Firehouse dedicated to Famularo

In a gesture of thanks to a firefighter of more than 60 years’ service, Baldwin’s Hose Company 3 dedicated the firehouse on Baldwin Avenue to Dominick Famularo on Sunday.

“Hose Company Three’s firehouse is hereby dedicated to Chief Dominick V. Famularo by the officers and members of Hose Company Three and the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Baldwin Fire District on this 15th day of April 2012...” begins a plaque now installed on the department façade.

A mechanic, a former chief, an educator and a tireless promoter of Fire Department activities, the energetic Famularo still visits the department three or four times a week, according to John Cools, captain of Hose Company 3, who added that Famularo remains instrumental in repairing equipment and general department problem solving. “Dominic has been the most aggressive member of Hose Company 3 since the 1950s,” said Cools, himself a member of the department for more than a quarter century. “I’ve personally tried to follow in his footsteps, and so have a lot of the other guys.”

The idea of dedicating the firehouse to Famularo was first raised when department members began brainstorming ideas big enough to commemorate his six decades of service. “In the spring of 2010, when Dominick was nearing his 60th anniversary, some of the members of the company discussed what to do to celebrate him,” Cools recalled. (Famularo completed his 61st year of service this year.) “We wondered, what do you do for a guy who doesn’t want for anything but has left such a monumental mark on the department? Eventually we came up with this idea.”

Douglas Wiedmann, commissioner of the Fire District, was part of a team that spearheaded the effort. “We looked at 60 years of service to the department, and to the firehouse itself, and we knew we had to get everyone on board,” Wiedmann said. “He deserved this. His commitment to his family, to the community, it’s immeasurable. And it’s great to do something like this while he can appreciate it.”

The day of the event could not have been lovelier after what Wiedmann called a “touch-and-go morning,” and more than 100 spectators lined Baldwin Avenue to see the dedication. In the crowd were Baldwin Fire Department members in dress uniforms, along with Famularo’s family, elected officials and community members.

“It was great to see so many people there,” Wiedmann said. “People got up to speak, his family gave a tremendous dedication and Dominick reacted as he always does: He was humble and maybe a little overwhelmed.”

Asked how he thought Famularo held up under all the attention, Cools laughed. “There were many tears, many smiles,” he said. “If you know Dominic, he can get a little huggy-kissy. He’ll come up to you, give you that big, Italian kiss on the cheek, and you know all’s right with the world.”