Most Manhasset residents are familiar with the Science Museum of Long Island, an innovative, interactive, and hands-on science learning center located on the grounds of the Leeds Pond Preserve. Those same residents probably know, too, that the Museum’s buildings date back to the early 20th Century—1906, to be specific.
As such, the buildings have been retrofitted with equipment to ensure the safety of the thousands of school children and campers who pass through the doors of the Museum each year. This equipment includes state-of-the-art fire and smoke detectors.
Even top-of-the-line detectors, however, can malfunction; therefore, redundancy is necessary, especially in the enormous main building of the Museum, where multiple alarms have been installed and are checked regularly.
Recently, one of our detectors went on the fritz repeatedly over the course of two weeks or so. Alarms went directly to the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department. In each case, these dedicated local volunteer firefighters arrived on the Museum grounds within minutes, even though (following the first incident) they suspected (with almost 100 percent certainty) a “false” alarm.
In the last week, every residence and business served by the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department received a letter seeking donations to the department. Although the Science Museum of Long Island is a nonprofit organization itself, our staff is so grateful to the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department firefighters for their professionalism and always good-natured responses to incidents at the Museum that they have collected money to donate to the MLFD.
We hope that you will join us in supporting the Department with a donation this year. Your donation provides the volunteers with benefits not covered by your tax dollars—benefits I believe these volunteers deserve in light of their selfless service to all of us in this area. I hope you agree and that you, like us here at the Museum, will be sending a check made out to the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department, Companies No. 1 and No. 2, P.O. Box 412, Manhasset, NY 11030.
Cara Sheridan O’Donnell
For the Science Museum of
Long Island Staff
