VIGILANT FIRE COMPANY INFORMATION SYSTEM
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Vigilant Fire Company Teams up with Other 8th Battalion Fire Departments in Port Washington for Numerous Alarms Over 7 Days

On Sunday, August 28, in the wake of Hurricane Irene the Vigilant Fire Company was requested to respond to a reported building collapse in Port Washington along with members from the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department and the Port Washington Fire Department. Rescue 834 with 5 technical rescue certified firefighters responded to the collapse under the leadership of Assistant Chief Joshua Forst. Thankfully, the damage to the house was not significant and no one was injured when an exterior wall collapsed under the weight of a fallen tree.

On Wednesday, August 31, as the clean up from Hurricane Irene was in full swing the Vigilant Fire Company was requested to respond again to Port Washington. Great Neck Vigilant Ladder 8312 and Assistant Chief Joshua Forst responded to standby at the Port Washington Fire Department’s headquarters on Carlton Avenue along with Engine 842 from the Plandome Fire Department and Chief of the Plandome Fire Department Roger Goodwin.
On Friday evening, September 2, the Vigilant Fire Company was alerted again to respond to Port Washington, as the PWFD battled another house fire. This time the fire was reported by a civilian on the Long Island sound. Ambulance 8311 was sent to the scene of the fire to standby. Engine 8314 driven by Assistant Chief Forst stood by at the PWFD headquarters on Carlton Avenue along with Plandome’s Chief Goodwin and Engine 842, Albertson’s

 Engine 804 and Williston Park’s Assistant Chief John Perro and their Tower Ladder 862.
During the standby, at approximately 1:15 AM on Saturday September 3, the Port Washington incident commander Chief of Department Geoffrey Cole was notified of a reported house fire at 3 Oak Tree Lane in Sands Point. Chief Cole requested that the standby units respond to this alarm. Engines 8314, 842 and 804 responded with Tower Ladder 862 and Assistant Chief Perro in command. Upon arrival a working fire was confirmed in the basement. A hose line was stretched off of the Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company’s Engine 8314 and operated by probationary firefighter Brandon Kahen and 2nd Lieutenant Matthew Farahnik, under the command of 1st Lieutenant Justin Sachmechi. While firefighters from Williston Park’s Tower Ladder exposed the burning area other firefighters from Albertson and Plandome started a second hose line as a safety precaution and searched the house for any victims.

The fire was reported under control within 1 hour of the alarm.
On Sunday morning, at approximately 9:15 AM the Vigilant Fire Company was requested to standby again at the PWFD headquarters. Vigilant Engine 8314, Plandome Engine 842 and Chief Goodwin, Roslyn “Quint” 594, Engine 566 and Chief Adam Boll, Williston Park Ambulance 867 and Chief Perro responded to standby for Port Washington while they were fighting a fire in a “Collier’s Mansion” home in Sands Point. While standing by, the companies responded to an automatic alarm in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. The alarm was caused by cooking.
Later the same day, as many were preparing their Labor Day celebrations Port Washington again requested assistance from the neighboring departments. A pool house in Sands Point was ablaze and required the full attention of Port Washington’s bravest. Back at Port Washington’s headquarters, Great Neck Vigilant Ladder 8312, Great Neck Alert Engine 821, Plandome Engine 842 and an Ambulance from Roslyn stood by while the fire was extinguished.

As manpower in the volunteer fire services diminishes and call volume increases multi agency standbys like those described above will become more and more common. As evidenced in the past week, the different departments worked well together, got their jobs done and were able to overcome obstacles in their paths.
Given the number of potential issues, there were none to report. The members of the agencies involved proudly represented their organizations in a neighbor’s greatest time of need.
 

Write up by Asst. Chief Laurence Jacobs. Photo taken by Asst. Chief Josh Forst.

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Great Neck’s Bravest Tackle Hurricane Irene

On Tuesday, August 23 the Vigilant Fire Company received notice to being to prepare for a potential
category 1 hurricane over the coming weekend. Hurricane Irene was building in the Atlantic Ocean and
all predictions were that it would affect the New York Metro area. This would be the first predicted
summer weather event of this size to affect our area since Hurricane Gloria in 1985.

Members of the Vigilant Fire Company were notified immediately and preparations began on
Wednesday morning. Foreman Robert DeVito with 4 engineers worked Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday to ensure that apparatus, equipment, tools and building were prepared for the potential worst
case scenario – a direct hit of the hurricane on Long Island. Apparatus was serviced and fueled, tools
were cleaned, checked and fueled, equipment was checked and fueled, and the building grounds were
checked for loose debris which was secured.

By Saturday morning the final preparations were made by Captain Micah Tucker and the membership.
Food was purchased, aeorbeds inflated and members began arriving at the firehouse at 6 PM on
Saturday prepared to stay overnight to Sunday or possibly even Monday if needed. The 2nd floor of the
firehouse served as the dormitory to more than 40 people. At 7 PM Chief Scott MacDonald briefed the
assembled membership on what to expect from a storm like Irene, how the fire company would respond
to alarms and gave a special safety reminder about power lines, power poles, wind, driving rain and
vehicular traffic.

In times of regional emergencies like this one, the Vigilant Fire Company not only serves the immediate
community, but also is the headquarters for the 8th Battalion Emergency Operations Center that serves
all of Great Neck, Manhasset, Plandome, Port Washington, Albertson, East Williston and Williston Park.
The EOC as it is called serves as the nexus for all requests for assistance between the 7 communities.

Between 6 PM on Saturday and 11 PM on Sunday the Vigilant Fire Company handled 24 alarms. Some
were requests for Emergency Medical Assistance, some reported fires and of course there were a
handful of calls about down power lines in our area.

Gratefully, all the calls were handled by Vigilant members without incident.

Write up by Asst. Chief Laurence Jacobs.

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Great Neck’s Bravest Show Off Their Immaculate Contraption & Respond to MVC
Thursday, May 19th, 2011

On Thursday, May 19, 2011, members of the Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company were invited to display one of their prized vehicles at the Beth Hagan nursery school at Temple Israel on Old Mill Road.  Temple Israel is noteworthy in the fire service for a large fire that occurred there on February 12, 2009.

Vigilant Firefighter Joe Oginski who grew up at Temple Israel drove Rescue 834 a 2006 American LaFrance Eagle Custom Rescue to the synagogue and shared his knowledge and skill with the students at the nursery school and their caring teachers. 

Shortly after the rescue truck returned to headquarters the Vigilant Firefighters and EMTs responded to a motor vehicle collision near the Firefighter’s Memorial Park “Jon’s Park” at Grace Avenue and Park Place in Great Neck Plaza.

Write up by Asst. Chief Laurence Jacobs. Photos by Firefighter Joe Oginski and LT Matthew Farahnik.

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Community Meeting to Save Great Neck’s Ambulance
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

On Tuesday April 5^th at 7:30 PM at the Great Neck North Middle School the officers and members of the Vigilant Fire Company hosted a community meeting to discuss potential changes to the Ambulance Service provided by the Vigilant Fire Company that are proposed by some local elected officials in the Great Neck Community.

The goal of the meeting was to inform the community residents about more than 100 year history of the Vigilant Fire Company, the over 70 years of dedicated ambulance service and the ongoing emergency services provided for pennies a day to the residents of Great Neck.

Mayor Leonard Samansky of Saddle Rock said at the meeting ,“This department has served the community for over 100 years.  We [the Village of Saddle Rock] made a decision to pay into an insurance policy 100 years ago in our volunteer emergency service providers.”  Mayor Samansky encouraged all village residents to call their local elected officials and express their opinions in this important matter.

The Vigilant Fire Company provides fire and emergency medical services to the Great Neck community.  Formed in 1904 the 100 volunteer members respond to over 2,000 calls for emergency assistance annually.  In the last 2 years some local villages have refused to sign a contract for these services.  They do not dispute the overall budget for the Vigilant Fire and Ambulance services, however there is dispute between the villages about the allocation amongst themselves of the fees.

The meeting was recorded by Public Access Television and is available to be seen on television.  A schedule of the airings of the meeting is available at http://www.vigilantfd.com/save/tv/.

Write up by Asst. Chief Laurence Jacobs.

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*SAVE GREAT NECK’S AMBULANCE* A community meeting will be held at the Great Neck North Middle School, (77 Polo Road, Great Neck, NY) on April 5th, 2011 at 7:30PM discussing a movement by elected officials to charge for ambulance services in the Great Neck community. Please attend this meeting to obtain further information on the future of ambulance services in Great Neck. You may also visit our Facebook page by visiting: http://www.vigilantfd.com/save.   VIEW OUR FACEBOOK PLATFORM TO THE RIGHT.

 

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2 Fires in 24 hours in Great Neck
Monday, February 14th, 2011

 

On Monday, February 14, 2011 at approximately 9:15 AM the Vigilant Fire Company was requested to respond to the Chinese restaurant located at 178 Middle Neck Road for a report of smoke from the building.  Upon arrival Chief of Department Scott MacDonald advised that he had smoke showing from the roof of the building.

Upon further investigation, members of the Vigilant Fire Company determined the smoke was caused by grease burning in the exhaust system of the Chinese restaurant.  The fire was extinguished quickly.  Firefighters exposed the damaged parts of the building to ensure that the fire had not extended past the area of origin.  The fire was deemed under control in less than 45 minutes.  The Nassau County Fire Marshal and Department of Health were requested to respond because a food establishment was involved.

 

The Vigilant Fire Company was back in service ready to protect our community again by 10:30 AM. 

 Write up by Asst. Chief Laurence Jacobs. Photo taken by Chief Billy Goldfeder.

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Dumpster Fire Outside of Great Neck’s Nursing Home

Some 14 hours before the fire at 178 Middle Neck Road, around 7:45 PM there was a dumpster fire in the rear of 15 St. Paul’s Place adjacent to the Long Island Rail Road tracks in Great Neck Plaza.  The dumpster on the property of the Grace Plaza Nursing Home was fully involved upon the arrival of Vigilant Firefighters.

Vigilant Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire with the 500 gallons of tank water of the 2010 Ferrara Class 1 fire engine supplemented by the hydrant just across the street.  All units were back in service in under 1 hour from the time of the initial alarm.

Write up by Asst. Chief Laurence Jacobs. Photo taken by Asst. Chief Josh Forst.

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Vigilant EMS Treats and Transports Early Morning House Fire Victims
 

 

On Thursday, January 20, 2011, at approximately 5:45 AM the Vigilant Fire Company received a requested to send an ambulance to a reported house fire with people trapped on Wooleys Lane between Plymouth Road and Station Road in Great Neck.

The Alert Fire Company received a notification for an automatic fire alarm and then an additional telephone call from a neighbor reporting a person yelling fire and that there were possibly people trapped.  Both residents were found by the Alert Fire Company members on the flat garage roof of the structure.  They were assisted to the ground using a fire department ladder. The members of the Vigilant Fire Company treated both civilians and transported one to North Shore Hospital in Manhasset.

During the fire a firefighter was also slightly injured. He was treated at the scene by Vigilant EMTs.

The fire was extinguished by the Alert Fire Company members. Both the Alert and Vigilant units were all back in service to protect the Great Neck community by 7 AM.
 

Write Up By Asst. Chief Laurence Jacobs. Photo by Asst. Chief Joshua Forst.

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Great Neck’s Bravest Join the Plaza’s Fall Classic Car Show and Street Festival

Sunday, September 26th, 2010

 

 

 

On Sunday, September 26, 2010, the members of the Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company participated in Great Neck Plaza’s annual Fall Classic Car Show and Street Festival.  Located in their customary position at the intersection of Cutter Mill and Middle Neck Roads, the members offered free blood pressure screenings, home safety literature, and some firefighter treats for the kids.

 

The Vigilant Fire Company still operates a 31 year old Class ‘A’ fire engine.  The 1979 American LaFrance 1500 gallon per minute pumper was on display and it was certainly a highlight for the kids and adults. Vigilant members spent the day giving tours of the fire engine and allowing children the opportunity to explore the inside and outside of this classic piece of apparatus.

The Vigilant Fire Company brought their newest emergency vehicle, a 2010 Chevy MedTech RediMedic PD-168 Advanced Life Support (ALS) Ambulance. The new acquisition is a state of the art emergency response vehicle outfitted with the latest in emergency medical response equipment, LED warning lights which use less electricity and in turn less fuel to operate, and the most up-to-date audible warning devices to ensure a safe and expeditious treatment and transport on all emergency calls. 

 

At 2:30pm, the firefighters performed a brief demonstration on vehicle extrication.  Members showed how, in the event of a car accident, they are able to remove the doors of a vehicle, create a “third door” on a two-door vehicle to remove someone from the rear seats, displace the dashboard in the event it was impinging in the passenger compartment, and “flap” the roof in the event an accident victim needed to be removed vertically.

 

During their time at the street fair, the members were called away six times for emergency calls in their response area.   In true Vigilant style, they were able to staff their area at the street fair and respond to each call for help from their neighbors.