For more than 100 years, the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department has been putting out fires and saving lives. Despite the recent hits volunteer fire departments have faced in declining memberships, they continue to persist as one of the largest departments in Nassau County while adapting to changing dynamics.
“The volunteers may be dissolving, but they’ve been saying that since I first joined,” Deputy Chief Scott Chen said. “Twenty-two years later we still have our head above water.”
The Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department is comprised of five fire companies, one ambulance unit and one fire police unit.
Companies No. 1 and No. 2 have been around since the department was established in 1908. Four years later, the other three companies were created. The ambulance unit was founded in 1991.
The department covers 11 square miles across all of Manhasset, 70% of Great Neck and the northern portion of New Hyde Park up to the Queens border. This encompasses 43,000 residents they serve.
On average, they respond to 3,300 calls a year, including 1,200 medical emergencies.
Its membership currently sits at 269 volunteers, but usually averages about 250. Some 25% of the department’s membership are former New York City firefighters.
But the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department is not just a landing ground for former career firefighters but also a launch pad for those seeking to become career firefighters. Deputy Chief Michael Rice said they have had multiple members move on to paid firefighter positions and their time volunteering counts towards their experience.
While the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department maintains an operable membership force, departments statewide are facing shortages as volunteerism drops.
“It’s not like it used to be,” Rice said of the department’s membership.
With a changing environment on Long Island, Rice said many people don’t have the job flexibility nor the time to volunteer. He said this has led to an age gap in their membership, with most volunteers either in their late 40s to mid-50s or in their 20s.
Rice said older members are more plentiful as they have more flexibility in their schedules and already have strong, established careers. Their oldest member is 68 years old.
“They’re already established, they’re already making good money, so they can afford to stay here,” Rice said.
While the position doesn’t come with any pay, firefighters get incentives such as free community college courses, local tax breaks and firefighter course stipends.
Chen said the problem the department faces are young members leaving to attend college and many not returning to the island afterward.
“It comes in waves,” Chen said of the membership.
Rice and Chen said the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department has not been hit as hard by diminishing memberships as other neighboring departments have. They attributed their success to their recruitment efforts and their junior member program, which gets high school students involved early.
But what also aids the department in supplementing a smaller membership is the ability for fire district employees to offer a hand.
The fire district is separate from the Fire Department, which serves to support the department’s operations. Fire district employees are paid positions.
Rice said many volunteer firefighters are also employees at the fire district, and the district permits them to respond to emergencies while on the job.
Changes in the volunteer force has also led to changes in its culture.
Chen said changes in its department culture is not only due to a smaller membership, but also to generational changes.
“We’ve lost that older generation, whether they’ve moved on, passed away, to guide this new generation,” Chen said. “That’s what guided me when I joined was the older generation that took me under their wing and showed me the way.”
Now Chen, who described himself as becoming one of the department’s “older guys,” is now seeking to continue that tradition and lead the younger generation.
Chen said the department has to work to become closer-knit due to generational gaps.
Despite the age differences, Rice said camaraderie is still high with friendly competition between companies and pride in their service.
But Chen said friendly competition has since changed due to the changing volunteer force. He said now the department is “struggling” and members are more inclined to act in ways to support each other in order to serve the community.
“At the end of the day, the end outcome is you want to get the job done,” Chen said. “The resident doesn’t care if it’s Company One, Two, Three, they see a helping hand and that’s what they want.”
Looking ahead, the department is seeking to boost its recruitment even more in order to keep up their efforts.
Individuals interested in volunteering can call 516-466-4435 to get more information.
