On Feb. 24, the Levittown Chamber of Commerce held their monthly meeting at Domenico's Restaurant, where they welcomed guest speaker, Levittown Fire Chief, Mike Gilroy.

Chamber president, Phyllis Capriola says that she decided to have Gilroy as the guest speaker because he was newly elected and because she feels that "the fire department and the police department are a big part of our community and I think they should know who the chief is." She adds that both of these departments are very active with the chamber. They are according to Capriola "the backbone of our community." She says that both groups take our lives in their hands and that she is very proud of them.

Gilroy arrived at the meeting directly from Kissimmee, Florida, where he had been at a disaster relief conference, in order to learn even more about protecting the community. While in Florida Gilroy was faced with the effects of the tornadoes in the Kissimmee area. He said that he learned quite a bit about disasters by being put right in the middle of one. This conference was important, he said, because it helped him learn more about how to deal with natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes. While our area may not be subject to tornadoes, the threat of hurricanes to our area is very severe. He described what could happen to the South Shore of Long Island if the area is hit by a severe hurricane.

Also present at this meeting was a representative from the local Channel 12 News who spoke about how chamber members could benefit from advertising with them. He also mentioned that their station covered many local events that may not be covered on the regular Channel 12 News. Capriola pointed out the many Levittown events such as ribbon cutting ceremonies have already been covered by the station.

Chamber business was discussed after the guest speakers had finished. One big issue that was brought up was the chamber Festival which is planned for June 10-14. Capriola describes this as an event for the whole family. There will be live entertainment, Grucci fireworks, parachute jumpers, a petting zoo, a live band, and many other events. This event would not be able to happen without the support of both the fire and police departments. The fire department must be on hand during the fireworks show and the police help to clear the fair out at the end of the night. This event is something that the chamber will be planning more in the coming months.

The chamber is in the middle of a membership drive right now. Capriola stresses that all residents and business people are welcomed and encouraged to join. The next meeting of the chamber is planned for Tuesday March 24. They are hoping to have the Nassau County Sheriff as the guest speaker.