Firefighters from across Nassau County gathered at the East Rockaway Fire Department on Sunday, March 8, for the annual 4th Battalion Burn Center Benefit, raising money to support the Nassau University Medical Center Burn Center, the region’s only specialized facility for burn treatment.
The annual event brings together departments from Malverne, Lakeview, East Rockaway, Lynbrook and Rockville Centre to support the Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center Foundation, which provides equipment, training and resources for burn care beyond what hospital funding covers.
The 4th Battalion has been fundraising for the burn center for more than 30 years, said John Hennig, director of the Burn Center Foundation board. Each year, the event is hosted by a different department in the battalion, and this year East Rockaway stepped up to organize the fundraiser.
Local restaurants and businesses donated food and prizes to support the event. River Mill Tavern and Tables — a family business connected to East Rockaway First Assistant Chief Matthew Pignataro — provided trays of food, along with Nick’s Pizza in Rockville Centre and several other local vendors.
“There was an open buffet free to all patrons,” Pignataro said.
Raffle tickets were also available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the burn center. According to Pignataro, prizes were donated by local businesses, families and fire departments across the battalion.
“Local restaurants donated gift cards. Grant Avenue’s 405 Hose Company and P.C. Richards were two of many sponsors for the event, along with private families,” Pignataro said. “We have big prizes like New York Islanders tickets, Yankees tickets and car detailing.”
Hennig said the fundraiser consistently draws strong community support and engagement.
“We have 300 to 400 people attending every year, from firefighters and medical personnel to community members,” he said. “The Switch is a band that plays for our fundraiser every year, and we have the Nassau County Firefighters Pipes and Drums making a guest appearance.”
Chairman of the 4th Battalion Fire District Joseph Mihalich said the event reflects the battalion’s commitment to supporting the burn center and the people it serves.
“We are very proud of what we do at this event,” Mihalich said. “We typically raise around $15,000 to $20,000 each year. It’s a tradition, and each year we try to make it a little bigger.”
The fundraiser is unique to the 4th Battalion, though other battalions across Nassau County often contribute donations to show their support for the burn center.
Fire officials emphasized the importance of the burn center’s location at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.
“We, as firefighters, want to know that somebody we pull out of a house fire or car wreck with burns can go someplace where they will be well taken care of,” said Thomas Gaffney, chairman of the Burn Center Foundation. “If we didn’t have the burn center in East Meadow, patients would have to travel to Stony Brook, Staten Island, Manhattan or the Bronx — each about a half hour to an hour away.”
“If you have a bad burn, every minute matters,” Gaffney added. “That’s why having a burn center here on Long Island is so important.”
Gaffney said the burn center faced staffing challenges after the COVID-19 pandemic, when many medical professionals were reassigned to other areas of care. Foundation members worked with Nassau County, state and local officials to restore staffing levels, meeting with hospital leadership and emergency department administrators to ensure the burn center could continue providing care for patients across Long Island.
Today, the burn center at Nassau University Medical Center is fully staffed and able to treat patients from across the region.
“We wanted to make sure the people of Nassau County are fully protected, and that the burn center is fully staffed and ready when it’s needed,” Gaffney said.
In addition to supporting staffing efforts, funds raised through the annual fundraiser help provide specialized equipment for the burn center. Gaffney said the foundation has helped purchase devices such as vein locators, which help medical staff find veins on burn patients, where injuries can make the process more difficult.
The foundation has also funded cord trackers, a device attached to feeding tubes that helps doctors guide them to the correct location in the stomach and intestines. Because burn victims often cannot eat on their own, early nutrition is critical to recovery. Gaffney said the device allows medical staff to place the tube more accurately, speeding up the time it takes to begin nutritional support by about 25 percent.
Those interested in supporting the burn center can still make donations online at NCBurnCenter.org.
