New volunteers bolster Fire Department ranks

The newly-certified firefighters join the rest in one of their first calls on October 5.

The Shelter Island Fire Department congratulated and officially welcomed nine new volunteers who completed their Fire Fighter I training course and received their certification on Saturday, October 3. Their accomplishment is the product of hundreds of hours of hands-on training and classroom instruction, staunch determination and a heartfelt commitment to volunteerism, the town of Shelter Island and to one another.


The official ceremony was held at the Suffolk County Fire Academy, in Yaphank, New York. The celebration began with a dramatic processional led by Peconic War Pipes (a type of bagpipe). Family members and a number of public officials looked on as the new firefighters were presented with a certificate and a uniform patch.


Even within a pool of achievers, Shelter Island rose to the top. Of the 132 men graduating that day, Shelter Island had the best showing of any district (although some larger districts had more recruits who completed the program but couldn’t attend).


After the ceremony, friends and family returned to the Island and gathered at the Center Firehouse to congratulate the new recruits, celebrate and listen to speeches. Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty proclaimed October 4 to 7 as Shelter Island Fire Prevention Week, praised the recruits’ hard work and said “We’re delighted, honored and privileged to have you guys with us.” Second Assistant Chief John D’Amato also lauded the new firefighters, saying “Thank you from the chiefs to all you guys for all the hard work you did. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate having you around here and having some young blood because we’re all getting to be a little old.”


He later explained the state of the aging department: “We have a lot of guys in their mid-60’s and early 70’s who are still active firefighters.” When he said, “they probably dropped the median age of this fire department by 50 years,” it seems he wasn’t really exaggerating much.


This class constitutes a 50 percent increase in the department’s active membership, “which, in today’s flagging [state of] volunteerism, is a big deal” and will ensure the department’s continued strength, he said.


“I think it’s a lot of credit to Shelter Island for their program,” said Suffolk County Fire Academy Executive Director Richard Stockinger in an October 2 phone interview. It’s unusual to see that many recruits from such a small department, he said, and other small departments have “nowhere near the number of recruits as Shelter Island … Whatever they’re doing is working.”


He said this year was a “banner year for attendance” at the academy across the board, and he thought increased participation might have to do with recruitment incentives offered by the county and specific townships, such as college tuition bonuses, retirement plans and tax discounts.


Shelter Island’s newest set of volunteers, however, cited different reasons for joining. “My father’s been a firefighter and my grandfather was a fireman, it’s been a part of my life since I was born so it just felt like the right thing to do,” said newly-certified local Brian Lechmanski. Robbie Brewer, a marine mechanic who’s been an Islander his whole life, also said family was an influence on his decision to join: “I’m just following the tradition.” The majority of the new firefighters are doing the same: of the nine new members, three are second-generation firefighters (Robbie Brewer, Martin Clark and Martin Hunt) and three third-generation (Brian Lechmanski, Nick Gross, and Anthony Reiter). The remaining three, Kevin Sanwald, Sean McCarthy and Andrew Crittenden are the first of their family members to join — possibly the start of a future line of firefighters.


Mr. Gross, an Island local and North Ferry employee, described his reason for joining: “All my friends were joining up, plus it’s a good service for the community. And as they said, a lot of guys are getting old.” He added that one of the hardest parts of the training was the huge time commitment, a sentiment repeated by most of the recruits.


Their training involved not just the 107 hours at the Fire Academy necessary to receive their certificate, but also another 150 to 200 hours of training at the firehouse to further prepare them. It was both physically and mentally a grueling experience. Mr. Gross thought all the information he had to remember made the training especially tough. 


Much of the hands-on training was taxing, said Mr. Hunt, who recalled, “It was exhausting.” Mr. Crittendon, who works at Hubbard’s, said hose handling was the most difficult part. Some of the training was even potentially dangerous, like the live fire exercises that involved operating in a burning structure.


And as Chief D’Amato mentioned, their commitment to training is never over. “Building construction changes, laws change, methods change. You’re constantly learning stuff.”


But despite the hard work, he thinks they’re here to stay. “They’re a good crew of kids, they really are. They’ll be the next chiefs and the lieutenants and captains of the future.” He said of their completed certification, “This isn’t the end of it, this is just the beginning.”