Thursday, October 1, 2026
East Rockaway Fire Department former Chief Bobby Klose described the kinship of the volunteers in the four companies in the department as a brotherhood. When I toured the different companies a few weeks ago, I noticed how the volunteers at each fire house worked together like one, big family. That makes sense, since most of the volunteers grew up in East Rockaway and serve the neighborhood they call home.
The East Rockaway Fire Department has protected East Rockaway, Bay Park and Angle Sea for more than a century. The entire department consists of four companies: Hose Co. #1, Liberty Hose Company, Main Street Vigilant Co. 1 and Protector Hook and Ladder Truck Company; and two squads: Rescue Squad and Floodlight Heavy Rescue. Klose said the department responded to 1,100 calls last year and the members of Rescue Squad, which is located at the department headquarters on Atlantic Avenue, are often the volunteers with medical background. Some however, he said, are just neighborhood people who want to lend a hand. “Sometimes we get people off the street that want to join,” Klose said.
Cathy Torborg has been a member of the Rescue Squad company for four years and said it was a good career opportunity for her to join the department. Eight of the 36 members in the company are women, she said, and the training she received was second to none. “There is a good opportunity for career advancement,” Torborg said. “It’s male and female in here and you can see there is potential for women. It’s good training, especially if you have young ones at home.”
Chief Ed Reicherter said there are several benefits to joining the fire department. Younger recruits can earn college credit for the fire training classes they take, he said. If they volunteer for the department for an extended amount of time, Reicherter added, they can get a tax exemption and also accrue money in a Length of Service Award Program account. “The training is great and it’s a good way to give back to the community you live in,” he said.
