President
Charles t. "Chuck" mellon, sr.
1994-PRESENT
Chuck joined Bay Ridge at the age of 16, joining his brother and future father-in-law. During his time with Bay Ridge, he has seen two sons, one son-in-law, and four grandsons progress through the ranks.
He moved up the ranks from Lieutenant, Assistant Chief, and then to Chief in 1980 through 1985 and again in 1992 and 1993. Since then, he held administrative offices of Director, Vice President, and acting Treasurer before being elected to President in 2002, which has held since.
Throughout his term at Bay Ridge, Chuck has helped with fundraisers, such as company suppers, barbeques, and 911 letters; building committees for both the Glen Lake and the Bay Road buildings; training sessions; and parades and special events. He is still active after 61 years of membership. He is a Life Member and has been the recipient of the Top Rung Award.
Chuck and his wife Sue have four married children, Chip (and Maura), Pam (and Chris), Shelly (and Bob), and Pat (and Rose); 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He enjoys watching baseball, basketball, and football (especially when it involves grandkids or great-grandkids) and still loves to go hunting and fishing in his spare time.
Vice-President
William "Bill" Lapann
2023-present
Bio coming soon….
Secretary
robert bell
2022-present
Rob is a 4th generation firefighter with 10 years in the fire service, the last 7 of which at Bay Ridge. Rob came to BRVFC as FF/EMT-B, before being elected to an officership. He served as the Second Captain, First captain, and Fourth Assistant Chief, before being elected to his current position as the Third Assistant Chief. Rob oversees the gas meter maintenance and calibrations, is the facility safety officer, and fire company secretary, among various other tasks. Rob says, “Firefighting is a passion that I hold close and hope to carry on to the next generation.”
Rob works as an environmental health and safety manager with a local environmental remediation company. He’s a husband and proud father-to-be to a daughter. In his free time, he spends his fall’s hunting, he loves to spend time with family, and enjoys fishing, camping
and the outdoors.
treasurer
Patrick W. Mellon, Sr.
2022-present
Pat, Sr. joined his father, brother, uncle, and grandfather at Bay Ridge Fire in 1990. He quickly moved up the ranks from firefighter to captain to assistant chief, before being elected Fire Chief in 2008. Pat served as Fire Chief until 2018. Since then, Pat has served as First Assistant Chief and Treasurer; has been a Top-Rung Award Recipient; and serves as a mentor to younger firefighters and officers at Bay Ridge. Pat, Sr. is a life-member who has now served for over 30 years.
Pat serves as EMS Captain at for the Town of Colonie and is the Warren County EMS Coordinator. He is a proud husband and father to three sons, Patrick, Charlie, and Jack. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, watching sports and traveling with his family.
Assistant treasurer
john j. "Jack" mellon
2023-present
Jack joined BRVFC in March 2019, following the footsteps of 4 generations of Bay Ridge Firefighters before him. Since joining, he has been appointed Apparatus Lieutenant, responsible for the maintenance of apparatus and equipment. Jack is the Founding Chairman of the Recruitment & Retention Committee. He also serves as the website administrator and coordinates the company’s digital marketing and media. As Assistant Treasurer, Jack assists Treasurer Mellon with annual budgeting and management of financial accounts.
Jack is a senior at Siena College. On campus, he manages the college’s campus tour program and employees. He will graduate in May 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics before starting his career as a State Government Consultant in KPMG’s Albany office. He’s an avid hiker, currently working to become and Adirondack 46er. He also enjoys fishing and golfing.
Directors at-large
Drew gifford
2019-present
Bio coming soon….
john Schadwill
2024-present
John joined Bay Ridge Fire in 1995. In his tenure, he rose to 4th Assistant Chief, before deciding to step away from the fire service to focus on his family. In 2017, John rejoined the department, quickly rising to his current position at 2nd Assistant Chief. Off the fire scene, John’s duties include tracking and entering all training and fire reports, submitting these reports to the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, and tracking and issuing all firefighter Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). As a line officer, he assists with fire company training, where he uses his over 15 years of combined experience to train and prepare our firefighters. John is a highly respected firefighter who has been a recipient of the Top Rung Award.
John is a Senior Designer for RU Holmes Engineers. He enjoys spending time outdoors, on Glen Lake, and spending time with his family at home and on vacation. John is a husband to Tabitha and father to Melvin and Ella.
Gary West
2020-present
Bio coming soon….
