David Mortensen of the Branchport Keuka Park Fire Department has been named New York’s 2026 Fire Safety Educator of the Year after more than three decades of fire prevention work, according to the Chronicle Express.
Mortensen, a former fire chief known locally as “Fireman Dave,” began organizing fire safety programs at Branchport Elementary School in the early 1990s.
He later expanded his educational efforts into the Penn Yan Central School District and programs for homeschool groups, summer camps around Keuka Lake and local Mennonite schools.
Mortensen’s programs have covered topics including home escape planning, smoke alarms, emergency response, ice safety, cold-water survival and self-rescue.
Mortensen now serves as chairman of the Branchport Keuka Park Fire District Board of Commissioners and credited fellow department members with helping sustain the programs.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
