FAIR HARBOR FIRE DEPTFair Harbor Fire Department

All Volunteer FIRE and EMS - EST. 1931

Proudly Serving Fair Harbor, Dunewood and Lonelyville

 

News Details and Archive

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 - Ocean Beach Fire

News Story and Video

As you may know, there was a big fire in Summer Club last week. Members of the FHFD were part of the response team. Here is the FHFD summary of the fire and related EMT call:  

The FHFD was called out by Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency services ("SCFRES") at approx 8PM on Tuesday night (10/13) for a working structure fire in Summer Club which is part of the OBFD fire protection area. 14 members of the FHFD responded. 

We made contact with OBFD command and were requested to handle fire operations on the west side of the incident.  We were the first unit to arrive on the west side of the incident and found three houses ablaze and a large brush fire between our apparatus and the houses on fire.  There was a moderately strong north to northeast wind that night which was pushing the fire to the south and west which was the direction from which we were commencing our attack.  We immediately deployed 2 hose lines to extinguish the brush fire and begin suppressing the house fire which was now threatening to engulf a fourth home which was located on the ocean downwind of the fire. 

We were called out again by SCFRES approx 20 minutes after arriving on the fire scene to dispatch our EMS unit to respond to a report of an overturned vehicle on the beach in Fair Harbor.  We were given erroneous call locations by SCFRES and finally located the overturned vehicle in Saltaire.  Our ambulance transported the victim to Good Samaritan Hospital as Saltaire did not have an EMTs available and most of its members were already in OB at the fire. 

We were on scene for approximately  four hours and managed, in conjunction with the OBFD, Saltaire FD and Kismet FD, to prevent the ocean front home from catching fire and to extinguish the fire in the other three homes.  Two of those homes are completely destroyed with the third home suffering moderate damage.  Firefighters also responded from Ocean Bay Park, East Islip and Bay Shore due to the severity and size of the fire.  

There were no serious injuries. A big thank you to the members of our Department for their prompt and effective response.

Best regards,
 
Your Fair Harbor Fire District Commissioners
Brett Roberts
Neal Rudikoff
Mark Lane
Julie Lokin
Heather McDonald
 

Sunday, September 20th, 2009 - Ferry Fire

Link to Newsday Article

As many of you know, there was a fire on the Fire Island Belle this past weekend and the FHFD responded. The following is the FHFD's official report on the event. Our thanks to all the members of the Fire Department that did such a great job and to their colleagues in Kismet and Saltaire that assisted them in firefighting operations.
 
On Sunday, September 20th, the Fair Harbor Fire Department responded to an active fire aboard the Fire Island Belle, the newest of the Fire island Ferry boats routinely used on trips to and from Bay Shore. The Fair Harbor Fire Dept ( FHFD) was activated at 10:15am  after formal notification by Suffolk County Fire Rescue & Emergency Services(SCFRES).  Lieutenants Phil Carpenter and Robert Kerr of the FHFD were on Lt. Kerr's boat following the Ferry and noticed the ferry exhausting a large volume of smoke as it was heading into Fair Harbor.  Both Lieutenants Kerr and Carpenter called 911 to report the fire.  Lieutenant Carpenter responded to the firehouse to gear up and begin rolling the necessary apparatus and Lieutenant Kerr proceeded directly to the dock and assisted in the evacuation of passengers and crew from the ferry. All persons aboard the ferry were quickly and safely evacuated. The quick response by Lt's Kerr and Carpenter, followed very quickly by the arrival of additional members of the FHFD, resulted in the arrival of the first Firefighters and firefighting apparatus within 60 seconds of the alarm being sent out. Two charged hose lines, one supplied with fire suppressive foam, were in use on the ferry dock within minutes of the Fire Island Belle's arrival at the dock. 
 
The first Chief on the scene was 1st Assistant Chief Brendan Reynolds who arrived approximately 2 minutes after notification by SCFRES and assumed command until the arrival of Chief Richard Scott Cherveny approximately 5 - 6 minutes into the call.  Arriving members of the FHFD were greeted with thick black smoke pouring out of the engine room vents.   The boat Captain notified Chief Reynolds that the Belle's CO2 suppression system had been activated after the vessel was secured to the dock and the passengers had all safely disembarked. The Captain also informed Chief Reynolds that there was approximately 700 gallons of diesel fuel on board the vessel</>. Firefighting operations began with an inspection of the deck hatches leading to the engine room.  The area around the hatch was extremely hot to the touch even with gloves and bunker gear.  The floor paint around the hatch had burned away and the area around the hatch was warped from the intense heat.  Upon opening of the hatch, fire was seen by Chief Reynolds and heavy smoke began to come out of the hatch.  One foam line was sprayed down into the engine room hatch for 15 - 20 minutes.  After the foam was used, members of the FHFD entered the engine room from the front hatch.  The smoke was so thick that firefighters went no farther than the bottom of the ladder as there was no visibility into the engine room at this point. 
 
After using the fire suppressive foam,  the FHFD  began venting the engine room with a high power fan to enable them to visually inspect the engine room. After approximately 15 minutes of forced ventilation, they were able to enter the engine room. Smoke conditions had abated considerably and visibility was good.  Foam had coated the bottom 12" of the engine room.  The fire/heat/smoke damage appeared limited to the top 2' - 3' of the engine room.  Conditions at floor level appeared quite cool with numerous intact plastic fittings, buckets etc.  Smoke was still coming from wires on the ceiling of the engine room, the top of the port engine and the insulation around the exhaust for the port engine. The insulation was removed by the FHFD. These areas were sprayed with foam for approx 3 - 5 minutes to ensure total extinguishment of all fire.  Supervision of the engine room was then turned over to Assistant Chief Dominic Bertucci of the Kismet Fire Department who oversaw members from his dept., the FHFD and the Saltaire Fire Company who performed a secondary examination and assessment of the engine room with a thermal imaging camera. After scanning the engine room with the camera, Chief Bertucci directed FHFD Captain Cedric Legret to use additional foam on the port engine exhaust and nearby areas to insure complete cessation of all fire. Their subsequent report to Chief Cherveny of the FHFD was that the fire was extinguished and firefighting operations could be terminated. 
 
Every Officer of the FHFD was present and actively involved in the firefighting operations, assisted by over 20 members of the FHFD, including several EMT's who were there to treat any injuries and to monitor all of the members of the FHFD for any medical issues that may have arisen.
 
Members of the Mooney family, owners of the Fire Island Ferries, arrived to take possession of the vessel.  After securing permission from Chief Cherveny, the vessel was released to the Mooney's, who then towed the vessel back to Bay Shore.  The firefighting operations were witnessed by members of the Suffolk County Police Dept, Ocean Beach Police Dept, Town of Islip Harbor Police and Fire Island National Seashore Rangers. 
 
 
Happy Fall,
 
The Fair Harbor Fire Commissioners
 
Brett Roberts, Chairman
Neal Rudikoff
Julie Lokin
Mark Lane
Heather McDonald

 

Saturday, August 23, 2008 - CPR Training
On August 23, 15 members of the Fair Harbor Fire Dept. took their 2 year refresher in CPR for health care providers. All active members of the department are required to keep their CPR training up to date. Instruction was provided by Suffolk County EMS using the 2005 American Heart Association guidelines.

Attending the class were FHFD EMTs , emergency vehicle drivers and officers of the dept. The class was brought up to date on the most recent changes in the CPR procedure for adults, children and infants.

 

August 1st, 2008 - Official Visit
On August 1 Ginny Fields, NY State member of the Assembly from the 5th district, visited the Fair Harbor firehouse to meet Fire Commissioners Heather McDonald, Brett Roberts, Julie Lokin and Chief Scott Cheveny.

During a tour of the firehouse and an inspection of the equipment, Assemblywoman Fields discussed with the commissioners and chief the proposed and greatly needed firehouse renovation plan.  All present thanked the assemblywoman for her recent member item grant to
Fair Harbor to purchase new communications equipment.





Saturday March 8th, 2008 - Flashover Drill
Ten Fair Harbor firefighters led by Asst Chief Brendan Reynolds turned out on a very wet day to drill in the "Flashover Chamber" at the Suffolk County Fire Academy. After a 30 minute classroom session, we spent several minutes inside the chamber in full turnout gear and SCBA breathing apparatus, with an intense fire filling the raised portion of the chamber. We were able to observe and experience a flashover - the condition where the entire room ignites simultaneously. This drill gives us valuable knowledge and experience of one of the most dangerous and severe fire conditions that can occur during a firefight. See the gallery for more photos.

Saturday February 2nd, 2008 -
EMT Seminar
On February 2, five Fair Harbor FD EMTs joined hundreds of other volunteers at an all day seminar at the State University at Stony Brook.  This seminar, sponsored by the Fireman's Association of the State of New York is an annual event to bring EMTs and parayedics up to date on such topics as, thermal trauma, every day accidents and  sports injuries, ambulance safety and dealing with family members when a patient doesn't survive.  The group was also addressed by Edward Wronski, the state director of emergency medical services. Representing Fair Harbor were commissioner Julie Lokin, chiefs Brendan Reynolds and Jesse Ostrow and our newest EMTs, Christine and Arianna  Bologna.

Saturday January 5th, 2008 - Monthly Drill
FHFD Members participated in their monthly drill to keep their skills sharp over the winter. See the gallery for more photos.

 

Saturday September 29, 2007 - Annual Dinner
The FHFD held their annual dinner for the installation of the new slate of Officers. Captain Frank Gangel was honored for his long and distinguished service as he stepped down from his position as Captain, and James Eben was honored as Firefighter of the Year. See the gallery for more photos.

September 14, 2007 - Working Structure Fire
The rapid response of fifteen FHFD members in six vehicles led by Asst. Chief Brendan Reynolds saved a house in Dunewood that was ablaze.

Sunday September 3, 2007 - Annual Labor Day Parade
The FHFD hosted bands from Islip and Babylon and were joined by representatives from Saltaire and Kismet Fire Departments and the children of Fair Harbor, Dunewood and Lonelyville in our annual parade to demonstrate to our community our discipline, quality and commitment. See the Gallery for more pictures.

Saturday September 2, 2007 - Monthly Drill
Department members spent several hours preparing the vehicles and firehouses for the Labor Day parade.


August 19, 2007 - Deck Collapse
Thirty one FHFD members led by Chief Scott Cherveny responded to a mutual aid / mass casualty call in Saltaire. Fire Island fire departments depend on one another to respond when additional personnel or equipment are required.

August 14, 2007 - Beach Bonfire
Seventeen FHFD members led by Chief Scott Cherveny responded to a report of a beach bonfire.

Sunday August 5, 2007 - Pancake Breakfast
FHFD members raised $3000 from the bi-annual pancake breakfast - a longstanding tradition in Fair Harbor.

Saturday August 4, 2007 - Monthly Drill
Department members conducted a training drill in order to familiarize our qualified pump operators with the new 3-16-11 pumper truck, and conducted refresher training on the SCBA personal breathing apparatus

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Friday July 27, 2007 - Hands On Drill
Eighteen Department members in four vehicles led by Asst. Chief Brendan Reynolds visited Suffolk County Fire Headquarters at Yaphank, NY to train in search and fire suppression on a simulated commercial/residential building. These drills are conducted three times a year and active members are required to attend at least one.

 

July 16, 2007 - Mutual Aid - Working Fire
19 FHFD members led by Chief Scott Cherveny responded to one of the largest fires ever experienced by the department. With a fully engulfed commercial building surrounded by propane tanks, it required extreme effort by several departments to keep the fire contained to the original structure.

On Saturday, June 23, the FHFD rallied in Atlantique with other fire departments from Fire Island to determine if all our pumper trucks were compatible. They were! Present were men and women and trucks from Ocean Bay Park, Point of Woods, Ocean Beach, Fair Harbor and Saltaire. We were able to connect our hoses to each other's pumpers with ease, insuring that should there be a mass mutual aide incident on the island, our equipment will smoothly interface. Fair Harbor brought our recently purchased pumper 3-16-11, a handsome and efficient piece of equipment. This truck replace our 47 year old Willies "2" truck and will become our primary fire attack vehicle.