On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Town of Hempstead conducted its annual Firematic Awards program at the Town Hall Pavilion. At this ceremony, Supervisor Kate Murray, joined by members of the Hempstead Town Board, honored volunteer fire personnel who bravely serve within the township for their outstanding service to the community.

We are very proud that among the honored recipients was the chief of the Floral Park Fire Department, Frank Wakely Jr. Chief Wakely was praised for his continuing involvement with the Keith Fairben Memorial Scholarship and the old fashioned Firematic Tournament that raises funds for this endeavor. This scholarship provides monetary assistance and encouragement to members of the FPFD who are in, or wish to enroll in a paramedic course of study. The scholarship is in memory of 1st Lt. Keith Fairben of Reliance Engine Co.2, who sacrificed his life on 9/11 while serving as a paramedic for New York Presbyterian Hospital. Chief Wakely has been stalwart in his support of this program, which has provided over $20,000 to deserving students who seek to serve others.

Trustee and Fire Commissioner Jim Rhatigan and Deputy Mayor Kevin Greene represented the village board in congratulating Chief Wakely.

The Floral Park Police Department has been taking an active role in meeting the challenges of law enforcement in the 21st century. P.O. John Groshans is involved with the Internet safety program, I-Safe. The Internet is a modern marvel in networking with the world but it presents special dangers especially among the maturing members of our community. Officer Groshans has presented the I-Safe program to the Floral Park-Bellerose School District and Our Lady of Victory School. The program has also been presented to various Girl Scout troops in Floral Park and will expand to the Boy Scouts next year. The program covers cyber-bullying, cyber-predators, intellectual property and being safe in social networking sites (Facebook, Myspace, etc.) and is oriented for youngsters from kindergarten through 12th grade. Officer Groshans is a member of the School Safety Board for the Floral Park-Bellerose School District and is assisting Our Lady of Victory School in forming a safety committee.

Sergeant Mark Weigand has been intimately involved in developing an emergency response team that has been trained by the ATF, FBI and Homeland Security. They currently train with the Nassau County Bureau of Special Operations. They are equipped to quickly respond to any emergency situation in our schools or the village that could involve extreme violence or even terrorism. Preparation and training are key to both a good defense and offense. It is reassuring to know that our local police force is at the forefront in being educated and equipped to deal with a range of threats and situations.

Through investigation and persistence, Lieutenant Suppe and Sergeant Gagliano have succeeded in making Floral Park one of the few police departments qualified to receive a License Plate Reader (LPR) courtesy of a New York State grant. The LPR automatically gives information on any automobile that passes a police car on the left or right. It is also equipped to look for Amber Alert autos as well as suspended registrations and alert the police of fugitives. The plate reader can detect all kinds of motor vehicle violations including scofflaws (3 to 4 outstanding parking tickets) that our court office issues against drivers. It will also help us to collect outstanding fines.

The department also received a seatbelt grant and a grant for four portable radios from the Office of Homeland Security enabling us to be in constant contact with surrounding police departments such as Nassau County and New York City. Enhanced communications will keep us informed of situations near our borders and in neighboring communities making us better prepared in case a situation spills into our village. The police department has received $101,000 in grant monies.

As part of the annual national "Make a Difference Day" on Saturday Oct. 25 the village board attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Children's Garden Gazebo Learning Center at Centennial Gardens and Bird Sanctuary. The day and the new garden focus on all those who have contributed to this great enterprise. The new natural wooden gazebo installed this past summer and its surrounding plantings symbolize the continuing cooperative effort of government and the public to transform the drainage basin into a beautiful passive nature park.

The Floral Park Conservation Society exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism at its highest and it is my hope that many others will follow their example by becoming involved with one of Floral Park's many committees. The life of the village cannot be sustained by any particular person, nor by any group of persons, but only by the efforts and good will of all the people.

At the last village board meeting Lieutenant Robert Drost of our police department was honored for 35 years of dedicated service. We want to recognize Lieutenant Drost for all his efforts to improve law enforcement in our village. Thirty-five years is a long time and we happily commend him on his meritorious achievement.

We also recognized Tommy Mack from our Recreation Department for 25 years of service. Tommy has been a fixture not only at our Recreation Center but also throughout the village. Everyone seems to know Tommy and he does, after all, have a way of making himself known. He seems to be at every major event in Floral Park and is always full of news about what is going on in the village. He's a hard and dedicated worker and the community's great affection for him is genuine and unmistakable.

Congratulations Tommy.

Congratulations also to Neil Feldman and Steve Cuomo of our Public Works Department who both have been employed by the village for 35 years, but were unable to attend the meeting.