As they do every first Wednesday of the month, under the watchful eyes of their advisors, the Juniors of the Mineola Fire Department gathered together to discuss business and socialize.

In a slight departure from the norm, the members of the Juniors took time out of their meeting to sit down with the Mineola American and discuss the organization and all that is entailed in Junior firefighting.

Sgt. At Arms Tim Lyons has been a Junior for two and a half years, joining the organization at the age of 14 to pursue his love of firefighting. "When I was little I used to follow the fire trucks whenever I saw them," he said.

As Sgt. At Arms, Lyons ensures that his fellow Juniors keep to the codes of behavior and standards that the organization demands, a job he sees as important especially in the face of the new members the organization keeps recruiting.

Whether it be through fighting fires or hosting events like the Annual Pasta dinner, to Lyons being a Junior is really about serving the community

Junior Firefighter of the Year Anthony Nocito also feels that he, as a member, should be a role model for the new recruits who invigorate the program. "It's great to see them coming down. They add something to the Juniors," said Nocito.

Brian Saks joined the Juniors four months ago because he wants to be a firefighter. He said he was accepted readily by his fellow juniors and the experience has lived up to his expectations of fun.

Jason Cunha has been a Junior for six months and cited time spent helping with the fund-raising car washes and the trips to places such as Lake George as being his favorite Juniors related activities.

Antonia O'Brien has also been a member for just a month. She has been exposed to the fire department through her father and finds the chance to participate with the organization even more fun than just observing. "I am comfortable with a lot of things they do," said O'Brien.

O'Brien said that despite there being a minority of female members, everyone is treated equal. With that in mind O'Brien told her friend about the organization and soon after Carina Teixiera joined the Juniors.

Teixiera said what she enjoys most about the Juniors is learning about things that are not standard school fare. As the night of the interview was her first official night as a member, she said she is looking forward to all she will experience as a Junior.

Crissy Lee joined the Juniors three months ago because friends told her that it was fun. She said, "It sounded like they had a lot of fun and they were helping the community at the same time."

Sergio Ribero first learned of the Juniors when they came to his school. Three months ago he joined and has already begun to learn about firefighting and taken a trip to Lake George.

In the past three and a half years Thomas Rich has acted as a Lieutenant, a captain and currently a secretary for the Juniors. Over his time as a member Rich has participated in the development of the Juniors.

"I have learned a lot of lessons," said Rich, lessons about leadership and teamwork.

The next step for Rich is to enter the Mineola Fire Department, but he is not intimidated. He said, "I don't think of them as firemen, I think of them as friends, but I maintain the respect."

Adam Torregrosa's father, a Floral Park fireman, once took him to a Juniors meeting. A year and a half later he has learned to use Scott Packs, ladders, nozzles and hoses as well as lessons of leadership.

"You can always learn something and there is always something to get involved in," said Torregrosa of the reason he enjoys the organization.

Love of the fire department brought Mike Silva to the Juniors two years ago. Silva recommends the program to anyone who has an interest in firefighting.

Tomasz Chorzepa's ties to firefighting go all the way back to Poland, where his father was a firefighter. After seven years in the United States, he has already served time with the Juniors of Floral Park and now wants to study with the Mineola Juniors.

"I want to learn what I have to to become a firefighter," said Chorzepa.

Brady Wehrum, sworn into the Juniors the night of the interview, learned all he could from the Garden City Juniors and now plans to study with the Mineola Juniors so that he is well prepared when he begins his career with the New York City Fire Department.

John Viola joined the Juniors three or four months ago. In that time he has learned how to shoot the hose, climb ladders and in his most memorable moment how to maneuver in a smoke filled house.

Viola and his fellow Juniors, equipped with the proper equipment, negotiated a smoke filled maze and "rescued" dolls. This is just one of the activities that Viola said beats sitting home doing nothing.

Two year member Hugo Rodrigues enjoys the opportunity the Juniors have given him to learn such things as proper hose usage. Among his favorite activities Rodrigues listed the parades. He said he enjoys marching in representation of something good.

Stacey Gayson joined the Juniors right after her 14th birthday in order to serve the community and rose to the rank of captain.

As captain, Gayson is in charge of the juniors in many respects from volunteer shoveling snow in the winter to orderly conduct during the interviews.

Despite the amount of time that the role of captain takes, Gayson also acts as a dispatcher, the voice between the chief and all other firefighters. She was in fact honored as dispatcher of the year at the last Mineola Fire Department Installation dinner.

She said she never misses a call, and wherever she is she takes her equipment to the scene of a fire. Her 18th birthday is in December and she hopes that soon afterward she will be joining the ranks of the Mineola Fire Department.

She will not be the first. In fact, Advisor Gary Mazur noted that between 15 to 20 members of the Mineola Fire Department were once Juniors. In fact one of them is now an advisor for the Juniors himself.

Captain Tom Bellizzi has been a Mineola firefighter for the past 13 years, but before that he was a Junior. He said since his days in the organization, the Juniors have evolved into what he described as a much better recognized and more community involved organization.

As proof, Mazur described this time for the Juniors as right before the busy season, a time when the Juniors organize such events as the Mayor's Halloween Party and the Village Christmas Party.

This is all part of the effort to teach the members responsibility and that there is more to the life of a firefighter than just putting out fires, such as community involvement.

The Juniors give the youth something positive to focus on, according to Bellizzi, and they pay the department back in kind. "They are our single best resource for recruiting firefighters," he said.