Thursday, October 1, 2026
Steven Linzer, a longtime dispatcher for the Long Beach Fire Department, a decorated Nassau County Police Department paramedic and beloved father, died on March 16. Many remembered Linzer, a 45-year-old Levittown resident, as a devoted family man, genuine leader and an expert in his field. Linzer died at Winthrop-University Hospital of a bacterial infection, according to Detective Lt. Kevin Smith.
“He was devoted to this kind of service and to the public,” Smith said. “This is a loss.”
Smith explained that Linzer’s death is being treated as a line-of-duty incident, and that investigators are working to determine how he contracted the infection. “It may not have to do with patient care, but we are meticulously investigating his death,” Smith said.
Smith said that Linzer has been involved with paramedic and Advanced Medical Technician rescue operations since 1987. He served as a paramedic for several hospitals throughout his career, including Lutheran Medical Center, Staten Island University Hospital, Jamaica Hospital, and St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital. Linzer was an AMT since 1994 for the Nassau County Police Department, Smith said.
Long Beach Fire Chief Scott Kemins lauded Linzer and said he was in “complete shock” by the news of his death. Linzer worked with the Long Beach Fire Department for more than 23 years as a dispatcher, Kemins said.
“He was an experienced dispatcher. He was our senior- most dispatcher,” Kemins said. “He was very conscious of his job. He was calm, and easy going.”
Kemins said he knew Linzer personally for 25 years. “We used to work together at Long Beach Medical Center in the emergency room,” Kemins said.
Kemins said that Linzer had a peaceful, calm disposition. “His office could be on fire, and he’d be calm.”
Linzer was known not only as a dedicated member of the fire department, Kemins said, but also as a family man and father of three children. “He was very family oriented,” Kemins said. “He was always doing extracurricular activities.”
