The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Agencies Receive Award

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Submitted by the office of the Rensselaer County District Attorney
The Rensselaer County District Attorney’s office, the City of Troy Police Department, and the Troy Fire Department were recently awarded the Alton Lewis Fire Investigation Team of the Year Award, at the annual International Association of Arson Investigators.

The International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI) awards three awards annually in the State of New York:

  • The James H. McGroarty Fire Investigator of the Year, which has been award since 1989.
  • Arson Prosecutor of the Year, which has been awarded annually since 1990.
  • The Alton Lewis Team of the Year, which has been awarded since 1991. 

Since the inception of these awards no agency within Rensselaer County has received one of these prestigious awards.

The nomination was forwarded to the IAAI by William McGovern (Chief of Investigations) of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Fire Prevention and Control.

The agencies accepted the Alton Lewis Fire Investigation Team of the Year Award at the annual banquet on Tuesday, November 15.

In order from left to right: Dixon Robin, President of NYS IAAI chapter 23; John Fairclough, NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Fire Investigator; Richard Cellucci, Deputy Chief Troy Fire Department; Gregory Amyot- NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Fire Investigator; Matthew Ciprioni, Captain Troy Fire Department, Retired; Martin Furciniti, Detective Sergeant Troy Police Department; Matthew Hauf, Chief Assistant District Attorney Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office; William McGovern, NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Chief of Investigations. Photo courtesy of the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office.