By Nick Buglione
The project was the brainchild of lifelong East Meadow resident and 46-year North Bellmore Fire Department volunteer Angelo Catalano and his colleague, the late Francis X. Pendl, a former chief of the Bethpage Fire Department.
Pendl died last year, making the groundbreaking bittersweet for Catalano. Still, seeing 10 years of his hard work finally come to fruition was an exhilarating experience, he said. "I feel like a dream just came true," said Catalano, the museum's chairman of the board. "We've been working so hard on this for so many years."
A decade ago, Catalano approached Pendl about creating a museum and education center for Nassau County firefighters. "We never had anything to show the heritage of the fire service," Catalano said. "We thought it would be nice to show what the fire service does and teach fire awareness."
Firefighting in Nassau County is rich in history, with some departments on the North Shore dating back 150 years. Unlike other municipalities that pay their firefighters, only volunteers comprise Nassau County's fire departments.
Those volunteers are tradesmen, lawyers, businessmen and police officers who dedicate hours of their time to keeping communities safe, and they're ecstatic about the museum. "Obviously, it's long overdue," said Steve Marsar, a fire commissioner in the Bellmore Fire District. "We're very excited about it. We're excited at the prospect that it's not just going to be a firefighters museum but a [place that teaches fire safety]."
Friends of Catalano's are also happy for him, knowing how much effort he has put into this project. "It's like a child to him," said Richard Cardozo, a 41-year volunteer with the East Meadow Fire Department. "Anything is good that preserves history and honors people who serve. You're paying tribute to the people who give selflessly of themselves every day."
The approximately 20,000-square-foot museum will be built on a 4,500-square-foot parcel of land in Mitchel Field, near the Long Island Children's Museum and the Cradle of Aviation. The project will cost $3 million, $2.5 million of which has already been raised, with the rest of the money in line to come in during the next few months, Catalano said.
Each of Nassau County's 71 fire departments donated $1,000 in seed money for the project, with state Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick) securing a $500,000 grant and Nassau County kicking in another $1.3 million. Fund-raisers and donations brought in the rest of the money. Construction began on Monday.
"I'm proud to say I've supported this project from day one," said Nassau County Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow), who invited Catalano to appear before the Legislature to make a presentation on the museum. "As an educator, the greatest tool we can have is visual aid and hands-on learning. This will certainly be of value to all school districts."
Set to open in January 2006, the museum aims to increase public appreciation of fire departments and awareness of fire safety and prevention.
Myriad artifacts, including vintage fire trucks and equipment, have already been collected and are being restored and catalogued. Most of the displays will be hands-on, Catalano said.
Aside from the history, the museum will have several stations devoted to different aspects of fire education. "It's going to take people through six stages of [firefighting], from when an alarm comes in to when the fire is out," Catalano said. "It will tell a whole story as you go through."
To learn more about the museum, visit www.ncfiremuseum.org.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
