V.S. Fire Department welcomes new chiefs

The Valley Stream Volunteer Fire Department held a private swearing-in ceremony last Thursday evening to welcome a new chief and his assistants. Mayor Edwin Fare swore in Patrick Scanlon, of Engine Company No. 341, as the 99th chief of the department, succeeding Eugene O’Brien II, whose term ended after two years.

Michael Colucci, of Engine Company No. 344, was elected Second Assistant Chief, and Anthony Capone, of Engine Company No. 342, was elected First Assistant Chief.

Scanlon, 30, previously served as first assistant chief and Anthony Capone as second assistant chief.

“It’s a bit surreal” to be appointed Fire Chief, Scanlon said. “I’m just humbled by the fact that all my fellow firefighters elected me to lead them for at least the upcoming year.”

Scanlon is excited to work alongside Capone and Colucci who he says are longtime friends. “Michael Colucci and I actually went to high school together,” said Scanlon. 

“We’re a group of guys very much excited to work together and get things done for the department.”

To that end, the new Chief has set his eyes on jump-starting new initiatives to expand the outreach and preparedness of the department. “We’ve been trying to work on a new training center to help with recruitment, retention, and training of old and new members. This way we can have all the members have a set location to train.” There are also plans to have an online training option. 

Such improvements, according to Scanlon, will help gear up the department to respond to a new set of demands and challenges.

“With all the new apartment buildings going up all over Long Island and especially in Valley Stream, the potential for fire and the number of people we’re going to serve is just going to increase, ” Scanlon said. 

At the ceremony, an outgoing Chief Eugene O’Brien II thanked his fellow firefighters for their hard work and dedication during his years of service as the 98th chief of the department. O’Brien also served more than twenty-five years as a firefighter, assisting the department in various capacities.

“He’s going to be severely missed,” said Scanlon. “He had to lead through unprecedented times” amid the coronavirus pandemic. “He did a fantastic job, and the department was in a great place with him in charge” during a time when “no one knew what to expect.”