By Hector Flores
The East Meadow Fire Department is responsible for protecting all area homes, property and citizens from a long list of dangers, including fire and medical emergencies. To fulfill its duties, the department relies heavily on tax dollars and a budget of approximately $4.6 million to purchase and maintain state-of-the-art firefighting equipment and build up-to-date station houses. These funds are allocated by the East Meadow Fire District, which is managed by the board of fire commissioners.
The five-member board decides how funds will be spent and what equipment will be purchased and maintained. Commissioners ensure the safety and security of the department's firefighters and emergency medical technicians. They provide all department volunteers with compensation insurance, and approve regulations established by the chief of the department. The position of commissioner is open to the general public, and firefighting experience is not a prerequisite.
James Surless
Surless, 64, was born in Brooklyn in 1942, and lived in Bay Ridge until his parents moved to Hicksville in 1951. Surless remembers that, for years, his uncle Walter Wells, an ex-captain of the Hicksville Fire Department, was always trying to get him involved with the department, but it wasn't until 1964, after he moved to East Meadow with his wife, that he decided to become a volunteer firefighter.
"When I was younger, I was busy with school," he said. "But when I moved to East Meadow, I realized that by joining I was helping out the community."
Since then, Surless has been and continues to be an active member of Engine Company 1. Through the years he has held a number of positions in the department, steadily climbing the ranks. In 1968 he was promoted to lieutenant, and served as captain for three years, 1969, 1970 and 1975. Surless then served as assistant to the chief of the department for three years, from 1977 to 1979, and then as chief of the department for two consecutive terms, 1980 and 1981. In 1996 he ran for and was elected commissioner of the fire district.
Commissioner, Surless said, "We maintain open and positive relationships with our neighbors and other community organizations. We have also begun opening our buildings to other public organizations for their use, and maintained good public relations with elected officials."
Surless said that the district's public relations efforts led to a recent grant of $175,000 from State Sen. Kemp Hannon for the purchase of a new rescue vehicle. State grants have also been used to install pre-emptive system in fire trucks that allow for the control of traffic lights on Hempstead Turnpike.
During his tenure as a volunteer for both the fire department and the fire district, Surless worked for the Long Island Rail Road as a fire safety officer and then an assistant fire marshal until his retirement in 2002. During his career he took advantage of the LIRR¹s tuition reimbursement program. "In 1963 I graduated with an associate¹s degree in civil engineering," Surless said. "But I wanted to get my bachelor¹s. So I enrolled in John Jay College and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts in fire safety."
After retiring from the LIRR, Surless was hired by the Queens Public Library and serves as the fire safety manager, maintaining fire safety and emergency preparedness for 64 library buildings in Queens.
Mike Finnegan
Finnegan, 43, is a lifelong East Meadow resident who is a product of the East Meadow School District, and has worked for DHL shipping for 24 years. For the last five years he has also been the maintenance coordinator for Sunrise Senior Living of East Meadow.
Finnegan joined the East Meadow Fire Department at age 26, and after 15 years as a volunteer, he has served as captain of Ladder Co. 1 and worked in the chief's office. He said that he resigned from the department at the beginning of the year because he could no longer find the time to devote to it, however, he said that he has the time for the commissioner post in the fire district, which meets only twice a month.
"I joined the department because I wanted to help people and my neighbors," he said.
During his tenure as a firefighter and a certified first responder, Finnegan has helped make the East Meadow Fire Department the first department in Nassau County to carry life-saving medicine. He helped acquire 12 lead defibrillators, which transmit data directly from an ambulance to a hospital. He holds certificates in building construction, hazardous material and officer training.
This is Finnegan's second run for commissioner. Last year he challenged Commissioner William Neill, who was re-elected. Finnegan said he is running again to keep a better eye on spending and to make sure that the fire district is run honestly and fairly. "If elected, I will explore selling of the chief's office building [at 597 East Meadow Ave.] and putting that property back on the tax rolls, which the taxpayers of East Meadow desperately deserve," he said.
Finnegan added that he would like more community participation in the East Meadow Fire District. "We need more community involvement," he said. "I want residents to attend monthly board meetings, and I want them to be aware of what's going on."
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
