Fire Report: Rich History, Increasing Calls, New Equipment for Village Fire Department

For 125 years, the ’s volunteer members have not only saved lives and protected property in the 1.3 mile village and Bethpage State Park.

They are key participants in and sponsors of many significant community events, such as the annual Memorial Day Parade, which dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, and the popular Columbus Day Weekend Fair. When the U.S. Open Golf tournament comes to  town, the fire department is heavily involved to protect the spectators and golfers, offering round-the-clock extra resources and one rig parked at the golf site for the duration of play.

Its 100 volunteer members have remained steady but the department would always welcome more. “It’s a concern,” said Chief Kenneth Tortoso Jr. “With the economy being as it is and many people working two jobs, we understand that there are many constraints on people to make a commitment to being a volunteer firefighter.”

The economy has also taken a toll of the department’s budget. “We’re conscientious about our budget,” said Tortoso. “We do more with less and we’re more creative with how we spend our money.” The village recently invested in a new ladder truck in October 2010, replacing a 1986 model, and in March 2011 a new rescue truck will join the fleet, replacing an older model.

“Buying new apparatuses is costly,” said Tortoso. “Every piece of equipment has to be made specifically for your department, the tools we need and the layout of our facility. Once we know what we need, we take it out to bid. The new rescue truck will be coming from Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisconsin.”

Farmingdale prides itself on having three full-time dispatchers round-the-clock. "It's invaluable," said Tortoso. "The dispatchers live in Farmingdale, they know the community and residents, and someone is always here for the residents to walk in to report an emergency or if they need help." In April, the department will hold an open house, which combines a recruitment drive for new members and a “show-and-tell” of the department’s equipment and demonstrations on how to stay safe.

In the meantime, the number of calls has increased to nearly 1,100 a year. “We’re not getting calls for fires,” said First Deputy Frank Romano. “We’re getting more calls for motor vehicle accidents or emergency medical and automatic calls for a problem with a person’s smoke or CO (carbon monoxide) detector.”

Romano says that this isn’t a problem for the department. “We’d rather respond to this type of call than a fire,” he said. “While we’re at the home, we can make recommendations to the homeowner to prevent future calls.”

One of the most recent large fires fought by the department was in March 2007 at 2:14 a.m. The department was called to 361 Eastern Parkway (Plascal Industries) and, with fire through the roof, a signal 10 was transmitted. Over 150 firefighters from East Farmingdale, South Farmingdale, Bethpage, Plainview, Jericho, Hicksville, North Massapequa, Massapequa, Levittown, North Lindenhurst, and Melville responded.

It took two hours and 20 minutes before the blaze was under control. The fire totally destroyed a 20 x 30-foot building and spread to a 200 x 100-foot warehouse. The firefighters needed to take precaution early in the fire from chemicals used to clean plastic and had to battle the frigid 10-degree temperature.

The department’s long history is a source of pride for the members, since they are part of one of the oldest departments on Long Island. Not many villagers realize that two companies operate as one department. The Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 was founded in 1886 and was located on the northeast corner of Conklin and Washington Streets for over 40 years (Lotus Garden restaurant currently resides in that spot).

In 1915, the company’s name was changed to Hook, Ladder and Hose Company No. 1. In 1889, the Water Witch Engine Company No. 1 was formed and operated at the location where the McCourt and Trudden Funeral Home sits. The two companies formally merged as the Farmingdale Fire Department in 1892 with one chief to direct operations. It wasn’t until 1932 that the two companies moved into the same building where they are housed today. The Hook and Ladder brought four pieces of equipment; the Water Witch brought three.

Today, the Water Witch Engine Company’s wooden hand-pumper built in 1858 is on display at the Nassau County Firefighters Museum along Museum Row in Garden City. “This is an extremely rare, historic piece of apparatus,” said Romano, “and it still bears the Water Witch name.”