Municipal fire department · New York · United States

Rochester Fire Department

About RFD

The Rochester Fire Department (RFD) protects the City of Rochester — approximately 210,000 residents across roughly 35 square miles in Monroe County, New York, on the southern shore of Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Genesee River. The city's legacy industrial heritage (historic Eastman Kodak, Bausch & Lomb, and Xerox infrastructure, much of it now mixed-use), the Genesee River cutting through downtown with the High Falls inside city limits, and substantial lake-effect winter weather substantially shape the operational picture. RFD fields about 470 uniformed members from around 16 firehouses and provides structural fire suppression, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, marine and water rescue on the Genesee River and Lake Ontario shoreline (a dedicated marine unit covers the harbor), and arson investigation. Emergency medical first response is provided alongside the regional ambulance providers; RFD is primarily a suppression-and-rescue agency. Firefighter recruitment in New York is governed by the New York State Civil Service Commission entry-level firefighter examination; municipal departments hire from the state eligibility list. Bluewatch links to the New York State Civil Service careers portal for the authoritative application route.

Service at a glance

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Last updated 20 May 2026