Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Fire commissioners in your neighborhood have a very important task. Not only do they save lives on the regular, but they also decide how taxpayer money is spent.
The local elections for fire commissioner took place in West Hempstead on Dec. 10.
Malverne doesn’t operate their firehouse this way, thus there are no elections to report for their village.
Luckily for him, the current West Hempstead commissioner Kenneth Brohm ran again uncontested. This occurred after his 5-year term in the same position.
Brohm was born and raised in West Hempstead, and he still resides there now. He is currently 56 years old and has been serving in the same firehouse for 38 years. If you do the math, that means he joined at the ripe age of 18. It’s safe to say that he understood his calling from the get go.
“My friendship with Kenny started before we both became commissioners,” Commissioner Scott Clark said. “His heart is in the right place. He does it for the community, he has a very firematic mind and his heart is with the West Hempstead Fire Department.” Clark said of Brohm.
Being fire commissioner makes one responsible for all the equipment their EMS squads require. They also have other responsibilities including ensuring the overall safety of their employees and advising them, among other things.
“I’ve been a member of the fire department all my life. All my kids are involved as well,” Commissioner Brohm said. “My son is a current chief. My other son is a lieutenant. It’s been a long, long family history. My father, mother, sister, grandparents, the whole family’s been apart of it forever.”
West Hempstead’s fire department has recently changed their joining age requirement from 18 to 17. There are currently 5 active fire commissioners in the West Hempstead Fire Department. There is no limit to how many terms you can serve, so long as you keep getting elected.
Fire departments across the United States face challenges in recruitment and retention, with many departments reporting significant turnover rates. According to the National Volunteer Fire Council, only 17% of volunteer firefighters stay active for more than 20 years, and the average length of service is 10 years. For career firefighters, turnover is often linked to job stress, retirement eligibility, and opportunities for advancement.
With the level of passion seen in the West Hempstead Fire Department, these statistics likely differ. Many members join at a young age as volunteers and make a lifelong career out of it in adulthood, according to Commissioner Brohm. They even have a very successful juniors program that starts at age 12. With minimal age restrictions and no time limit on certain leadership roles, people tend to build a life in this firehouse.
