A family of firefighters

As they sat around a kitchen table not too long ago, William, Steven, Ethan and Stephen Lahey received a fire call. They all left, saying goodbye to wives and children.
Responding to emergencies has been a way of life for members of the Lahey family since 1963, when Bill Lahey, who’s now 79, joined the Hewlett Fire Department. A number of his relatives followed, and representatives of three generations of Laheys have become chiefs of the 123-year-old department.
“No way,” Bill said when asked if he thought so many of his family members would get involved in fighting fires. “I started that first year, was very active and it started to bloom. The kids started, got involved and it kept progressing.”
He brought his son Steve to the firehouse. (Bill and his late wife, Barbara, also had two daughters.) Steve and his wife, Patricia — he called her after seeing her passing on the street as he was returning from, yes, a fire — had three boys, Ethan, Ben and Stephen. The brothers played in the firehouse and eventually joined the juniors. Ben, now 30, was a Hewlett firefighter for two years before he moved to Florida. Ethan, 33, and Stephen, 29, are not only volunteer firefighters, but members of the FDNY as well. Ethan is a lieutenant with 13 years of experience, and Stephen is an eight-year veteran.
“It’s a way of life for this family,” said Steve, 55, the director of facilities for the Long Beach School District. “My profession, my knowledge came through the fire service. The job opportunities, the connections.”
Those connections extend to family. Ethan married Cristina Rizzo, a member of the Hewlett Ladies Auxiliary, whose father, Ed, is an ex-fire chief, and whose mother, Pat, is an Auxiliary member. Stephen married Nicole Katz, a volunteer firefighter. Her parents, Robert and Bess, are a firefighter and captain of the emergency medical service, respectively.
“It’s being part of something that is bigger than the individual,” Ethan said.

Climbing the ladder