Rockville Centre Fire Department welcomes new members

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On Aug. 16 at Rockville Centre Volunteer Fire Department’s Council Room on Maple Avenue, Chief of Department Robert Seaman administered the oath of membership to five new fire service volunteers. Three new full-fledged members were welcomed along with two junior firefighters.

John Colonna, who is a full-time student at Farmingdale State College, will be a member of Engine 1 Live Oak company.

Cleasin Frederique, who currently serves in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves will be a member of the Alerts company of the RVCFD. Cleasin, who has a career as a welder and boilermaker, often works underwater on projects such as military ships and power plants. As an active-duty Marine, Cleasin served three tours in Afghanistan; Kuwait; and Fallujah, Iraq. A native of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, he is the first Rockville Centre firefighter born in that country. Cleasin also served a six-month tour of duty as a Marine in Haiti in “Operation Unified Response” — the U.S. military’s relief mission in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Oscar Romero, who will be a member of Engine 1 company, has a career in the insurance industry with one of the country’s largest companies. Oscar is the first firefighter of Peruvian ancestry to join the Rockville Centre Fire Department. Oscar’s family and friends were on hand to congratulate him.

Two teenagers joined the Rockville Centre Fire Department Juniors. Chief of Department Robert Seaman swore them into membership, with family, friends and other supporters eager to take photographs of the youths’ new steps up the ladder of volunteer firefighting service.

New RVCFD Junior Firefighter Tim Buhse, 16, will be entering the 11th grade at Oceanside Senior High School next year.

RVCFD Junior Firefighter Dylan DePellegrin, 14, will be entering the 9th grade this year at South Side High School. He follows in a family tradition of volunteer first-responder service, as he is the son of South Hempstead Fire Department ex-chief Anthony DePellegrin.

The RVC Junior Fire Department, which was founded in 2011, accepts applicants ages 13 to 18. John Cook, 16, is Captain of the Juniors. With the new inductees, the Juniors’ roster now boasts nearly 30 members.