‘Always Want To Be Best Prepared’: County Leg. Nicks Recounts Firefighting Efforts During Snowstorm

UNIONDALE, NY. — As snow piled up across Nassau County Sunday, most Long Islanders were huddled up inside, heeding advice to stay safe and stay off the roads. In the case of County Legislator Olena Nicks, however, Sunday was a chance to help people stay safe, as the county legislator and 15-year firefighting veteran took part in a standby shift with the Uniondale Fire Department, getting to the fire house at 10 a.m. and staying to serve until midnight that night.

The county legislator joined the fire department when she was 18, and has served there for 15 years. When asked how the shift was from a firefighting perspective, Nicks said conditions were rough but calls weren’t too common.

“The conditions were quite rough, I will say that. And while we didn't get too many fire calls, we did have one with a plow truck that caught on fire,” Nicks said. “But other than that, it was, I would say, fairly quiet. It’s always good, when we have these storms and we're standing by, to know that our residents won't have to wait for aid if it’s needed. And that's really the whole idea of it, because emergencies can happen, it doesn't matter what the weather is. You know, we always want to be best prepared.”

Nicks said crews were at the firehouse as early as 8:30 a.m. to give even more of their time to make sure their friends and neighbors were safe in case of an emergency. According to Nicks, the conditions made operating difficult, including at the scene of the flaming plow truck.

“Operating in this weather is naturally just difficult, because, I want to say it came in around 8 p.m. So at that point, roads were still getting paved and cleared out, and we were operating at a space where it happened on Hempstead Turnpike, where the roads hadn't been plowed yet,” Nicks said. “So, luckily enough, there were not a lot of vehicles out on the road, and we were able to work in partnership with Nassau County Police Department to be able to block down Hempstead Turnpike for a bit until operations were complete.”

While the past weekend’s standby shift was a success, Nicks said she’s not sure if the department will be conducting a similar shift this coming weekend. Closer to the weekend, perhaps about 48 hours out, Nicks said, the department should have a better idea of its plans. For Long Islanders looking to stay safe as a possible second storm in as many weekends approaches, Nicks said the advice for this weekend would be similar to last.

“If you're able, make sure that you're clearing the paths and access to your home, ensuring that if you don't have to go out, don't go out, and be able to preplan,” Nicks said. “We always talk about, in the fire service, making sure that people have a fire escape plan. But when it comes to storms and other weather conditions, it is important for our residents to preplan with that, as well…So we just ask that people to preplan and make sure that they're prepared for what may come. Clear your hydrants. If you can do anything, then make sure that your hydrants are cleared.”