For Immediate Release:
June 29, 2016
Contact:
Paul Larrabee
518.689.7246
plarrabee@corningplace.com
L-R: NYSPFFA President-Elect Sam Fresina Stands with Outgoing President Mike McManus
Members of the New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association (NYSPFFA) have elected former Albany firefighter Sam Fresina as president of the 18,000-member union.
Fresina will succeed Mike McManus, who will have served as president for six years when he retires in August. McManus served for 24 years in the Binghamton Fire Department and 12 years as NYSPFFA’s executive vice president prior to becoming president.
Fresina, a former Albany firefighter, who also served as President of the Albany Permanent Professional Fire Fighters Union, became state secretary/treasurer in 2010, said he is honored by the vote of confidence his fellow firefighters have shown him.
“Among the core values of the fire service is knowing that when the alarm rings, you respond to the challenge, and get the job done.” Fresina said. “My commitment to the women and men that I represent, and their families, will never waiver from that standard. I will approach each day with enthusiasm, and pour my body and soul into ensuring that the extraordinary service fire fighters provide is valued – and their voices clearly heard.”
Fresina began his firefighting career in the U.S. Air Force in 1985, where he served the country for two years stationed in England and two years at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton, Fl. He joined the Albany Fire Department in 1990. Sam became a trustee on the union’s executive board in 1994 and became president of the local in 1997, retiring in 2010.