Monday, January 20, 2025
As 2024 draws to a close, the East Meadow Fire Department wrapped up one of its most extensive holiday outreach seasons, marking nearly three decades of community service during the winter months.
The department’s holiday initiatives began in November when volunteers partnered with Stew Leonard’s to distribute turkeys to families experiencing food insecurity. This effort involved members from all seven companies working in shifts to ensure broad community coverage.
The department’s seven companies executed a coordinated series of events throughout December. Engine Company 2 led their annual Santa sleigh run, while Engine 1, Engine 3, and Ladder 1 conducted their own Santa runs through residential neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Engine 1, Engine 4, Ladder 2, and Rescue 5 hosted community tree lighting ceremonies across East Meadow.
A cornerstone event on Dec. 19 saw firefighters, led by Ex-Chief James Darcey, visiting the Nassau University Medical Center’s pediatric ward. Department members transformed into holiday characters — including the Grinch, Buddy the Elf, a snowman, and Santa Claus — to deliver gifts through the Jimmy Martino Memorial Toy Drive, now in its 28th year. The program specifically targets children who must remain hospitalized during the holiday season.
The holiday service program caps a year of emergency response and community engagement for the department’s all-volunteer force, who continue to serve the East Meadow community as they head into 2025.
