By Joseph Kellard
That 13-year streak will officially end on Tuesday, Dec. 11, when
residents of the Oceanside Fire District will vote for incumbent Craig
DeBaun or his challenger Mitch Krasnoff.
Each of the five commissioners who are elected into the OFD district serve a five-year term; with one seat open for election each year.
"I think I've served in a very positive and admirable way, and have done
the best that I can," said DeBaun, a life-long resident of Oceanside. "I love
Oceanside, care for it, and would like to continue to serve. I have the
community's best interest [at heart], and that includes not just the firefighters but also the residents."
DeBaun, 50, is the owner/director of Camp DeBaun in Oceanside, a
family-run day camp, kindergarten and nursery school established in 1949. He has served with the OFD for 28 years. As a volunteer with Hose Co. No. 1, DeBaun held the positions of 2nd lieutenant in 1978 and 1979, 1st lieutenant in 1979 and 1980, and captain in 1980 and 1981. He was elected commissioner in 1981 and has held that post for four consecutive terms.
"We've had a very progressive board, which has made a tremendous amount
of accomplishments," he said.
He includes the new maintenance facility at Fireman's Field on Mott St.-- featuring an in-house repair shop for fire apparatus -- and the maintenance of low Insurance Service Organization (ISO) ratings -- which ultimately lead to low homeowners' fire insurance rates -- as accomplishments achieved under his leadership.
"The ISO rating is very important, and is based on a variety of things, from the number of firehouses in a district to the quality of its equipment," said DeBaun. "Our district has earned the best possible ISO rating for a volunteer fire department for over a decade."
DeBaun said the district keeps abreast of the activities of
local, state, national and international fire organizations, in part,
through his memberships in organizations like the Nassau County Association
of Fire Chiefs, Association of Fire Chiefs of New York State, National Fire
Protection Association, and International Association of Fire Chiefs, among
others.
Challenger Mitch Krasnoff, 50, has been an Oceanside resident for 15 years and served with the OFD for the last ten. As a volunteer in Rescue Co. 1, Krasnoff has held the positions of lieutenant in 1995, 1996, and 1997 and captain in 1998, 1999 and 2000. He is a certified New York State advanced emergency medical technician and trustee for that firehouse. Krasnoff is a New York State certified Echocardiographer with MD Stand, a mobile sonogram company based in Great River in Suffolk County.
"For the years he has been in, Craig DeBaun has been an excellent fire
commissioner. I feel that 20 years for one man to be in this position is too long and that person feels too comfortable in that position," Krasnoff said in response to his challenge. "It's time for a change. To get some new ideas in."
For Krasnoff, the issue of financial waste within the district should take top priority. "There is a large waste of money within the fire district," he claimed.
"I want to run for commissioner because I feel that since taxpayers are
paying for services and they're paying to sustain a fire district, they need to be kept more [informed about] where their money is going."
Krasnoff said he wants to make sure residents know the OFD is an "open
office" which they can visit learn about its services.
"Why not tell the community where the money is going?," he asked and suggested running a periodic newspaper article or column. "Let [citizens] know where their tax dollars are going. I think the board of fire commissioners should be more responsible and more answerable to the community."
According to DeBaun, when the OFD annual budget is devised, he and the other
commissioners make sure they "do the right, prudent thing fiscally." He also
pointed out that the Freedom of Information Act makes the budget available in both the district's headquarters and through the Town of Hempstead, where it is
submitted each September.
Krasnoff also questioned the district's procedure for use of medical
emergency vehicles. Currently, if a call comes in for an ambulance, the request is first routed to the Nassau County Police Ambulance Bureau for response. If an ambulance is available from NCPAB, police will dispatch an emergency vehicle at that time; if not, the call is kicked back to OFD.
Krasnoff believes if residents call the fire department for an ambulance,
they are entitled to get a fire department ambulance.
"Our tax dollars pay for free ambulance service from the fire department.
But you have to pay for an ambulance from the Nassau County Police Ambulance
Bureau," Krasnoff said.
In response, DeBaun said a volunteer service, such as the OFD, doesn't always have the manpower to respond to such calls and that 911 services are a needed supplement to the district.
"In addition, we are not allowed by law to charge for our services, since
we set a tax rate. Nassau County Police by law is allowed to charge. And, to
my understanding, they do charge if the insurance companies can pay for it. We
don't, we're not allowed to. We're not there to make money on that," DeBaun
said. "And I don't think someone calling with a heart attack cares which
ambulance service picks him up, as long as he is taken care of."
The election will be held on Tues., Dec. 11 from 3 to 9 p.m. at OFD
headquarters on Foxhurst Rd. Residents must be a registered voter of the
Oceanside Fire District as provided by the Nassau County Board of Elections in order to vote.
