The Levittown Fire Department has served the local community for 75 years and has transformed throughout its history.
The beginnings of the department are tied to developer William Levitt, who came to the area in the late 1940s and suburbanized the community. He built up Levittown, starting in 1947, and completed his work in 1951.
John Cashman, who would later lead the Levittown Fire Department, believed that although there were other local departments nearby, their response time to Levittown emergencies needed to be improved.
A preliminary report was created by a committee of interested residents, which recommended the establishment of the Levittown Fire District, leading to its being approved by the Town of Hempstead and the state in 1950.
“The district was formed in 1950, which is why our patches say 1950, and then the department itself went into full operation on Jan. 1, 1951,” Levitttown Fire Department Secretary Rusel Greller said.
Greller said the state gave the final approval to the fire department in August of 1950, and it spent the rest of the year training firefighters and acquiring apparatus and other equipment.
Greller said rough estimates suggest the department had around 150 members once it fully formed. He said most of the founding members had been involved with the military or other fire departments.
“Almost 95% of the men who joined the department were all military men, so they had little experience. Quite a few of them had experience in another fire department, but they were all fresh from World War II,” Greller said.
The department consisted of Ladder Company 1, Engine Company 2, Engine Company 3, Rescue Company 4, and a Fire Police Company.
Initial meetings were held at the Five Corners restaurant in Bethpage until the Abbey Lane School opened in 1953.
Greller said that when the fire department became operational, many were still unsure of what territory it covered.
He said one of the first-ever calls to the department was from somebody from Wantagh because they were unsure of who to call about their emergency.
Today, the district covers Levittown as well as parts of East Meadow and Bethpage, encompassing over four square miles.
In 1956, the Fire Police Company was deactivated and replaced by a new company, Engine Company 5, which was housed at Station 2.
Six years later, the growing needs of the district called for the construction of an additional firehouse, Station 3, which was constructed on Wantagh Avenue. Ladder Company 6 and Engine Company 7 were also activated at that time.
Greller said that over time, firefighters in the district have become more protected as the gear they wear has advanced greatly, allowing for further protection. He also said communication has greatly improved, as originally, firefighters had to listen for the horns on the roof to know to report to the firehouse.
“Over time, they implemented the telephone system where it would call the members’ house to let them know what and where they needed to respond to,” Greller said. “Eventually went to the pagers that are on everybody’s hips, and now it’s the pagers and our cell phones that can let us know what an emergency is and where to respond to.”
Although there is no recorded number of incidents the department has responded to over the years, some have been more troublesome than others.
Greller mentioned a few notable fires in the department’s history, including a department store fire in 1958 that required several fire departments and multiple hours to put out.
He also said one of the largest fires in the department’s history was one day before the Apollo 13 incident, where the multi-story building at 3000 Hempstead Turnpike was set ablaze. Greller said, at the time, it was one of the tallest buildings in Levittown, and it took several days to put out the fire.
“While we saw Apollo 13 was unfolding, the fire department was in the middle of fighting this fire,” Greller said.
The original office of the Levittown Tribune newspaper was also in that building, and Greller said many of their archives were lost that day.
Throughout its 75-year history, the department has had over 2,200 members. The department’s longest-serving member is Timothy Courtney, an ex-chief and ex-commissioner, who was sworn in on June 19, 1962.
The fire department even had a dalmatian at one point, but the dog was so protective of its seat in the front of the fire engine that it would growl at anyone who approached the truck. The dog was later brought home by a department member.
Today, the Levittown Fire Department has 216 members, some of whom have been with the department for decades.
“They’re eager to serve the community,” Greller said. “Everybody looks after each other because the people depend on us, but we depend on each other, and without each other, nothing’s getting accomplished for us or anyone else.”
Greller said there is no current information on whether the department will be celebrating its 75th anniversary.
