By Hector Flores
Catalano hopes that once it is completed, the museum will increase public awareness of and appreciation for the fire services in Nassau County and stimulate volunteer recruitment at local fire departments. As an education center, it will help fulfill the county public schools' state-mandated fire safety education.
With a gleam in his eye, Catalano envisions a completed museum that tells the story of the day-to-day operations of a volunteer firehouse. He describes how the tour will start with a dispatcher's phone call to a station, then a firefighter mannequin will slide down a pole. Children will be able to try on fire gear. The experience will culminate with children sitting in a fire truck, simulating an emergency response through virtual reality.
Visitors will also be given fire safety tips, learn how to put out a fire and get a history lesson on the county's fire service. But most important, Catalano describes how, in the center of the museum, there will be two old-fashioned fire trucks and a horse-drawn wagon that will serve as reminders of firefighting's early days and the progress that has been made since then.
Catalano hopes the experience will inspire children to one day become volunteer firefighters, as he was inspired by his father, Albert. "My father was a member of the North Bellmore Fire Department for 50 years," he said. "I saw him, and he made me want to become a New York City firefighter."
Catalano was so driven to become a firefighter that at age 18 he joined the North Bellmore Fire Department, and then the New York City Fire Department. Now retired from the city, he has spent the last 40 years as a volunteer firefighter and the last 30 years as commissioner. Throughout his career, he has wanted nothing more than to make people aware of the dedication volunteer firefighters have to their community, and how hard they work without pay. But most important, he wanted to express his gratitude to an organization that enabled him to have a career.
"I wanted to make a tribute to all the volunteer firefighters," Catalano said. "Each volunteer firefighter puts in 245 hours per year in training, equivalent to 30 working days [in addition to their daily jobs]."
Catalano's tribute came to fruition 10 years ago, with the help of two fellow volunteer firefighters, Francis Pendl and Andy Steinmuller. According to Catalano, one had a dream of building an education center and the other a firefighters' museum, and he wanted to help put both projects together. Since Catalano got involved, a site for the museum has been acquired and the $3 million needed for the museum's construction has been raised.
"Ten years ago I started rolling with the politicians," Catalano said. "[Thomas] Gulotta gave me 55,000 square feet of museum space [in the Cradle of Aviation] and [Thomas] Suozzi gave me $1.3 million." Catalano was able get donations from businesses and donors such as North Fork Bank, Winthrop Hospital, ESIP Insurance and the county's 71 fire departments, which donated $1,000 apiece.
Catalano's hard work and vision have earned him the position of chairman of the museum's board of directors, and his colleagues insist that the project would not have been possible without Catalano's involvement. Frank Saracino, executive director of the museum, said, "He is loving, but when he is passionate about a project he is a pit bull and he doesn't let go. We are blessed to have someone like Angelo's dedication. He is gregarious and comfortable to be with, and right up front with letting you know what his goals are and his passion for attaining that particular goal."
Alan Hodish, a Kiwanis Club member, agreed with Saracino, saying that Catalano has what it takes to complete a job. "With his personality, he has been able to get a lot done," Hodish said. "Some people are overbearing, and he is everything but."
Richard Cardozo of the Carman Community Association added that Catalano is the kind of person who moves others to participate. "He is a classy guy," Cardozo said. "He is the kind of person that when you meet, you walk away thinking he's your best friend. He is very charming and exudes that kind of personality."
The biggest praise for Catalano comes from his longtime friend Richard Bivone, first vice chair of the museum, who said that Catalano's life has been dedicated to fire service and helping people. "He does a phenomenal job as commissioner of the North Bellmore Fire District," Bivone said. "He is phenomenal - always smiling and always out there helping someone. Any time I have called him he has always been there, a true hero, and not just for me but for the people in Nassau County. He is a problem solver, always able to work things out, and he has done a phenomenal job with the North Bellmore Fire Department."
For his focus on making East Meadow a safer place to live, for giving volunteer firefighters the credit they deserve and for being a hero in his community, Angelo Catalano is the Herald's choice for 2005 Person of the Year.
