Hicksville homeowner pays an average of $19 a month in Hicksville Fire District taxes. They also pay an average of $331 a month in Hicksville School District taxes (source: Newsday, May 13, 2007).

New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman have formed a committee for Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness to consolidate, or eliminate, special districts. The districts targeted are not the $331 a month school districts but the $19 a month fire districts. The recent arrests of five fire district commissioners in Suffolk County and the 2005 Newsday series on the excessive spending by a minority of commissioners in other fire districts have painted all fire districts and their commissioners with the mismanaged and corruption brush.

Newsday and these politicians will have you believe that by eliminating or consolidating fire districts we, as Hicksville homeowners, will save the $19 a month in fire district taxes. Of course, this is not true. To provide a town with fire protection there will always be the mandated expense of providing and maintaining fire apparatus, tools and equipment, fuel and heating oil, electricity, insurance and so on.

If the politicians are successful in eliminating the Hicksville Fire District and cutting the budget by 10 percent, what will this $1.90 a month in savings cost the Hicksville homeowner in the control and management of their fire department? While the specifics of the consolidation plan have not been announced, or possibly determined, will we as Hicksville citizens be better off and safer when commissioners (politicians) from other towns determine our fire protection and EMS needs?

Presently, Hicksville is one of only 18 fire districts in the State of New York with an ISO (insurance) rating of 2. This favorable rating is but one consideration for the fire insurance premiums that we homeowners pay. The Hicksville Fire District fields five pumpers, two ladder trucks, one heavy rescue truck and four ambulances and is the only Long Island fire department with a Haz-Mat unit, which provides hazardous material incident mitigation for the entire Island. Will we "be allowed" to maintain this high level of fire protection with fire district consolidation or will this not be fair to other towns and taxpayers that have smaller departments and less protection, that have roughly the same population as Hicksville?

There are cost-saving ideas for fire districts. Comptroller Weitzman, in a letter to the towns dated Dec. 13, 2006, suggested that towns create a task force or agency to organize the special districts to come up with solutions to help them save money. The Hicksville Fire District commissioners wrote to Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Venditto on Dec. 21, 2006 asking that, if the town considers Comptroller Weitzman's approach and a cost-saving council is created, Hicksville be considered for a seat on the council. We are still awaiting a response from Supervisor Venditto.

What will the Nassau County politicians do for Hicksville when they take control of our fire department? Perhaps one aspect that we can look at is the current level of EMS protection for which the county is responsible. To meet this EMS obligation, Hicksville is currently served by four county ambulances; two ambulances are each fielded by the 2nd and 8th Nassau County Police Precincts. These ambulances also respond to other towns and areas covered by their precincts with a population of approximately 125,000. This is insufficient for the emergency medical response needs for this area.

To provide and ensure adequate EMS coverage for Hicksville, the Hicksville Fire District fields an additional four ambulances for its 40,000 citizens. In 2006, the Hicksville Fire District had 1,553 calls. Of these, 715 (or 46 percent) were EMS related. The question again will have to be asked, will Hicksville "be allowed" to field four ambulances when other towns choose to do with less?

One other note is that when a county ambulance responds to your home, a fee for that service is charged. The Hicksville Fire District is not allowed by law, nor would they, hand you a bill as they put one of your loved ones into an ambulance. One of Comptroller Weitzman's suggestions in the Dec. 13, 2006 letter states "while fire districts seek to continue to provide emergency services without billing users, the problem of increasing costs and the difficulty of recruiting EMTs could be relieved if the districts started charging for their ambulance services."

Comptroller Weitzman feels that this EMS cost could be then passed on to the residents' private health insurers. Insurance companies have a funny way of passing back increased costs to the policyholders.

When the Committee for Local Government and Competitiveness surfaces, many questions will have to be asked and answered. Commissioners Charles Hearon, William McKee and Patrick Scanlon are life-long residents of Hicksville while Commissioners Robert Manson and Harry Single have lived here for 46 and 31 years, respectively. We have always found the Hicksville Fire Department efficient, dedicated, well-equipped, well-trained and well-led. Holding the position of fire commissioner of the Hicksville Fire District has only reinforced this perception.

In 2007 the Hicksville Fire District will begin the $3 million plus Station 2 renovations. Engine Company 2's new $480,000 pumper was placed in service May 9 and new state-of-the-art Draeger Air Paks will go into service in the Hicksville Fire District at a cost of $770,000. The funding for these fire service improvements for Hicksville's safety was provided for in previous districts' budget. The Hicksville Fire District budget for 2007 was reduced by 11 percent from 2006's spending plan.

The Hicksville Board of Fire Commissioners

Charles K. Hearon, chairman

Harry J. Single Jr., vice chairman

William P. McKee, commissioner

Robert E. Manson, commissioner

Patrick Scanlon, commissioner