McDwyer Made Rye FD Lieutenant
(PHOTO: McDwyer at the introduction and blessing of Rye FD’s new Engine 191 in June.)
John McDwyer, a 28-year veteran with the Rye Fire Department, was named Lieutenant on Wednesday. McDwyer had been serving in an interim capacity since March when Lieutenant Kurt Tietjen retired. “I am excited to step in and continue moving the department forward,” McDwyer told MyRye.com Thursday.
McDwyer is a product of Rye, moving here with his family from the Bronx in 1976. He attended the Rye City schools from 4th grade until he graduated Rye High School in the Class of 1984. After attending SUNY Delhi for a semester, McDwyer decided he wanted to work in the trades. He started a drywall company that continues to this day as John McDwyer Enterprises LLC.
“In 1988 the market crash moved me to think about a more stable career,” said McDwyer. “So I took the county firefighter entrance exam in 1990 and was hired by the City of Rye as a firefighter in 1992.” The rest, they say, is history.
During his 28 years of service, he started a fund raising committee on behalf of the Rye Professional Firefighters Local 2029. Initially the union raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, then the burn foundation and now focuses on Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. He chaired the committee for about 12 years.
McDwyer also sat on the building committee that was responsible for the renovations of both the Locust Avenue firehouse and the Milton firehouse. “This undertaking lasted from concept and design in 1997 to completion in 2007,” said McDwyer. “It truly was a great privilege to be part of Rye’s History preserving these historic buildings.”
And in 1999 McDwyer was appointed as a clerk for the fire department, with responsibilities for purchasing and budgeting, a role he continues today. “I organized annual expenses such as testing of tools and equipment, organized replacement policies for expiring equipment in the effort to minimize large annual expenses where ever possible,” said McDwyer.
He lives in Lagrangeville, New York with his wife Kristin and their daughter Bridget, age 16, and son Ian, age 14. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys shooting sports and woodworking.
