SOS from Your Neighborhood Fire House

One of the things that makes Long Island great are its volunteer fire houses. I could go on forever about what makes our fire departments special. The spirit of local volunteerism -- and I mean how communities come together and unite people across all kinds of divides -- to serve their neighborhood. There's the dedication of all of these houses to their communities. These fire houses are the modern town greens of many communities. They provide a place for people to meet and gather; they host events where the community could come out and meet newcomers or long lost friends and unite them.

But most of all, the thing that makes our local fire departments great is the work they do. Members of the fire departments are members of the community. They respond to fire and ambulance calls quickly and with the passion that only a friend and neighbor can bring. Our fire departments are pillars of the communities and one of the things that makes Long Island great. Is it a stretch to say that they are the envy of the nation? I think not. Neither do most residents of Long Island.

Then why is Tom Suozzi teaming up with David Paterson to take a sledgehammer to our fire departments? Suozzi supports the Paterson consolidation bill. He'd love nothing more than to fold various independent community fire departments into several mega departments with expanded coverage areas.

What does this mean for you? Well, it will destroy your firehouse. It might be closed and merged into a bigger and 'more modern' firehouse a few miles away. Why? Well, the false nivana of 'efficiency.' Sounds good on paper, right? But its awful in reality.

Response times will be longer. Think about it; if the volunteers have to travel 2 miles from their office or home to the firehouse, suit up and get ready to roll and then have to go another several miles to a fire or emergency, response times have to be longer. Especially at rush hour, if you live in a remote area (like the North Shore) or a time when few people are around. The fire truck might sit around waiting for a crew to show up. Imagine that.

The trauma to our communities from the loss of firehouses would be enormous. These places are the anchors of many communities. They are one of the glues holding communities together. And now, Suozzi wants to rip them apart in an attempt to grab their tax dollars.

People are upset. They don't want this. They know what's at stake here. A grassroots group, Firefighters for Mangano, has been fighting the Suozzi-Paterson proposal to destroy our neighborhood firehouses. The response has been great.

But we need your help. If you know anyone who wants to get involved, give the office a call. Together, we can help Ed fight this proposal.