By ANTHONY BOTTAN
Bilardello has lived in Bay Park for the last ten years with his wife and two children and has been the Bay Park Fire Commissioner for the last year. He has also been a volunteer firefighter for the East Rockaway Fire Department for the past 10 years.
Bay Park is separate from the village of East Rockaway, so it does not have its own fire department or EMS. Bay Park negotiates a contract every year with East Rockaway for their emergency services. The contract is paid for solely by Bay Park taxpayers. The Bay Park Fire District covers Bay Park, Hewlett Point and Cape Cod. If re-elected on Dec. 11, Bilardello's term as fire commissioner would be for five years.
The Herald: What does a fire commissioner do?
David Bilardello: We represent the people of Bay Park and the Bay Park fire district. I got permission from LIPA to paint white rings around the telephone poles in the neighborhood to mark where hydrants are because some hydrants are tucked away. When the fire department gets here, they don't know where the closest hydrant is. This was also done at no cost to taxpayers. I bought the paint and brushes myself.
H: What are some the responsibilities of a fire commissioner?
DB: For Bay Park, I got in touch with the Bay Parker (community newspaper) and asked them to ask residents to have their house numbers visible from the street, so if there is an alarm, it can help save time in an emergency. Last month, when we had tornado warnings, we called up FireCom (a company that provides Helibase and Command Trailers to various federal agencies during forest fires and other major incidents) and they were able to get on our loud speakers on North Boulevard and Hewlett Point Avenue and warn residents.
H: What initially interested you in running?
DB: I thought it would be something different to do. Before I was commissioner, I attended several meetings and I was interested in being involved in my community. And I figured I wanted to somehow be on the board. What I wanted to do is give back. I live here. I'm a taxpayer. I just want to see my community grow.
H: What is the difference between a fire commissioner and a fire chief?
DB: Bay Park does not have its own fire department. Fire commissioners in other districts with its own fire department will meet with the board to get new equipment, trucks and things like that. They oversee the chief's department. We don't get involved in calls, we let the chief run the calls down here, and we just do the administration part. We don't have our own cars, uniforms, or radios. We just do the administration part to protect our people.
H: If elected, do you have any plans you would like to set in motion?
DB: We just started an emergency management committee and I want to look more into that. If we do have an incident down here, I want to know who the appropriate authorities are to call and be able to get them down here as soon as possible.
Elections for Fire Commisioner are held on Dec. 11, between 6-9 p.m. at the Bay Park Fire District Office, 2A E. Court St., Bay Park.
