The fire department has been an integral part of the Massena community for over 100 years. The Massena Fire Department is a combination career/volunteer fire department comprised of 9 career firefighters and 50 volunteer firefighters. The Massena fire station is located at 34 Andrews Street, and is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by the career firefighters.

All career firefighters are graduates of the New York State Academy of Fire Science. In addition career firefighters receive a minimum of 100 hours of in-service training annually. The career crew is comprised of a Foreman and 8 members of the Massena Permanent Firefighters, Local #2220, an affiliate member of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF).

The career firefighters are also responsible for Code Enforcement in the Village and Town of Massena. This allows both the Town and Village of Massena to have a professional yet cost saving approach to Code Enforcement. The career staff provides Code Enforcement Officers and Building Safety Inspectors, Monday through Friday 8am - 4:30pm.

The volunteers of the Massena Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. are led by a Chief, two Assistant Chiefs, three Captains, and three Lieutenants. They are an affiliate member of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York. Volunteer firefighters have various levels of training ranging from Scene Support Operations to Fire Suppression, as well as other training principles.

The Massena Fire Department achieved an ISO rating(PPC) of 4, one of only two in St. Lawrence County to receive this high a rating, along with Ogdensburg Fire. The ISO rates municipalities on a scale of 1 to 10. An ISO Class 10 rating is considered the least effective fire defense while an ISO class 1 rating is the most effective fire defense system. Only 12% of fire departments in the United States have a class rating higher than Massena Fire. Most of the largest U.S. insurers use these ratings as part of their decision making when deciding coverages to offer, and prices to charge for personal or commercial property insurance. According to the ISO the price of fire insurance in a community with a good Public Protection Classification(“PPC”) grade is substantially lower than in a community with a poor PPC grade”.

The Massena Fire Department serves approximately 12,900 citizens, providing fire and emergency protection to both the Town and Village of Massena. Massena Fire also provides mutual aid to surrounding communities. The Massena Fire Departments protection area consists of approximately 57 square miles, 7,500 housing units, as well as 14 Churches, the St. Lawrence Center Mall, Harte Haven shopping center, and other local businesses, Massena Arena, and other civic complexes. The Massena Fire Department is also responsible for protecting critical infrastructure located within the protection area. This infrastructure includes:

• Three major rivers, The St. Lawrence River, The Raquette River, and the Grasse River.
  
• The St. Lawrence Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, The Robert Moses-Robert H. Saunders Power Dam, The Long Sault Dam, miles of high voltage KV lines, The Frank S. McCullough Jr. Hawkins Point Visitors Center and Boat Launch, Robert Moses State Park, and various outlying administration, storage, and maintenance buildings owned and operated by the New York Power Authority.
  
• The St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation controls 8 miles of international shipping lanes on the St. Lawrence River. They also control the Dwight D. Eisenhower Lock, and the Bertrand H. Snell Lock, as well as various administration, storage, and maintenance facilities.
  
• The Seaway International Bridge connects Massena and the surrounding northern New York communities to Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. The Seaway International Bridge port of entry is one of the busiest ports of entry on the northern border of the United States. The area around the Seaway International Bridge also houses various storage, administration, and maintenance buildings belonging to the United States Border Patrol, and the United States Department of Homeland Security.
• Massena Intake Dam, where the Village and Town of Massena citizens receive their water from, is also located in out protection area. The Massena Intake Dam holds back the St. Lawrence River from flooding the Village of Massena and parts of the township.
• Massena International Airport serves private and commercial flights daily.
  
• Six major New York State Highways (37, 37B, 37C, 56, 131, and 420) and bridges, as well as numerous St. Lawrence County roads and bridges.
• Massena Terminal Railroad and miles of CSX rail lines that ship local, domestic, and international freight products.
• Industrial manufacturing businesses Alcoa, Arconic, Curran Renewable Energy, and the Massena Industrial Park.
• Large occupancy buildings such as Massena Memorial Hospital, St. Regis Nursing Home, Highland Nursing Home, Laurel & Grasmere Terrace, The Quality Inn and Super 8 Motel.
  
• Six schools including five from the Massena Central School District which include: Massena Central High School, J.W. Leary Junior High, Madison Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, and Nightengale Elementary. We also protect Trinity Catholic School, and The Holy Name of Jesus Academy.