The Lakeview Fire Department celebrated 116 years in the community on Saturday, having been established in 1909.
Each year the department celebrates its birthday by hosting an open house to highlight its facilities and invite neighbors to get to know the fire service. This year, the celebrations included efforts to recruit more volunteers to get involved.
“Every year we try to have a birthday part for ourselves, and we invite the community to come and celebrate with us,” Heather McNeil, an ex-chief of the department, said.
The Aug. 10 Meet and Greet Recruitment Event offered visitors opportunities to look inside the fire trucks, spray a fire hose and sign up to become volunteers. Food trucks were on hand as well, including Mr. Flavors Ice Cream and Lakeview’s own Weekend Wings.
As well, department members demonstrated some of their life-saving techniques.
“This is a recruitment and retention event for the community, an outreach program that was devised by some of our people to be able to bring membership for our department,” Assistant Chief Frederick Senti said. Senti has been involved in the department for 20 years, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
“We have a service to the community, and we try to help out as best we can,” said McNeil, who has been with the department for 21 years and helped organize the event.
Volunteers not only benefit the community, but also have a chance to learn new skills while serving others. “I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field, and the easiest way to start at a younger age is by joining the volunteer Fire Department,” Emergency Medical Technician Daniella Brun-Kestler, who has been with department for a year and a half at 19, said.
Brun-Kestler said she enjoys being a part of the department because of the flexibility the job allows. “You could be a full-time student, a full-time worker, and still, if you’re free, you can come down for a call,” she said.
“It’s extremely important to have outreach in the community,” Senti said. “We want people to know that we’re continuing our mission and ask them to join us, being that the numbers are down in volunteering. We’re just trying to make sure everybody understands that, and get more people to come out and help their community.”
Volunteers not only learn lifesaving skills, but also may qualify for college scholarships, tax discounts, free fitness memberships and New York State’s Length of Service Award Program. LOSAP is a retirement benefit specifically for volunteer firefighters and EMS personal that is similar to a pension. “It’s getting harder and harder to get volunteers in the door,” McNeil said, “and we try to maximize any of the benefits that we can to get folks to come in and give us a hand.”
The department is looking for firefighters, EMTs and paramedics. The requirements to join include Lakeview or West Hempstead residency for at least six months, a minimum age of 18 and U.S. citizenship.
For more information, you visit lakeviewfire.com, call (516) 766-9869, or visit the firehouse, at 891 Woodfield Road in West Hempstead on a Wednesday night, during their weekly training.
