By Hector Flores
With the Dec. 8 election only a week away, the Herald met with both candidates to discuss a fire commissioner's duties and the candidates' biographies.
The Bellmore Fire Department is responsible for protecting all area homes and properties from a long list of dangers, including fires and medical emergencies. To fulfill its duty, the department relies heavily on tax dollars to purchase and maintain state-of-the-art firefighting equipment and station houses.
The department's board of five commissioners decides how funds will be spent and what equipment will be purchased and maintained. Commissioners ensure the safety and security of the department's firefighters and emergency medical technicians, providing all department volunteers with compensation insurance. They also develop the department's rules and regulations, which are implemented by the fire chief.
Stephen Marsar
With only four commissioners currently in office and the election to fill the vacant seat looming, Marsar is confident that his experience, background and familiarity with the department's current issues will enable him to fill the commissioner's seat.
Marsar is a 14-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, where he holds a lieutenant's rank, and he is a 16-year volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician in the Bellmore Fire Department.
A former captain of Bellmore's Engine Co. 2 and the First Aid/Rescue Squad, Marsar is a founding member and secretary of the department's West End Engine Company No. 3. He created Bellmore's Fire-Medic and Fire Safety Education programs, and he is a former chairman of the department's fund drive and recruitment committees.
Marsar is completing a bachelor's degree in fire science and emergency services administration. "To obtain my degree, I have studied public administration, politics and legal courses regarding fire service," he said. "I have also studied the foundation of the fire service. This course load has provided me with a handle on the general municipal law, which lays out the [fire district commission's] responsibilities and gives [it] the power to collect taxes and to spend money for equipment."
When he isn't helping put out fires or aiding people in other emergencies, Marsar serves as chief instructor at the Nassau County Fire and Emergency Medical Services academies. He teaches nationally and internationally for the International Association of Firefighters and the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation. He also serves as a team leader for the New York City Fire Department and Nassau County Critical Incident Stress Management teams.
As for his non-emergency administrative skills, Marsar has held executive positions in the food service and home-improvement industries.
"There is always a need for more funds," Marsar said of the Bellmore department. "With the additional duty of the fire department in combating terrorism, we need more funds to equip ourselves and to meet this new responsibility. Today's firefighters must be able to handle hazardous materials, and that is a growing challenge that the volunteer fire department must work to meet."
This is Marsar's first time seeking the fire commissioner's post, and he said that if elected, he would help guide the department in a positive direction. "The department has gone through a difficult time," he said. "It lost two of its firefighters in 9/11, and the firehouse [on Pettit Avenue] was burned down as a result of an arson fire. I want to be in a position to help our department rebuild itself."
Marsar is a 17-year Bellmore resident, an eight-year member of the Bellmore Parent Teacher Association and the proud father of Tamara Marsar, a graduate of Grand Avenue Middle School.
Peter Lang
Peter Lang, of Bellmore, has spent 45 of his 63 years as a volunteer for the Bellmore Fire Department. And he says his long history with the department makes him the right candidate for the fire commissioner's post.
"I have held every elected office in the Advanced Hook and Ladder Company No. 1," he said. "I have served as engineer, lieutenant and captain, and I have also been elected to the position of deputy chief and chief of the Bellmore Fire Department itself."
Lang is also a member of the Sixth Battalion Chiefs, an association of former department chiefs, and the state Chiefs Association. Currently he serves as his battalion's safety officer and his company's trustee, as well as a trustee for the Exempts Benevolent Association.
"These positions have taught me how to oversee the running of the organizations and make sure that everything is above board," he said.
Additionally, Lang has served as chairman of the Memorial Day Parade Committee for the past 15 years. He has organized the parade lineup and sent letters to organizations notifying them of their place in the parade.
"I have long been dedicated to the community," Lang said. "And anything that requires assistance, I'm there. I also feel that through my experience, I will do a good job, and this is the only position I haven't had.
"I'm running on my record and [the fact] that I am a concerned resident of the community as well as a volunteer," he said. Lang would also like to help bring back the department's sense of camaraderie, which was lost when arson claimed the old Pettit Avenue firehouse.
Lang was born in Bellmore in 1940 and is a product of local schools. After graduating from Mepham High School in 1959, he had a brief stint in the U.S. Navy, and was honorably discharged in 1962. He is married to Bellmore resident Nekki Sabia, and is the father of Peter Scott Lang and Nekki Saladino and the grandfather of five. In 2002 he retired from the New York Water Service Corporation after 20 years there.
