District

Get To Know Your

Fire District

The management of the Millwood Fire District begins with the Board of Fire Commissioners. The Board consists of five Fire Commissioners, each serving a five-year term. Each year, there is an election in December for one of those Fire Commissioner positions. Any registered voter residing in the Millwood Fire District can vote in-person and are encouraged to do so.

The duties of these Commissioners are to oversee the administrative operations of the District. These duties include but are not limited to: setting a budget and adjusting taxes to meet needs, maintenance and purchase of buildings, maintenance and purchase of fire apparatus and equipment, personnel matters, and setting administrative policies. The District is an independent government body and has the power to levy taxes. The fire tax is the only means to fund the District. Much of the duties and protocol for administrating the District are governed by New York State regulation.

The Commissioners have a monthly public meeting. All District residents are welcome. Commissioners are assigned to different committees: finance, recruitment and retention, ISO rating, buildings and grounds, and legal for example. At the public meeting, the entire Board of Fire Commissioners vote on issues at hand. Before the end of the meeting, a forum is provided where the public can ask questions and speak out. For a list of monthly meeting dates and agendas, please click here.

The Fire District is separate from Millwood Fire Company #1 - an all volunteer fire company which provides fire fighting and rescue services to the 1,800 families living in Western Chappaqua, Millwood and the West End of the Town of New Castle. In addition, under certain circumstances, firefighting support is provided to neighboring communities under mutual aid agreements.

The Board of Fire Commissioners support and respect Millwood's volunteer firefighters who risk their lives and commit their time to protect area residents' lives and property. In addition, by providing the firefighting manpower, these volunteers save residents over one million annually.