Longtime Elmira Fire Chief Andrew Mallow is retiring.
Mallow has served the Elmira Fire Department for the past 27 years, including the last 3 ½ as its chief.
The Chemung County Fire and Emergency Management department called Mallow a trusted leader, respected colleague and true friend.
Here is the complete statement from Chemung County Fire and Emergency Management:
There are some people in the fire service whose career becomes more than years of employment, it becomes part of the identity of a department, part of the history of a city, and part of the lives of everyone who served beside them.
Andrew Mallow is one of those people.
After 27 years of dedicated service, Chief Mallow will retire from the Elmira Fire Department, leaving behind a career defined by commitment, sacrifice, leadership, and unwavering service to the residents of Elmira.
Twenty-seven years means thousands of calls, countless difficult moments, long nights, holidays away from family, emergencies that demanded immediate action, and decisions made under pressure when others depended on steady leadership. It means carrying responsibility that most never fully see, and doing it because protecting others mattered more than comfort.
Over those years, Chief Mallow became more than a firefighter or chief. He became a trusted leader, a respected colleague, and a true friend to many throughout the fire service and public safety community. From firefighters and officers, to instructors, dispatchers, EMS crews, law enforcement, union leadership, city officials, county officials, and emergency partners across New York State, his path has crossed many lives, and his influence has been lasting.
For the last three and a half years as chief, he carried not only the title, but the weight of leading an entire department through challenge, change, and progress. Leadership at that level is often quiet, often difficult, and often unseen by the public, but deeply felt by those inside the profession.
The fire service teaches that uniforms eventually come off, radios go silent, and helmets are placed down, but the impact of a career built on honor never leaves the people who witnessed it.
Very few leave this profession able to say they gave everything they had while earning the respect of those around them. Chief Mallow has done exactly that.
To Chief Mallow: thank you for 27 years of protecting the city, serving your department, mentoring others, and leading with strength. Thank you for being a great friend, colleague, and leader to so many of us who have had the privilege to know and work alongside you.
A career like this deserves more than retirement, it deserves recognition, gratitude, and lasting respect.
Wishing you health, peace, and many well-earned years ahead.
