By Hector Flores
O¹Brian races to his fire truck, an SUV parked outside the building, and as he starts the engine, the siren begins blaring and lights flash. He races down East Meadow Avenue, then turns left and right on side streets until he arrives in front of the Cyron Lane home.
With adrenaline now kicking in, O¹Brian parks, jumps out and grabs and dons his safety equipment ‹ fire-resistant clothing, helmet, flashlight, firefighting equipment and a breathing apparatus ‹ and rushes into the home. Other firefighters begin arriving at the scene, in two more SUVs and two fire engines. In less than 10 minutes, the firefighters determine that the emergency was caused by a faulty oil burner motor. Once everything is under control, O¹Brian and the rest of the firefighters go back to their vehicles.
³That was a little exciting, wasn¹t it?² O¹Brian says as he takes off his equipment and drives back to the Chiefs¹ Office building. Just another day in the life of a volunteer firefighter.
O¹Brian, a 30-year volunteer firefighter, is currently working on a recruitment campaign in an effort to draw more volunteers into the East Meadow department. ³We are one of the largest volunteer departments in Nassau County, and we are always looking [for new members],² he said. ³I have been doing this for years, and there is nothing like making a difference in someone¹s life during a tragedy.²
O¹Brian said that most firefighters join the department because someone in their family was a member. ³My father was a department chief in 1970,² he said. ³I was exposed to the department as a kid, and I joined.²
According to O¹Brian, the training that new members go through is free of charge. ³We train you to be the best, either as a firefighter or a medical technician,² he explained, adding that the training also leads some volunteers into careers as emergency responders. ³We find that when people join, they end up having a career,² he said. ³I¹m a dispatcher in Jericho, others have become career firefighters, emergency medical technicians, fire marshals, police officers or dispatchers.²
First-time volunteers are on probation for at least a year until they become full-fledged firefighters. During that year, they take basic to advanced firefighting courses, which include hands-on and classroom settings. Afterward they are evaluated on what they have learned.
Aside from an opportunity to shape a career, Steve Farber, 34, a volunteer paramedic, considers the department and its members an extended family. ³When I first saw the firefighters, I was 19 and working in a deli,² Farber said. ³I had no idea about the department, but the first thing I noticed was a sense of camaraderie. They were all from different backgrounds, yet they were all brothers.²
Farber found this notion reinforced when he was injured in a car accident. ³I¹m a Suffolk County police officer, and I was involved in a car accident and had to be air-lifted to NUMC,² he recounted. ³The hospital was packed with members of the department lending their support.²
Christopher Sala, 35, the current chief of the Fire Department, said that the brotherhood is the result of volunteers coming together for the single purpose of making a difference in residents¹ lives. ³My greatest day as a member was the first time I took a hose into a house and extinguished the fire,² Sala said. ³I was 20 years old at the time and I helped save a home. There is nothing more rewarding than to help someone out.²
O¹Brian added, ³This is a family, and we have families joining together. There are fathers and sons, husbands and wives, and brothers. Generally, when someone joins it can lead to generations of membership. We¹re looking to build a roster for the next 10 years, so we can maintain the success in the volunteerism of the East Meadow Fire Department.²
For more information on joining the department, call (516) 542-4565 or visit www.eastmeadowfd.com.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
