Uniondale fire department celebrates 100 years of service

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The Uniondale Fire Department has been serving the community for 100 years. Its big anniversary celebration last Saturday drew an outpouring of support, despite the rainy weather.

“Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime,” Kevin Hicks, an 18-year member of the department and its first assistant chief for the past two years, said. He expressed his pride for its teamwork and its continued commitment to safety.

“(I love) the camaraderie of having everyone come together and perform for the community,” Hicks said, “and do what we need to do for the safety and the service of the community.”

The department marked a century with a neighborhood parade in spite of the rain. Firefighters marched through the streets behind the Uniondale High School Marching Knights and other groups, and were followed by fire and police trucks.

The parade ended in front of the Sherman Van Ness Fire Station, on Uniondale Avenue, where community members gathered for a block party. Food trucks and vendors paid for by the department lined the parking lot behind the fire station, and the crowd played carnival games and enjoyed free barbecue, Greek and Jamaican food and more while music blasted through speakers.

“It’s a beautiful thing for the community to come back and (for us to) give back to the community,” Hicks said, “to show the transition of the tradition over the years, how it has changed, and for everyone to come and support us.”

The department comprises more than 110 volunteers, according to its website, and many of them helped commemorate the occasion. Even former members, like Ex-captain Pat O’Brien, attended the celebration.

O’Brien spent over 40 years as a part of the UFD, having joined in 1974, and he recalled the UFD’s 50th and the 75th anniversaries. He said he was happy to be at yet another one, even though, he said, “It makes me feel old.”

The Van Ness fire station houses two companies, Emergency Company No. 1 and Manor Company No. 3. Company No. 1 has both a rescue team and an emergency medical technician team. The rescue team members are firefighters who help protect people at the scene of fires and are specially trained for situations like pulling people out who are trapped in confined spaces or cars, according to the department website. EMTs are trained in providing emergency medical services.

Gaille Germain, who has been a volunteer EMT for the past five years, said she has met some of her best friends in the program, and loves the close-knit nature of the department.

“This is like my second family, my second home,” Germain said, “where I can truly be myself.”

Her favorite part of being an EMT, she said, is being able to “help somebody out on their worst day.”

“Even though we do it for free, it’s more rewarding than getting money,” Germain added.

Another EMT, Isabella Camacho, said that her four years of volunteering have given her an appreciation for the importance of helping the Uniondale community.

“It’s a relief for them that you get to give them that care, and they feel that relief,” Camacho said.

Manor Company No 3 and Brookside Engine Company No. 2, on Park Avenue, focus primarily on suppressing and extinguishing fires, and they support the other companies when needed. They are the ones who respond to the local calls of building fires, auto accidents and brush fires.

Protection Company No. 4, at the corner of Uniondale Avenue and Lafayette Street, is a ladder company, meaning that its members have special equipment for different scenarios. Their responsibility is to find the source of a fire, search for people and relay the information to department Chief George Martinez.

Hicks said he was happy to see community members connecting with the department and enjoying the festivities. “These are the people that we serve, that see us when we’re in our uniforms or in a parade,” he said. “Being role models helps the community.”