On Jan. 24, the Office of the President of SUNY Oswego released a statement via email regarding the ongoing discussions of the Oswego Town Volunteer Fire Department’s separation from the university. President Nwosu gave the address, reassuring the student body that relationships were improving in light of the fire department’s grievances.

“I am very pleased to report that we had a very productive meeting yesterday evening [Jan. 23] with members of the Oswego Town Fire Department to discuss their concerns about the number of activations that bring the firefighters to campus,” Nwosu said.

The Oswego Town Fire Department has continuously raised concerns regarding the excessive call volume to the state university, with the majority of these calls being fire alarms deployed by in-dorm activities such as smoking and cooking.

The official website of the fire department showcases a table of statistics with a breakdown of classifications. In 2023, the department received 919 total calls, with SUNY Oswego representing 341 of those. As a percentage, the website equated the university as 37.1% of all personnel deployments.

Though the website showcases 2023 statistics, the department has a record of past yearly information. From 2013 to 2023, the percentage of all calls in response to university incidents has fluctuated between a 2020 low of 28.4% and a 2013 high of 41.4%. 2022 saw the fire department’s highest influx of calls to SUNY Oswego, with 370 dispatches occurring. 

The timeframe of these calls only compounds the issue. With the fall and spring academic semesters, students are only present for a segment of the year yet effectively reallocating fire services to the university away from the city of Oswego itself. In an interview with The Palladium-Times in December, Oswego Town Supervisor Dan Gurney found that the increase in calls has exhausted current resources and eliminated any silver lining.

“SUNY Oswego is a large employer, but at the same time they don’t pay taxes and our residents do,” Gurney said. “The services that our residents pay taxes for are being used up by SUNY Oswego and putting residents at risk.”

Though the fire department servicing SUNY Oswego is volunteer-based, some funding through taxes occurs. In addition, the strain on the fire department caused by excessive responses irregularly pulls services away from those paying the majority needed for a functioning department. 

A March 2023 analytical report by the Firefighter Association of the State of New York (FASNY) clarifies the relationship between taxes and the continued operations of New York fire departments. 

“All of New York’s fire departments operate in a territory that is part of a municipal government. Each department receives all or part of its budget from taxes, primarily from the local real estate levy,” according to the report.

Although the fire department has yet to decide on its future affairs with the university, proposals are still circulating. An online diminution plan uploaded by the Oswego Town Fire Department on Nov. 28, titled “Schedule A, Proposed Diminution of the Town of Oswego Fire District,” outlines a reduction of servicing boundaries, which includes the entirety of SUNY Oswego’s campus.

“The Town of Oswego Fire District, which presently encompasses the entire Town of Oswego, Oswego County shall be diminished to exclude all of that portion of tax map parcel number 127.18-02-01 in the northeast corner of the Town.”

The proposed reduction would extend along State Route 104 from Sheldon avenue to Fred Hayes Boulevard, removing the university from its response area (excluding major roads such as Sweet Road, which leads to Culkin Hall on campus). If the proposal were to come to fruition, severing the department from SUNY Oswego would lead to a replacement fire agency.

“A new fire protection district called the Campus Fire Protection District will be established over all of that portion of the Town which will no longer be included within the boundaries of the Town of Oswego Fire District,” according to the proposal.

No advancements have been made regarding a final verdict; President Nwosu’s meeting with the department has proven significant in relieving tensions between the two entities. Nonetheless, the firefighters, according to First Assistant Chief Greg Herrmann of the department, have made it evident that after waiting on changes for months, they are ready to cut ties as they deem fit.

“We have not seen any improvement in call numbers, call volume, and it’s just having a huge effect on our ability to provide services to the remainder of the town of Oswego,” Herrmann said with the Palladium-Times.

Aside from connecting with the department, the university is continuing its learning sessions on fire safety for students and emphasizing the dangers a fire incident may involve. The 2023-2024 SUNY Oswego Student Handbook describes the adequate measures to follow in the event of a fire and lays out the repercussions of actively ignoring these procedures. Offenses beginning with failure to evacuate in the event of a fire alarm are serious enough to warrant a student’s removal from their residence hall. A comprehensive list of prohibited and permitted items that adhere to the fire code is also available to view.

CNY Central reports that Herrmann “hopes that SUNY Oswego students stop committing acts like smoking in the dorm rooms, which are the many nuisance calls they receive, so that when there is a real emergency, the fire department can respond” when speaking with the Palladium-Times. Beyond smoking incidents, cooking accidents contribute to the excess fire alarm dilemma.

While the date to decide on the diminution proposal was set for Dec. 23, a final resolution was ultimately not made. The date for when this resolution is still uncertain but anticipated to be made in the coming weeks.