​​​The McKownville Fire District is a 100% volunteer organization dedicated to protecting life and property to the residents of the district and its neighboring districts in ​​​their times of emergency. These include anything from CO alarms, to fires, to major car accidents, and in 2010 McKownville Fire Department responded to over 300 calls for assistance.​

​The McKownville Fire District is a 100% volunteer organization dedicated to protecting life and property to the residents of the district and its neighboring districts in their times of emergency. These include anything from CO alarms, to fires, to major car accidents, and in 2010 McKownville Fire Department responded to over 300 calls for assistance.

The McKownville fire department covers approximately one square mile of land bordered on the west by the hamlet of Westmere, south by the Town of Bethlehem, and to the north and east by the City of Albany. The district has an estimated residential population of just fewer than 3,000 not including the 1,500 residents that fill the Indian Quad dorms during the school terms. During the day this population number grows significantly with visitors to Stuyvesant Plaza, and just drivers passing through to get to the City of Albany or other areas of Guilderland.

The district is mostly residential but includes a significant amount of commercial structures found along Western Avenue and in Stuyvesant Plaza. The district since 2003 has covered parts of the University at Albany campus which include the dormitories of Indian Quad, the Physical Education Building, the SEFCU arena, Chapel House, and the power plant buildings. The district also includes multiple high rise structures such as the Stuyvesant Tower (11 stories tall) and Mohawk Tower on Indian Quad (24 stories tall).

The careers of our volunteers include lawyers, weatherman, IT workers, town & state employees, and even students. On a weekly basis the department holds training sessions that can include anything from car extrication drills using the Jaws of Life to live-fire drills in the Town of Guilderland training tower. Almost all firefighters continue their firefighting training outside of the department through state courses which includes the 86+ hour Firefighter 1.

All of these factors show that though small, the dangers of the McKownville Fire District are serious and met 24/7, 365 days a year by a dedicated group of volunteers that come from all walks of life.​