Wading River Fire District residents will go to the polls Tuesday, Dec. 13, to decide the fate of a capital bond proposal for up to $6.8 million for improvements to the fire headquarters on North Country Road and the Hulse Landing Road fire substation. READ
An ESL classroom was destroyed after a fire broke out inside an empty portable at Riverhead High School Sunday afternoon, according to school and fire department officials. READ
(Credit: Grant Parpan)
A small brush fire sparked behind a house on West Main Street where a group of men had started a fire in a barrel, Riverhead Firefighters at the scene said. (more…)
Jamesport Fire Department volunteers extinguish a vehicle fire on Tuthills Lane in Jamesport Sunday. (Credit: Jamesport Fire Department)
The Jamesport Fire Department extinguished a vehicle fire on Tuthills Lane late Sunday morning, according to a department spokesperson. (more…)
A fire hydrant in Calverton half-buried in the snow Tuesday morning. (Paul Squire Photo)
Riverhead residents may be sick of shoveling out their driveways and sidewalks, but local firefighters are asking them to break out the shovels again. This time, they say, clearing away the snow could help save a life. (more…)
Incumbents in Flanders and Wading River are running unopposed.
Below is a breakdown of the Dec. 10 fire district elections:
RIVERHEAD
Voting is from 3 to 9 p.m. at Riverhead fire headquarters on Roanoke Avenue.
One seat is open:
• Incumbent Dennis Hamill has been with the RFD since 1972. He served as a company officer, chief, and commissioner before leaving the department due to work obligations in 1991. He rejoined as a commissioner in 2008. “We just went through a rigorous state audit and we came out pretty good and we definitely stayed under the 2 percent tax cap,” he said, adding that the board must weigh the needs of firefighters — including replacing aging equipment — against raising taxes on the district’s taxpayers. “At the end of the day it’s gotta be a perfect balance.”
• Kevin Barty joined the RFD 15 years ago from Manorville, where he previously served for 12 years as a firefighter. He was captain of the Ever Ready company in Riverhead and joined the Ironman team. He is self-employed as a contractor and runs a gutter installation business. He remains an active member of the department.
“Mr. Hamill is a nice guy,” he said. “From 1972, he’s made his mark on the fire department, and I feel now it’s time for a change, someone with a fresh look.” Mr. Barty said his experience as a business owner gives him the ability to help manage the district’s finances effectively, explore grant opportunities and keep taxes down.
JAMESPORT
Voting is from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Jamesport firehouse on Manor Lane.
One seat is open:
• Incumbent Joel Lazarus joined the fi re department in 1994 and rose in the ranks to become captain, rescue squad leader and chief. He had previously volunteered with the Ridge Fire Department before moving into the Jamesport district.
Mr. Lazarus said he had considered not running for re-election but “I didn’t accomplish everything that I set out to.” He wants to see through to completion projects for keeping equipment up to date and dealing with state mandates for more safety precautions without burdening the taxpayer.
• John Newman began volunteering in September 2001 and is a former captain. He is a retired New York City firefighter and an active member of the South Jamesport Civic Association.
Mr. Newman said he threw his hat in the ring to support his community, and said he would bring “new ideas” to the board. As a commissioner, Mr. Newman said he would push to increase ambulance service for the area and improve the fire department’s ability to fight fires and respond to incidents.
FLANDERS
Voting from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Flanders firehouse on Firehouse Lane.
One seat is open:
• Incumbent commissioner Robert Merker is running unopposed for a second five-year term.
WADING RIVER
Voting from 2 to 9 p.m. at Wading River fire headquarters on North Country Road.
One seat is open:
• Incumbent commissioner Timothy Deveny is running unopposed for another five-year term.
More than a dozen veteran North Fork fire department volunteers were honored for 50 years of service at a ceremony in Cutchogue Thursday.
The men, who come from four different area fire departments, were recognized with an award from the New York State Association of Fire Police.
Honored at the ceremony held at the Cutchogue firehouse on New Suffolk Road were:
EAST MARION FIRE DEPARTMENT
Frank Begora Jr.
Arthur Quintana
William Volinski
GREENPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT
George Cappon
Richard Sledjeski (posthumously)
JAMESPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT
John Anderson
Perry Conklin
Daniel Kaelin II
Lewis Tomaszewski
Albin Zaweski
Stanley Zaweski
ORIENT FIRE DEPARTMENT
Robert Reeves Jr.
Joseph Soito
TIM GANNON PHOTO | Firefighters extinguish a mulch fire in Calverton Thursday evening.
Volunteers from several local fire departments were called to help the Riverhead Fire Department battle a mulch fire on the southeast portion of the Calverton Shooting Range property off Nugent Drive Thursday evening.
The call came in at about 6 p.m. and the fire was located deep into the property off a dirt road.
Riverhead called for help from pumper trucks from the Flanders, Eastport and Manorville fire departments and a truck from the Jamesport Fire Department was called to be on standby at the Riverhead firehouse. The fire was under control and the mutual aid trucks were released from the scene by 7:40 p.m.
The Brookhaven Town fire marshal,and Manorville Ambulance were also on the scene, as was a brush truck from the Flanders Fire Department.
Firefighters were on the scene for more than an hour and a half. Mulch fires are often difficult to extinguish because the internal heat within the mulch can often combust, officials say.
This was the second mulch fire firefighters responded to this week, after a large mulch fire broke out on a property on the east side of Horton Avenue in Riverhead early Wednesday morning.