Five Towns firefighters cope with tragedy-marred weekend

It was a busy weekend for Five Towns fire departments. Lawrence-Cedarhurst firefighters responded to 30 calls, either as the primary department or to provide aid to other departments, and the Woodmere department responded to just as many calls, including two drownings.

The action began on Friday, when the LCFD rescued a family of three adults and two children from a home on Juniper Circle in Lawrence who had elevated levels of carbon monoxide in their systems, according to LCFD Chief Joseph Sperber. They were taken to Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow.

The department responded to multiple flooding emergencies as well, including the rescue of several occupants of vehicles on Meadow Lane in Lawrence, between Kenridge Road and Dogwood Lane, on Sunday evening. The passengers were extracted from their vehicles with the help of a boat that is specially designed for use in water-related emergencies, Sperber said. One of the stranded drivers, Jules Hoffman, of Ocean Avenue in Lawrence, received a special surprise when he was rescued by several firefighters.

“Justin Hoffman, Jules’s grandson, helped rescue his grandfather,” Sperber said.

The LCFD also responded to a blown transformer on Arlington Road in Cedarhurst, near Reilly Road and Lawrence High School, on Sunday. Several residences and the school were without power for several hours, Sperber said.

“Phones and computers were down for about an hour this morning,” Lawrence Superintendent Gary Schall said on Monday. “That was it. We’re fine — no damage at all.”

Woodmere firefighters and emergency medical technicians were busy early Saturday afternoon with two drownings approximately 30 minutes apart, Chief Rich Jankosky said. The first incident happened at a home on the north side of Woodmere, where the homeowner was found face-down in a swimming pool. EMT Jay Goldmark and Assistant Chief Leonard Cherson were first on the scene, according to Jankosky.

“They retrieved the man, brought him to the surface and performed advanced life support,” said Jankosky — cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of a defibrillator to attempt to revive him. The man was taken to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway by Woodmere ambulance, where he was pronounced dead, Jankosky said.

Along with the Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Hewlett and Inwood fire departments, Woodmere firefighters responded to a call at the Woodmere Country Club, where a man went into a canal between the 17th and 18th holes of the club’s golf course.

“Witnesses saw a man go into the water — they knew about where he was,” said Jankosky, adding that a club staff member tried to help.

Using a rope line, Adam Slotnik and other firefighters found the man, brought him to the surface and performed advanced life support. He was taken by Woodmere ambulance to St. John’s but was pronounced dead.

“Adam [Slotnik] dove under the water and did an outstanding job,” said Jankosky.

Woodmere firefighters also responded to motorists stranded on Peninsula Boulevard starting at around 3 a.m. on Sunday, and to several homes where basements were flooded. “If we responded to 30 calls, we responded to 50 calls,” Jankosky said. “It was a very, very tough weekend.”