By Nick Buglione
Since it relies entirely on volunteers to fill its ranks, the department is continually putting out the call for new members, though it isn¹t always easy to find people willing to answer it.
³It¹s a big commitment, and it¹s time-consuming,² said John O¹Brien, second assistant chief of the department. ³It becomes more and more difficult over the years to get new members, with the economy and people having to work two jobs to make ends meet.²
But the East Meadow department has been fortunate, according to Chief Neil Rohde. It currently boasts more than 200 firefighters and medics, spread among the department¹s seven companies and five stations, making it one of the larger fire-fighting forces in Nassau County.
³It seems to run in cycles,² Rohde said. ³In the last couple of months we¹ve been getting a lot of new people to join.² The department, however, can always use more, he said.
Volunteers receive no pay, only the gratification of protecting and serving their community. That can be very rewarding, O¹Brien said. ³The more joy you get out of preventing injury or stopping a fire from destroying a business, the more you put into it,² said O¹Brien, who has volunteered for 28 years. ³Once you get a taste of it, you can¹t put it to rest. It¹s been my life.²
Firefighters also receive small breaks on their property taxes, and there is county legislation pending to increase those benefits.
Any U.S. citizen who has lived in the community for at least six months and is 18 or over can join the East Meadow department. Before being accepted, applicants go through a background check and must pass a physical. After they¹re sworn in, beginning volunteers are put on one-year probation and receive vigorous training, beginning with an intra-department class that covers the basics of fire safety, first aid and CPR.
Following that, volunteers enter the Nassau County Fire Service Academy, where they take classes on hazardous materials, operating a self-contained breathing apparatus, and fighting simulated live fires. Those wishing to become department medics enroll in a six-month EMT course.
³In East Meadow, training is ongoing all the time,² Rohde said, noting that even after preliminary training, there are extensive drills and practices. ³We¹re always teaching all members new techniques.²
Though rewarding, the life of a volunteer firefighter is very demanding, Rohde said. Aside from being on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, firefighters must attend meetings and various fund-raisers, he said.
³You do have members who have to go to calls at 3 a.m. and then go home and prepare for a full day of work,² Rohde said.
Covering a 7.2-square-mile area that includes parts of Westbury and Levittown, the East Meadow F.D. responds to some 1,400 emergency calls a year. It boasts a fast response time, with the first personnel usually arriving on scene within three minutes of the call, Rohde said. In the department¹s 75-year history, only four volunteers have died in the line of duty.
³I got a huge amount of life experience,² said Richard Bivone, an East Meadow civic and business leader who is an ex-chief of the Elmont Fire Department. ³It set my career in motion to becoming a professional firefighter, and taught me the importance of life. Everyone who has the time to do it should do it, because it¹s very rewarding.²
Youngsters under 18 who are interested in volunteering are encouraged to join the department¹s junior firefighters. ³It gives them an early background and a feel for what the fire service is all about,² Rohde said, adding that they participate in department drills, parades and fund-raisers. ³Out of the ranks of our juniors, people have gone on to become chief of the department.²
Anyone interested in volunteering for the East Meadow Fire Department should stop in at any one of the stations and leave their name and phone number, or call (516) 542-0578.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
