Long Beach Fire Department Swears In Chiefs, Honors Ex-Leaders

LONG BEACH, NY — Saturday was swearing in day for the Long Beach Fire Department, giving current chiefs the chance to take their oath for the second year of their term and a couple of past chiefs the chance to receive some recognition for decades of service to the department and the community.

Sworn in as Chief of the Department was John Marino, while Richard DiGiacomo was sworn in as First Assistant Chief, Theodore Reinhard was sworn in as Second Assistant Chief and Hadrick Ray was sworn in as Third Assistant.

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When asked what the department’s goals for the new year were, Marino said it was a continuation of training, messaging and service.

“We’re on track for getting some new equipment into the department,” Marino said. “[We want to] continue training, continue getting the safety messages across the community and the residents, have a safe successful year.”

While Saturday was an occasion to swear in the leadership, it was also a chance to honor former chiefs. Scott Kemins and Richard Corbett were celebrated for 45 and 40 years of service in the department, respectively. For Marino, the honoring of these two stalwarts was an important one, especially at a time when volunteer fire services around the country are facing difficulties keeping volunteers active amid rising costs of living.

“People like Ex-Chief Kemins, Ex-Chief Richard Corbett, these are guys that are trying to keep it alive and keep it going,” Marino said. “It's a satisfying moment as Chief of Department, to be able to issue somebody 40 years or 45 years or 50 years of service. It's not something you see very often in the times that we're in. Most guys are doing three to five years and then life happens and they move. So having guys in for that longevity is something to be proud of.”

While volunteer emergency services are struggling to keep numbers up in many places, Marino said LBFD sees an average of about eight to 10 new members per year, with a current corps of about 160 people.

“Our biggest problem in Long Beach is just like everywhere else in Nassau County and in the world, it’s cost of living,” Marino said. “People come to Long Beach, they’re young, they start a family and they can't afford to stay. That's the hardest part.”

While cost of living crises abound, Marino said he’s not dissatisfied with the job the City of Long Beach currently does trying to make life a little easier on its volunteer firefighters.

“Our city does a good job, they give us a tax break, for property tax, a little bit off your tax bill. They try to do the right thing to help the memberships stay,” Marino said. “Right now, we're trying to see if we could actually work on some banking, mortgages, to get maybe a little bit of a cheaper rate, so people could actually stay in town or buy a house here…Maybe they can give you a percent off or give you a special rate to entice people to want to join and stay and be able to do it.”