By Nick Buglione
Local elected officials, volunteer firefighters and their families turned out for the celebration, which was held under ominous rain clouds. Fortunately, the skies never opened.
Department officials had hoped Station No. 1 would be up and running months earlier, but the department has fielded calls out of it since last September. Department officials decided to hold the ribbon cutting ceremony in the spring, rather than the fall, when it opened, hoping for nicer weather.
A $4 million bond issue funded the project and the purchase of a new hook-and-ladder truck, which actually prompted the construction of Station No. 1.
According to East Meadow Fire Department Commissioner Robert Beck, the new hook-and-ladder would have been too tall to fit into the department's headquarters at 197 East Meadow Ave., where the fire trucks were previously housed. As it was, the old department trucks had less than two inches of leeway when backing into the bays at headquarters.
The new three-bay Station No. 1 includes a special drive-through entrance and exit, so trucks can easily pull in and out without affecting traffic.
With more than 60 volunteers stationed there, the new firehouse also includes office space, meeting rooms, a recreation room and a kitchen.
Headquarters will continue to house department ambulances and remain open as an emergency-response unit for the neighborhood.
