The Nassau County Fire Commission recently honored firefighters throughout the county for their heroic actions during 2014. One of the recipients was a member of the Mineola Fire Department. Lieutenant Kevin Nicoll received the silver Medal of Valor for his actions at a conflagration in Manhasset Bay.
Nicoll was working at the Manhasset Bay Marina and had just returned to the dock when an explosion occurred on a vessel that was refueling. As the flames spread, many ran from the conflagration which was now threatening to extend to several other boats along the dock.
Nicoll knew that time was of the essence and ran towards the fire. Arriving at the scene, Nicoll was first able to access the emergency shut off for the fuel pumps at the dock. He notified Town of North Hempstead Harbor Master Mal Nathan (his step-father) of the developing situation and then began moving his own boat away from the fire.
The fire continued to intensify and it was impinging upon several other vessels, which were in danger of catching fire. Nicoll saw a fellow dock worker who was trying to pull the burning boat away from the dock. Without regard for his own safety, Nicoll began to navigate his boat towards the fire to help tow the burning boat out into the open water. But as Nicoll approached the fire he came upon injured victims in the water.
He spotted a man partially submerged in the water. The victim was conscious but obviously disoriented and started to go under the water. Nicoll was able to get into the water and grab the victim before he went under. He then pulled the victim to safety aboard his boat.
It was later determined that this individual had been a passenger in the vessel that had caught fire and the initial explosion had thrown the victim into the water. A second victim who was fatally injured from the initial explosion was recovered later in the operation.
Witnesses to the event credit Nicoll and his fellow workers with saving the life of the injured passenger as well as saving the dock and vessels from millions of dollars in damage.
Nicoll is no stranger to handling emergencies. As a volunteer firefighter in the Mineola Fire Department since 2008, he has responded to hundreds of emergency calls, including more than 200 alarms in 2014. As a First Lieutenant in Engine Company One, Nicoll has directed the operations of firefighters at several emergency scenes, most notably as the initial Incident Commander at the fire above Wong’s Noodle House on Mineola Boulevard.
