By Hector Flores
The candidates hoping to replace Beck are Scott Farber and Glenn Carpentier. The Herald spoke to both men, who discussed a fire commissioner¹s duties and their respective careers.
The East Meadow Fire Department protects all area homes and citizens from a long list of dangers, including fire and medical emergencies. The department relies heavily on tax dollars, and has a budget of approximately $4.6 million. The funds are allocated by the East Meadow Fire District, which is managed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, who are elected to a five year term.
The board meets twice a month to decide how funds will be spent and what equipment will be purchased and maintained. Commissioners also provide department volunteers with compensation insurance, and approve regulations established by the chief of the department. Firefighting experience is not a prerequisite for the position of commissioner.
Scott Farber
Farber, 36, a lifelong East Meadow resident, is a product of the East Meadow School District. He attended Barnum Woods Elementary, Woodland Middle School and East Meadow High School. After he graduated in 1989, he attended Hofstra University and then Nassau Community College, studying criminal justice and business.
Farber joined the fire department at age 19. He left school in 1993, after he was called into the Suffolk County Police Department. In 1996 he was involved in a serious car accident, and airlifted to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow for surgery. ³I spend six weeks in the hospital,² Farber recalled. ³Since then I¹ve had six surgeries to repair internal injuries.²
After his release from the hospital, Farber returned to the Suffolk County police, but because of his injuries he could serve only in a limited capacity. In 2006 he retired from the police force, and he is now on disability. ³I can do basic duties, but I can¹t be a full-duty cop anymore,² he said.
During his years as a police officer, Farber served as a volunteer for the fire department, first as a firefighter, and then as a paramedic. ³I¹m currently lieutenant of Rescue Company Five and ex-captain of Engine Company Two,² he said.
He also serves as emergency medical service coordinator and EMS training officer. ³I¹ve trained hundreds of residents and members of community organizations in CPR, first aid and use of automated defibrillators,² Farber said.
He believes that his work as coordinator has prepared him to be a commissioner. ³As a coordinator, I fill the gap between the chief and the commission board,² he said. ³I am not in the position to make policy, but I influence policy. As EMS [coordinator] I have worked on behalf of the commissioning board to buy EMS equipment. I have dealt directly with the vendors to get the best deals possible.²
Most recently, Farber chaired a committee to research, design and approve for purchase a state-of-the-art ambulance, which was funded by a New York state grant. He was also instrumental in establishing the department¹s public access defibrillator program, or PAD, which enables the department to carry defibrillators in all of its emergency vehicles. He helped set up similar programs in the school district and at the East Meadow Baseball and Softball Association.
³I also helped establish the first controlled-substance program in Nassau County,² Farber said. ³That allowed our department to carry and administer morphine and valium. It took me a year to develop that program, which required research, development and implementation.²
If elected commissioner, Farber said, he would focus on keeping membership in the department from dropping. ³I would like to focus on the retention of members, and not just the recruitment of them,² he said.
He also said that he would look for more state and federal grants to purchase equipment. ³The state-of-the-art ambulance we purchased last year was bought with a New York state grant made possible by State Senator Kemp Hannon,² he said.
Farber explained that the No. 1 reason the department loses members is the high cost of living on Long Island. ³It¹s a combination of things,² he said. ³The cost of living has made it more difficult for mothers and fathers to devote their time as volunteers in the department. In addition, many volunteers must also work two jobs to stay and live on Long Island, and younger members just can¹t afford a home here and can¹t remain members.²
Glenn Carpentier
Carpentier, 51, is also a lifelong resident of East Meadow and a product of local schools. He attended Newbridge Road Elementary, Woodland Middle School and East Meadow High. After he graduated in 1974, he attended Long Island University, earning a degree in criminal justice in 1978. He then enrolled in C.W. Post¹s accelerated master¹s program in criminal justice professional studies.
After graduating in 1979, Carpentier worked for the Nassau County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. In January of 1982, he joined the Nassau County Police Department, where he has worked for the past 25 years.
Throughout his police career, Carpentier has served as a volunteer firefighter in East Meadow. He joined the department at age 18 and has been active for 33 years. ³And before that I was the first captain of the East Meadow Junior Fire Company,² he said.
As far back as Carpentier can remember, he has been interested in law enforcement, and was an Eagle Scout before he joined the Junior Fire Company. ³I didn¹t have any relatives who are firefighters,² he said, ³but I was just very interested.²
Carpentier added that his need to be an active member of the community was inherited from his father, Alfred, who was involved with the East Meadow Little League and Kiwanis Club. ³My dad helped build the baseball fields on Merrick Avenue, and it was through him that I started getting involved in the Little League and then in the Kiwanis Club,² Carpentier said. ³I grew up being involved.²
Carpentier believes that his career as a volunteer firefighter and service with the Board of Commissioners has given him the proper tools and experience to serve as commissioner. ³In my career as a firefighter, I served for four years as secretary for the Board of Commissioners,² he said. He was appointed to the post in 1993, and served until 1996.
In June 2001 he was appointed secretary/treasurer of the Lakeview Fire District, where he still serves in that capacity. ³I¹ve served on the board of the Lakeview Fire District for the last six years,² Carpentier said. ³I do the preparation of the budget, payroll, purchasing and any legal matters and notices. I write all the checks and pay the bills, but it¹s the commissioners who make the decisions, and I just carry them out. As treasurer, I prepare the budget and payroll and they review and approve them.²
Carpentier said that his years of experience in the East Meadow and Lakeview fire district boards has equipped him with knowledge and experience that would benefit the EMFD Board of Commissioners. ³I am well aware of the time requirements, and having sat on the board for 10 years, I have done it,² he said. ³With all the schooling, training and courses I¹ve taken, it makes sense to do it.²
Carpentier agrees with Farber that retention of volunteers is the district¹s most pressing issue. ³I have seen this as a problem,² he said. ³Being in Lakeview and an active member of the Nassau County Association of Fire Districts and the State Association of Fire Districts, I see recruitment and retention as a big issue, and we are looking for ways to attract members and keep them. There are different ideas floating around for incentives, such as economic housing alternatives, but the issue is still being examined.²
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
