firefighters remain fully certified and ready.

We were proud to be joined on the training floor by our mutual aid partners from Phoenix Enterprise Fire Company No. 1. Working as a unified team gave both departments a fantastic opportunity to align our communication and response tactics.

At the conclusion of the drill, the ERTC training staff offered outstanding feedback for everyone involved. Instructors commended the crews for teamwork, communication, technique, and smooth movement throughout the evolutions.

When the tones drop, this level of training and seamless cooperation makes all the difference. Thank you to our members and our partners at Phoenix for dedicating your evening to keeping our neighboring communities safe!

10/08/2026

🚒 RED DEVIL RUCK T-SHIRT AND CHALLENGE COIN DELIVERY & REOPENED ORDERS! 🚒

We have great news! Thanks to some hard work behind the scenes, all of our recent Red Devil Ruck T-shirt and challenge coin orders have been fully sorted and organized.

Order Deliveries:
We are currently putting together the logistics to get your items to you. Stay tuned—we will be making arrangements shortly to deliver those orders or set up pickup details.

Order Forms Reopened!
Due to popular demand from our community, we have officially reopened our T-shirt and challenge coin order forms! If you missed out the first time around or want to grab another shirt or coin, now is your chance. The store will remain open until November 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST.

Get yours here: https://runsignup.com/Race/Store/NY/CentralSquare/RedDevilRuck

Thank you all for your incredible, ongoing support of the Caughdenoy Volunteer Fire Department. Your pride in our department helps us keep moving forward!

The Red Devil Ruck is on Sunday September 13, 2026. It includes the following events: 5K Run/Walk, 5k Ruck, and Ruck.

10/07/2026

What a fantastic couple of days at the station! This past Tuesday and Wednesday, Caughdenoy VFD had the absolute pleasure of hosting approximately 70 preschool students from Sunny Days Preschool for our annual fire prevention program.

Our members had an awesome time teaching these eager young learners all about fire safety. Some of the highlights included:

• Listening to a Fire Alarm: Practicing what a smoke detector sounds like so they know exactly when it's time to act.

• Stop, Drop, Cover, and Roll: Practicing exactly what to do if clothes ever catch fire.

• Get Low and Go: Learning how to crawl under smoke to stay safe and exit a building.

• Meeting a Firefighter in Gear: Showing the kids what we look like all dressed up so they know never to be scared of us in an emergency.

• Station & Truck Tours: Exploring the big red trucks and seeing the tools we use to help our community.

A quick reminder for the grown-ups at home! Fire prevention is a team effort. Please take a few minutes this week to:

• Check the Batteries: Test all the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in your house to make sure they are working properly.

• Make a Plan: Sit down as a family to create a home escape plan.

• Pick a Meeting Place: Identify a safe, dedicated meeting spot outside so everyone knows where to go in an emergency.

Thank you so much to the staff and students of Sunny Days Preschool for visiting us! We love helping our community’s youngest residents stay safe and informed.

Check out a few photos from their visit below!

10/03/2026

10/02/2026

Today, the members of the Caughdenoy Volunteer Fire Department would like to honor the memory, life and legacy of Past Chief Anthony “Tony” Altier. On this day, 19 years ago Tony was called home by the eternal chief. Chief Altier spent close to 4 decades in service to our community starting his service in Caughdenoy and then with the West Monroe Volunteer Fire Department as an Assistant Chief/ Fire Investigator (better known to most of us as 3304) up until the time of his passing. Thank you for your service Chief. You are gone but never forgotten. May you rest in peace. 🇺🇸

10/01/2026

📢 County Route 10 is now completely reopened.

We are incredibly appreciative of all our mutual aid partners who stepped up today to ensure our community remained covered and cared for:

• Enterprise Fire Company No. 1 (Phoenix): Thank you for providing your Rescue/Pumper to assist with the incident.

• Central Square Fire Company: Thank you for standing by on your floor to handle any additional incoming emergencies and maintain seamless coverage.

• Oswego County Hazmat Team: Thank you for responding to mitigate the scene.

• Pennellville Fire Department Chief Weldin: Thank you for your swift action, assisting on-scene with critical first aid until Menter Ambulance arrived to take over patient care.

We are incredibly grateful for the strong bonds and reliable teamwork we share with our neighboring departments and county agencies.
Stay safe out there, everyone! 🚒🚑💪

10/01/2026

🚨WE NEED YOU: SEPTEMBER UPDATES & A MUCH-NEEDED REPRIEVE! 🚨

All year long, our agency has seen a steady, relentless increase in emergency call volumes. However, the month of September brought a welcome change of pace, with calls dropping significantly and allowing a little reprieve for our hard-working members to reset and recharge.

Even during this quieter stretch, our volunteers stepped up to answer 28 total emergencies in our community. As our area continues to grow, we know the busy pace will return, and we need motivated neighbors to join our team now more than ever.

If you possess integrity, grit, and a true desire to serve, we have a place for you. No experience is required, we provide all the training. Drop by our Eastside Station any Thursday night at 7 PM to meet the crew!

We extend our deepest gratitude to our personnel for their unwavering reliability and constant readiness. Please join us in recognizing our top responders who cleared the 20% response threshold for September:

1. Chief Chris Centner – 22 calls (78.6%)
2. Cpt. Leon D. Millett & FF. Stephen W. Millett – 12 calls each (42.9%)
3. FF. Daniel L. Ford – 11 calls (39.3%)
4. FF. Joy Landers – 10 calls (35.7%)
5. 1st Asst. Chief Henry Landers, Jr. & FF. Henry Landers III – 9 calls each (32.1%)
6. FF. Casandra E. Millett & FF. Keith Waldby – 7 calls each (25.0%)

2026 Year-to-Date Total: 339 Calls

09/27/2026

Firefighters face a significantly higher risk of esophageal cancer. To help protect those who protect us, Believe 31 is hosting a free Esophageal Precancer Screening Day using the quick, non-invasive EsoGuard test.

Event Details:
• Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
• Time: 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM
• Location: Heritage Hill Brewhouse, 3149 Sweet Road, Jamesville, NY 13078

The screening is free with no out-of-pocket costs. Please bring your driver's license and insurance card, remain NPO (no food or liquids) for two hours prior, and note that eligibility requires meeting specific risk criteria.

Spaces are limited—sign up now on SignUpGenius: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FACA922ABF8CF8-65724053-esoguard #/.

WHY SHOULD I GET SCREENED? Firefighters - active, volunteer, or retired - have a 62% greater risk of developing Esophageal Adenocarcinoma (EAC) and a 39% higher likelihood or dying from EAC compared to non-firefighters. Esophageal Cancer can be PREVENTED through screening. If you meet Risk Factor cr...

09/27/2026

What an awesome weekend for Believe 31!

A massive shout-out to our Caughdenoy VFD crew who worked the Central Square Apple Festival all weekend:

Saturday: Cpt. L. Millett, FF C. Millett, FF S. Millett, FF/EMT H. Landers III, RAM L. Millett, SM L. Millett

Sunday: 1st Assistant Chief H. Landers Jr., FF J. Landers, FF/EMT H. Landers, SM V. Cole

Check out the full Believe 31 post below to see the grand total raised to fight cancer!

🍎 WE HAVE OUR GRAND TOTAL! 🚘

The Central Square Apple Festival at Brewerton Speedway has come to a close, and we are absolutely blown away by the generosity of our community.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, bought merchandise, took a swing at the car smash, or dropped money in the donation bucket, we raised a grand total of $734.60 this weekend! 💰✨
Every penny of these funds goes directly to our mission here at Believe 31, providing vital cancer screenings, financial assistance, and support for our brave volunteer firefighters and first responders across Madison, Cortland, Onondaga, and Oswego counties. 🚒🚑

This event wouldn't have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our incredible members who were out there making it happen:

• Chris Centner
• Jerry Grudinski
• Natalie Guinta
• Joanna Harp
• Paul Knierman
• Matt Yaciuk

A huge final shout-out to our wonderful weekend partners:

• Caughdenoy Fire Department
• Central Square Fire Company
• Matt McGill Collision

Thank you all for helping us smash out cancer and support the frontline heroes who protect us every single day!