Robert Lang will continue in his role of Hicksville Fire District Commissioner, after winning the election against opponent Chris Fotopoulos on Dec. 9. Lang won the election 355-105.
Lang, a lifelong Hicksville resident and retired NYC firefighter, got his start in the fire department in 1974 as a member of Company 6. He joined Company 1 in 1994, where he held the positions of 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant and Captain. In 2001, he was elected 3rd Assistant Chief, traveling through the ranks and becoming chief of the department in 2008 and 2009.
This will be Lang’s second five-year term as commissioner, after first being elected to the post in 2009.
“It’s rewarding that the community and department trust me to run another five years. They have their faith in me and put their vote behind me to continue to run the district and community and make sure taxes are low,” says Lang. “It’s rewarding because they trust you to make sure everything works right.”
Over the last five years, Lang says he has kept the budget low, maintained buildings and fire services, upgraded dispatching and EMS systems, and upgraded buildings with energy efficient windows and roofs.
He’s also helped enhance the dispatching system with new radios. Defibulators and ambulances have been upgraded, and EMS members now also carry Narcotics in their ambulances.
Looking forward, Lang is hoping to continue to keep the budget low and move forward with the latest advances in technology.
“We want to continue on the road we’re on. There’s always the ongoing issue of upgrading and keeping up with technology and keeping it within the budget,” said Lang.
He notes that keeping up with technology costs is one of the biggest challenges.
“We try to keep it within reason. Things change every day. Once you start, you can’t stop. But we have to limit it to be within reason,” he said.
