EMFD Seeks Volunteers at Recruitment Open Houses, Sat. 4/13 10am - 1pm

Decreased membership, coupled with increased requests for service, has created a need for additional members in volunteer fire departments across New York State, and the East Meadow Fire Department is no exception. To continue to provide the optimal level of fire and emergency medical services for its residents, the East Meadow Fire Department needs to boost its ranks.

In a census of its volunteer fire service last year, Nassau County found that membership among its 71 departments has decreased by nearly 4,000 volunteers since September 2001, from 10,000 firefighters to 6,178 volunteers in 2023. Statewide, the number of volunteer firefighters has declined by almost 40,000 during the past twenty years, according to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York.

East Meadow residents aged 18 and older interested in becoming volunteer firefighters or emergency-medical-services providers can learn more at a Recruitment Open House on Saturday, April 13, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the firehouses listed below.

• Fire Headquarters, 197 East Meadow Avenue, at Front Street, East Meadow
• Station #1, 346 East Meadow Avenue, near Franklin Avenue, East Meadow
• Station #2, 590 East Meadow Avenue and Park Avenue, East Meadow
• Station #3, 350 North Newbridge Road and Salisbury Park Drive, Levittown
• Station #4, 3 Bob Reed Lane and Carman Avenue, Westbury (Salisbury)

The event is being coordinated with RecruitNY, a joint effort of the Firefighters Association of the State of New York and the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, organizations dedicated to addressing the critical issue of the declining number of volunteers statewide.

“The men and women of the East Meadow Fire Department are vitally important for the health and safety of our community,” said Fire Commissioner James M. Surless. “Residents interested in gaining satisfaction by helping their neighbors are encouraged to attend one of our open houses or to check out the fire department website for more information.”

Commissioner Keith J. Hoffman added that, aside from the personal rewards of volunteering, there are numerous additional benefits, including local property-tax exemptions and state-income-tax advantages, scholarships for full- and part-time students attending Nassau Community College, free training and health checkups, and a length-of-service award program, which provides a monthly stipend based on years of volunteer service. Many volunteer fire and emergency medical service members use the training and experience they’ve gained to transition to professional, paid careers in the emergency services field, such as fire/rescue, law enforcement, and medicine.

For more information, please call 516-542-4565, or visit www.eastmeadowfd.com, and click the “JOIN” tab.