On Thursday, May 12, I came upon a serious automobile accident at Newbridge Road and Waring Avenue in North Bellmore. I watched with amazement as the Nassau County Police Department emergency services squad, North Bellmore Fire Department and BMVAC carefully and professionally removed the trapped victims from the vehicles and quickly transported them to the hospital. Knowledge of emergency extrication, medical care and hazmat control were all a necessary part of this emergency operation.

I can easily see that the years of education and continuous training is essential to give them the knowledge necessary to complete such a task in a safe manner when every minute counts. That same experience and dedication exhibited by these public servants and volunteers is essential to the well-being of our family and friends in the community.

Most noteworthy was the cooperative effort of all of these different emergency services agencies converging on the accident scene. There was no "bickering," no time wasted on "who was in charge," nor who would get "the save." Instead, there was one obvious goal - deal with the emergency at hand and help these victims immediately. This was certainly not my first visit to an emergency scene. Each and every time I find myself at a tragic emergency scene and view our community members at work, I am in awe, yes, each and every time.

These police officers, volunteer firefighters and EMTs in our communities are not strangers to the neighborhood, they are your friends and your neighbors. They work at local businesses or volunteer as your local Little League coaches. They are moms and dads, middle of the night at a moment's notice to fulfill their promise to dedicate their lives to the safety and well-being of each and every one of us.

They are America's best and when we see them we only need two words to communicate with them ... the two words are "thank you."

Gary Hudes

Town of Hempstead

Councilman