By NANCY HILER
Still an active firefighter in the department until his death, Moelius would have turned 94 on April 7.
"Quite commonly, members with many years of service are referred to as being Œactive,¹" a North Bellmore Fire Department spokesman said. "But in Jake's case, it was an absolute truth."
"Seeing Jake well into his late 80s, holding traffic at Jerusalem Avenue and Newbridge Road so that a responding apparatus could safely pass, is a vivid memory to this day," one firefighter commented. Moelius even responded to alarms when he was in his 80s, until his beloved wife, Catherine, became ill and he took time away to care for her until she died.
In more recent years, even after he reached 90, Moelius served on committees, and often visited the firehouse on Newbridge Road, known as Smithville Hook, Ladder and Engine Company No. 1, or Smithville South.
He joined Smithville South on July 1, 1937, and would have received recognition this year at the department's annual installation for 70 years of active service, the longest in its history. "Jake was a humble man who always shunned the spotlight, and was visibly embarrassed whenever we honored him," firefighter James Carroll recalled.
As a young man, Moelius was one of the company's pioneering volunteer firefighters. In the 1930s, equipment was sparse and relatively primitive when compared with the sophisticated rescue apparatuses used today. Moelius remembered and appreciated the department's humble beginnings: Only a decade earlier, the equipment consisted of one hand-drawn fire wagon loaded with water buckets, sand and brooms. He did all he could through the years to make sure North Bellmore firefighters had the best and latest in training and equipment.
In 1967, Moelius began what can only be called his proudest undertaking, the fire police. He helped found the organization, and committed to creating the best fire police program he could. The fire police is a partnership between the fire and police departments designed to ensure that the instructional needs of pre-hospital EMS providers are met. By 1978, Moelius served as president of the New York State Fire Police Association.
Beginning in 1969, he served for 10 years as a North Bellmore fire commissioner. Under his leadership and direction, many advances were made that enabled the North Bellmore department to serve the community better. In keeping with his usual forward thinking, and in light of his statewide activities with the fire police, Moelius instituted many innovations in emergency medical services by providing members with all the available training and tools necessary to best serve residents, a tradition that continues today. "I'm sure that Jake is responsible for saving many lives," one firefighter said.
By 1982, Moelius and other North Bellmore department members formed the Nassau County Fire Police Association. They were instrumental in helping the Nassau County Fire Service Academy provide certified training courses. That same year, when North Bellmore's Company No. 1 celebrated its 75th anniversary and hosted the Nassau County Firefighters parade, Moelius was honored as the grand marshal, a post he accepted reluctantly, only after much coaxing by his "brothers."
In 1996, after the department members' room was remodeled, Moelius, who had 60 years of service at the time and was still active, was honored again. The room was dedicated as "Jake's Place," the first and only such distinction in the firehouse.
At the annual installation dinner in 2002, Moelius was given the title of Honorary Chief of Department, a select honor granted only twice before in the department's nearly 100-year history.
"Jake was a great inspiration to many young men as they began their fire service," one firefighter said. He recalled the older man as always being there to offer good advice and simple, yet invaluable, words of encouragement.
"On a purely personal note, I have known Jake for my entire life," Carroll said. "I can think of no man as a better example of what a gentleman should be than Jake. As St. Thomas Aquinas once said, 'There is nothing on this earth more prized than true friendship,' so I say, Jake, thanks for being our friend."
Comments about this story? NHiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
