By Hector Flores
Martino, 56, died of complications following an operation.
Darcey fondly recalled when Martino and a colleague, Perry Barret, decided to donate a fire truck to a North Carolina town that was in desperate need of fire protection. ³He got an old truck from a fire department in Westbury,² Darcey said. ³He rebuilt it on his own time. He put new breaks, transmission, motor and lettered it. Then he drove it down to North Carolina, but on the way there it broke down. He had to bring it back and fix it and drive it back again. That is just the kind of person he was, always looking out for someone else.²
Darcey added that it was that kind of character that brought an unprecedented throng of mourners to Martino¹s funeral Jan. 25. ³His funeral service was the biggest turnout in the history of East Meadow,² Darcey said.
East Meadow Fire Commissioner Bill Neil agreed with Darcey. ³He was a stand-up guy who would give you the shirt off his back,² he said of Martino. ³He was a firefighters¹ commissioner. He always looked out for the department and was a great fighter.²
Neil recalled how Martino saved the life of an 18-year-old boy in 1972. ³He was given the Firefighter of the Year award and other awards from the department and local government,² Neil said.
Born and raised in East Meadow, Martino began his career as a firefighter at age 18, following in the footsteps of his father, Peter, an East Meadow firefighter and former fire chief.
As a volunteer firefighter, James Martino achieved the rank of captain of Ladder Company No. 1 in the East Meadow department before becoming a fire commissioner. He served as a commissioner from 1980 to 2005.
Martino worked for Nassau County¹s general services department, then transferred to the fire marshal¹s office, where he was assigned to the hazardous-material unit. He retired from the marshal¹s office in 2004, after spending 16 years there. After stepping down as fire commissioner, Martino moved upstate, to Afton, and began working with the local fire department.
Martino is survived by his son, Christopher; his daughter, Jill; two sisters, Jane Dugan and Susan Braun; and his mother, Florence.
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