East Rockaway's Schaefer honored for 50 years

Larry Schaefer has seen a lot and accomplished even more since he moved to East Rockaway in 1961. Schaefer is an Ex-Chief of the East Rockaway Fire Department and was recently recognized by the Town of Hempstead for his 50 years of service to the organization.

He joined the fire department in 1961, became Deputy Fire Chief in 1979 and served as Chief until 1983. Currently, Schaefer is the secretary of Exempt Association.

There’s no exact way for Schaefer to know how many fires he has fought over the years, but for each fire he has responded to, Schafer was strictly business. “East Rockaway had a reputation for going in,” Schaefer said of his career fighting fires. “Other departments would stay out and fight the fire from the outside. East Rockaway hit the door and got in and knocked the hell out of it. That’s where the fire is. That’s the way I was trained.”

Schaefer was also a member of the State Parkway Police where he worked for 25 years until 1989. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army as well, serving three years in Germany from 1956-59. Schaefer enlisted in the Army when he was 18 years old and spent time at bases around country where he trained as a paratrooper. He has recorded 63 jumps in his career.

Schaefer has lived in the same house in East Rockaway since 1966 where he raised his three children along with his wife of 55 years, Barbara. Now, Schaefer has seven grand children and two great children who all live in the East Rockaway area.