Fire Chief Kemins honored by Mount Sinai

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Scott Kemins grew up in Long Beach “as a nice Jewish boy” whose mom wanted him to become a lawyer or a doctor. She did not conceive of him becoming a firefighter or a police officer.

But that’s exactly what he did. Kemins, now 60, has been chief of the Long Beach Fire Department for more than two decades, joining the force in 1980. He was the youngest chief elected at the age of 26.

Kemins, who is also Long Beach’s Building Commissioner, will receive a Community Service Award from Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside “for his longstanding commitment to serving residents of the barrier island,” the hospital said in a statement.

Andrew Triolo, the hospital’s vice president of facilities, design and construction, has been named an honoree of the medical facility’s 39th Annual Golf Outing on May 15.

Kemins was born in Queens and moved to Long Beach with his family when he was four years old. He became a Long Beach volunteer firefighter in 1980. Four years later, he joined the New York City Police Department, serving for 11 years.

He joined the Long Beach Building Department in 1995 and become commissioner in 2002.

In the late 1980s, Kemins helped rescue a patient from a burning apartment at an assisted living facility in Long Beach.

“The room was on fire,” Kemins said. The patient survived.

He was awarded the Bronze Medal of Valor for his actions in saving the patient. Kemins has also served as a lifeguard for more than 40 years.

He earned a B.A. from what was then C.W. Post in 1986, the new LIU Post.

Kemins and his wife, Gayle, have twin 14-year-old daughters, Casey and Hailey who were born at Mount Sinai South Nassau and spent two weeks in the hospital’s Neonatal Care Unit.

“My wife and I are eternally grateful to the hospital and its staff for the expert care they provided to our twins,” Kemins said in a statement. “We will never forget the kindness and expertise we witnessed first-hand when our girls were in the NICU.”

Dr. Adhi Sharma, the hospital’s president, said in a statement “Under Scott’s leadership, emergency services on the barrier island have improved significantly. He always works to better coordinate services in the field with area hospitals. He is an asset to our community and it is our pleasure to recognize his essential contributions to our community.”