Six recruits were hospitalized with dehydration and illness symptoms; the Montour Falls facility was also the site of the training death of Firefighter Peyton Morse in 2021

MONTOUR FALLS, N.Y. — Six students at the New York State Fire Academy in Montour Falls were taken to a hospital this week after experiencing symptoms of dehydration and illness.

A state spokesperson said the cases occurred over several days and involved symptoms including cramping, headaches, dizziness, congestion and upper respiratory illness. All six students were taken to a hospital for further evaluation, WWNY reported.

| WHAT FIREFIGHTERS WANT: Annual report spotlights training needs

“The safety and well-being of students, instructors and staff is our top priority. The Academy’s Medical Director reviewed each case and all students have been medically cleared to return to training,” the spokesperson also stated.

The facility is used by fire departments all across New York State to train recruits.

The Montour Falls academy was also the site of a 2021 training emergency involving Watertown Firefighter Peyton Morse, 21, who died nine days later. His parents later sued New York, alleging unsafe training conditions and that instructors failed to respond quickly enough when Morse reported he could not breathe during an exercise.

The state previously issued a report that did not assign blame for his death.

The death of firefighter trainee Peyton Morse is a tragic reminder that we need to change our culture, mindset and response to complaints of respiratory distress

September 27, 2021 05:18 PM

 · 

Narrated by Gary Sinise, the film features firsthand accounts from officers, firefighters and EMS providers who responded on one of the nation’s darkest days

September 08, 2026 10:12 AM

 · 

How one day transformed emergency preparedness and the lives of generations of first responders

September 07, 2026 12:50 PM

A six-year push for the day of appreciation, inspired by heroism and tragedy, culminated in the designation of Oct. 28 to honor first responders

September 07, 2026 05:43 PM

 · 

About 200 first responders faced multiple entrapments, a complex engine fire and a lingering fuel leak

September 07, 2026 01:59 AM

The upgraded CAD system will significantly enhance how the city manages more than 200,000 incidents per year, coordinates resources and uses real-time intelligence — including integrated autonomous drone operations