On Tuesday, Dec. 11 residents of the Jericho Fire District will have the opportunity to vote for a fire commissioner, who sits on the board of commissioners and are elected for a five-year term. Each year, a different commissioner is up for re-election.

Residents will vote for one of two candidates running for this position - Dave Munafo and Howard Pastolove.

Incumbent Commissioner Munafo has served as one of Jericho's fire commissioners for the past five years. He has been an active firefighter for 27 years holding officer positions of lieutenant and captain. As commissioner, Munafo has served as the vice-chairman and chairman on the board. He is also a member of the National Fire Protection Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs and the New York Association of Fire Chiefs.

During his tenure, Munafo played a role in upgrading the current equipment used to serve the community and also provided external defibrillators to medical personnel to provide medical aid to anyone while in the field rather than having to come to the firehouse first to pick up the equipment.

Munafo is proud to have helped lower the fire tax rate in Jericho. "We have dropped the Jericho tax rate to the 1994 level while making many capital improvements," he said. "I want to do more of what I have done in the first five years if re-elected."

The fire commissioners, according to Munafo, are responsible for the financial responsibility and management of the fire district. "We tax the fire district and with the tax dollars that we receive, we then write a budget that we submit to the town on a yearly basis. We also receive funds and manage the appropriation of those funds throughout the year," said Munafo.

Munafo explained that the commissioners also work to administer the rules and regulations of the Jericho Fire District. They administer the bylaws, which apply to personnel and operational issues.

Working in tandem with the current chiefs' office is a major factor for the commissioners. "Being a fire commissioner for five years, I have had the opportunity to work with many chiefs," said Munafo. "We help them maintain the standards of the fire department. When the fire chief tells us that he needs new equipment, we do the investigation and make the purchases. We are there to support the fire chief."

Munafo compares the board of commissioners to a board of directors at a company and calls the three chiefs senior management.

"I am very proud of my voting record, all of which is public information," said Munafo. "I have 27 years in the volunteer fire service. With my experience as a fire firefighter and my experience as vice president of sales working with multiple levels of management, I have been able to incorporate that in becoming a fire commissioner."

Howard Pastolove has been a resident in the Jericho Fire District for over 30 years. He is a past member of the Jericho Fire Department and a current member of the New York City Fire Sprinkler Contractors Association, the National Fire Sprinkler Association and the National Fire Protection Association. He has 18 years of experience in the fire sprinkler industry.

Pastolove, who was a member of the Jericho Fire Department for approximately five years and had to leave the department due to a health condition, realized through conversations with local residents that most people don't know that a board of commissioners exists in the Jericho Fire Department.

"The board of fire commissioners is the only spot in the department where a resident of the Jericho Fire District can be a part of the department without being a volunteer," said Pastolove who plans to bring some of his business skills to the fire department.

Although Pastolove can't physically be involved in the Jericho Fire Department, as a third-generation owner in the fire sprinkler business, he still saves lives while aiding his health condition, which keeps him from volunteering. "I always wanted to be involved and this is one of the ways that I can be," he said.

If elected, one of Pastolove's goals is to get the community more involved and aware of all that the Jericho Fire Department has to offer. "I don't think the community is aware what the fire department can do for them other than save lives and fight fires, which are very important things," he said. "Jericho does do a lot, but the community needs to know about it. No matter how good a department is, it can always be better."

Another goal for Pastolove, if elected, is to increase membership. "We have a good group of people there and we need more local membership - some of the younger kids," said Pastolove. "By making people aware that they have a friend and someone they know sitting on the board of fire commissioners, maybe that can help break the ice and get more people in. I want to be there so the community can call me."

Pastolove set his goals based on conversations with various members of the community and hopes to serve the Jericho community and answer their concerns. Community is his ultimate goal.

Both Munafo and Pastolove urge residents to get involved and vote on Dec. 11 at the Jericho Fire House headquarters located at 424 North Broadway in Jericho between the hours of 6-9 p.m. In order to vote, a resident must be a registered voter and a resident of the Jericho Fire District, which does not always coincide with town lines and school districts.