By:Nicole Falco
The four other villages involved in the agreement are Lynbrook, Malverne, East Rockaway and Freeport, agreeing to offer aid to each other in case of an emergency situation.
"This all started since Sept. 11. You never know what is going to happen next and we want to be prepared to assist each other," said Valley Stream's mayor, Edward Cahill.
The agreement defines an emergency situation as "air pollution, fire, flood, storm, wind, snow, earthquake, explosion, transportation accident, hazardous material problem, terrorism, sudden or severe energy shortage, epidemic, riot or other occurrences, other than conditions resulting from a labor controversy."
The five villages have agreed to lend the village or villages in need, equipment, materials and personnel. However, each village still reserves the right to deny aid if it would negatively impact its ability to help its own community.
The agreement was signed by the mayors of the five villages at the April 9 Nassau County Village Officials Association meeting.
"We signed the agreement there to set an example for other areas. Since then, mayors of other villages have asked me to send copies of the agreement to them," said Eugene Scarpato, mayor of Lynbrook.
"[Villages] don't need independent agreements to lend another village whatever might be needed in the event of a disaster...but [with the written agreement] it is much more seamless for one mayor to call another village," said Dennis McCabe, president of the New York State Building Officials Conference (NYSBOC) and East Rockaway Building Department superintendent.
McCabe said having a written agreement among villages is not only unique, but something other villages should consider.
"This shows the fact that our elected officials have the foresight to realize that no village is an island unto itself. This is part of a natural progression toward being prepared," McCabe said. "We [the NYSBOC] are trying to get the message out to other villages. The object is to have, depending on the nature and size of the disaster, resources that could be drawn from a neighboring village instead of waiting for help to come."
Each village has named an emergency management coordinator who answers to the individual village's mayor. They are Tom Bartsch in Valley Stream, Richard Holdener in Freeport, John Baroni in East Rockaway, Jim Callahan in Malverne and Robert Cribbons in Lynbrook.
Valley Stream's Bartsch is an almost 50-year resident and a 20-year village employee. Bartsch is also the village's chief fire inspector. Bartsch's experience dealing with disasters dates back 40 years when he first became a Valley Stream firefighter; he is an ex-chief of the Valley Stream Fire Department.
"If we were ever impacted with a great disaster, the building inspector has to decide which buildings would be torn down. He'd be overwhelmed with what to do," Bartsch said. "There is no downside."
The start-up cost to initiate the agreement was minimal for each village since the personnel and most of the equipment are already in place. Bartsch estimated Valley Stream's cost to be less then $10,000. Money spent went towards purchasing two-800 mega-hertz frequency radios to communicate with the four other villages and the county if needed; the village purchased charts to organize and coordinate in the event of a disaster, a hurricane-tracking map and a map detailing possible "staging areas" within Valley Stream. Additional resources include two generators purchased prior to the agreement, a computer and the availability of 56 phone lines at Village Hall, if needed, Bartsch said. There has also been a room dedicated to Valley Stream's "emergency management" in Village Hall.
Another benefit in having a written mutual aid agreement is that villages can recoup additional money from the federal government if a situation were declared a disaster by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
All involved hope other villages consider a similar agreement with communities that surround them. Rockville Centre and Garden City were asked to join the five villages, but have yet to express a desire to do so, Bartsch said.
Scarpato understands the benefits of mutual aid. In 1998, a tornado passed through Lynbrook leaving $1 million in damages in its wake. And, in recent months, 150 senior citizens were put out of their homes and one death occurred when a fire blazed through the Nathan Hale House. In both cases, Lynbrook was given aid from its neighbors.
"Other villages sent aid for decency's sake, because [Lynbrook] was in need. Now, with this agreement, everything has been laid down and each village knows exactly what has to be done," Scarpato said.
Cahill agreed, "Beforehand we would have helped each other out anyway, but with the agreement, we avoid confusion. With what has been going on in the world since Sept. 11, it is important for villages to get together."
