FASNY CONVENTION TO RETURN TO THE BEAUTIFUL ALEXANDRIA BAY IN THE 1,000 ISLANDS REGION

(NEW YORK) Close to 2,000 volunteer firefighters, EMS personnel and their families will visit Alexandria Bay this August for the 139th annual Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) Convention. The four-day conference, which will be held from August 16th through August 19th, will feature important training education presentations, FASNY’s third annual Youth Day and FASNY‚s annual business sessions. The Convention will also include an awards ceremony to be held for the Firefighter and EMS Provider of the Year, and a memorial service for those we have lost.

FASNY worked in conjunction with the Jefferson County Volunteer Firemen‚s Association Convention Committee to make the FASNY Convention an event that the whole family can enjoy. Headquarters for the FASNY Convention will be the Edgewood Resort, the same venue for the Convention in 2003. The Ladies Auxiliary of FASNY (LAFASNY) will hold its meetings and activities that week at the nearby Riveredge Resort.

“The FASNY Convention is one of the most important events of the year for our volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel,” said FASNY President David Jacobowitz. “Emergency responders come from all over the state to participate in this highly-anticipated event. It’s an opportunity for the firefighters to exchange ideas, practice safety techniques, and listen and learn from the experiences of veteran volunteer firefighters. As a result, they learn additional tools that can help them protect their local residents when they go back to their communities. We encourage all to come and bring their families along to enjoy what the surrounding area has to offer.”

Alexandria Bay offers a fun-filled family vacation for all, with exciting activities for everyone‚s interests. The area is known for its beautiful scenery and has history dating back to a time when the Iroquois and Algonquin Indians spent their summer months hunting and fishing. Alexandria Bay is one of the villages connected to the St. Lawrence River and the 1,000 Islands.

There will be plenty of activities for firefighters and their families to participate in, including a dinner cruise on the Uncle Sam Triple Decker on Wednesday evening, August 17th. There are many golf courses in the area, tours of the 1,000 Islands and the historic Boldt Castle, a casino in nearby Canada, and many local shops. If you plan to visit Canada, you will need one of the following: an enhanced state driver‚s license, a NEXUS card, or a US Passport Card.

In addition, Bill Johnston‚s 32nd Annual Pirate Days will be held from Friday August 12th to Sunday August 21st. The 10-day event features a pirate invasion each Saturday, sword fights, pirate ships, cannons, pirate magic shows and much more.

All Convention attendees are urged to bring their loved ones to take in all that Alexandria Bay and the surrounding area has to offer, particularly the local activities, such as golfing, boat rides, scuba diving, shopping, restaurants, go-karts, tennis courts, fishing, the Bay Drive-In Theater, the 1,000 Islands-Seaway Wine Trail, and historic sites.

For educational seminars that week, FASNY has assembled a top team of panelists to discuss the most pressing issues facing our firefighters today. The seminars will include:

Keynote Speaker: Chief Billy Goldfeder
Life & Death on the Fireground… The Facts: Why… NOT Everyone Goes Home.

Tim Holman
Fired Up, Engaging Your Volunteers

David Dodson
The Art of Reading Smoke

Michael P. Dallessandro
Preserving Our Past-Protecting Our Future

For more information on the 139th FASNY Convention, please visit: www.fasny.com, and for additional details regarding Alexandria Bay, visit: http://www.visitalexbay.org/

About FASNY

Founded in 1872, the Firemen‚s Association of the State of New York (FASNY) represents the interests of 130,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical personnel in New York State. For more information, visit www.fasny.com.