On Thursday, March 30, the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department held its first "Meet the Fire Chiefs" presentation. Chiefs and deputy chiefs hosted the evening to give residents a better understanding of many crucial topics, from emergency medical response to fire prevention techniques. "You need to see what we are all about," said Deputy Chief Mike Uttaro to his audience of residents and local officials.

Consisting of 13 square miles, the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District is composed of five fire companies and an ambulance unit, two of which are in Manhasset due to the size of the district. Company #1 is located on Bayview Avenue and Company #2, on Community Drive. Thomaston, Great Neck and New Hyde Park make up the rest of the department. With over 40,000 residents in its care, last year alone the MLFD responded to over 2,000 alarms and emergency medical responses. "We have our work cut out for us," stated Uttaro.

Commissioner James Sharkey recognized that in the last decade many people have made the move from city to suburbs, resulting in them having "no concept of volunteerism." People do not realize that the department is staffed solely by volunteers. "From plumbers to doctors to lawyers, we have a great department," Uttaro proudly noted. Despite many having full-time jobs, the 280 volunteers make time to endure the 100 hours of hands-on training and classroom instruction needed to become an interior structural firefighter. To serve as EMTs, they must undergo 250 hours of instruction and observation. Many of the dedicated volunteers also take on specialty training in hazardous materials, confined space rescue, rescue diving, and ice and water rescue. In addition to their standard Weapons of Mass Destruction training, some have gone so far as to travel to New Mexico, Alabama, Nevada and Texas to further their knowledge of biological, chemical and nuclear warfare. You can also find them at street fairs and high school dances, serving as EMTs, sponsoring blood drives and coordinating CPR programs.

The department sees a "constant flow of people coming in," according to Sharkey. After September 11, it experienced a surge in membership. Volunteers enjoy pension and retirement plans, free training, and a social atmosphere in which to make lifelong friends. For the many young people who join, this worthwhile experience can lead to a career in health care.

Uttaro outlined important steps to take in the event of an emergency. He stressed the importance of calling the direct emergency phone number of 466-4411 instead of 911. This number, he urged residents, should be clearly posted in all homes. Residents complain of slow response time, however, they do not realize that by calling the Nassau County Police 911 operators, the rescue process is delayed. This is because the call must be routed to Nassau County Fire Communications, which is then routed to the MLFD. In the case of emergency medical calls, if a resident calls 911, the availability of the three Police ambulances that serve northwestern Nassau County is first checked. If these are unavailable, the Nassau County Fire Communications sends the call to the MLFD. Compared to the national average, the MLFD does meet the required response times for fire and emergency medical calls, he said.

To help save valuable time, Uttaro asked for cooperation from his community. "Don't try to be a hero," warned Uttaro. He noted the many times he has seen residents with pots of water, attempting to extinguish a fire on their own. This stalls the rescue process. Instead, residents should concentrate on calling the department and evacuating their household. When placing a call, it is crucial for residents to not only provide dispatchers with a street name, but a town name as well. Response time is also lost when volunteers cannot locate a troubled house. "Nothing helps us more than a nice legible address," he said. Another piece of advice he gave was to have someone within five minutes of a home keep a key for access. "If an alarm goes off, we have to enter," said Uttaro. In the event of a fire, Uttaro also encouraged having a family evacuation plan as well as a designated meeting place outside a home. If one has family members with special needs, such as life support, the department should be notified so that they can update their computer systems. Health proxies and lists of medications should also be readily available. Uttaro also cautioned to avoid obstructing fire hydrants and reporting neighbors who do so. Snow must be cleared and shrubs cut to a minimum surrounding area of three feet.

To prevent fires, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors' batteries should be routinely checked. Flammable objects such as propane tanks and BBQs should be kept away from homes and garages. To avoid false alarms and penalty under law, it is important to call the department to take fire alarms out of service when a house is undergoing construction. This is due to the fact that dust from construction work causes hundreds of false alarms.

Sparking the MLFD's efforts to spread fire department awareness is Newsday's recent report on the finances and performance of the fire system in Nassau and Suffolk counties. In this study, average response times for 88 percent of fire alarms and 91 percent of EMS calls responded to by Long Island fire agencies in 2004 were calculated. The commissioners feel the paper's report was somewhat slanderous, shedding a negative light on their department. "We wanted to get our side out," said Commissioner Bob DeVito. The department tries to have constant, open communication with its constituents. Public meetings are held twice a week and once a week with the chiefs. However, they are not always well attended. "I would have liked to see a better turnout," DeVito said of last Thursday's meeting.

Recent Village of Plandome Heights Mayor Marion Endrizzi spoke positively of the presentation. "It was educational for all of us." Commissioners would like to host this event once a year to educate local officials and residents on their organization. "We all take great pride in helping our neighbors," Uttaro said.