Mineola’s fires have been doused by volunteers since the Hook and Ladder Company One was formed in the 1880s
But according to Village of Mineola Fire Chief Bryan Strauss, the volunteer pool is dwindling each year.
“The volunteer fire service is, unfortunately, slowly dying,” he said. “It’s your neighbor, the person that moved in next to you, that’s getting up at two a.m. for a fire call for a complete stranger.”
Strauss is a volunteer himself. With his day job as an officer in the NYPD Emergency Services Unit and a family at home, he stays busy with administrative and coordinating roles, as well as responding to fire calls for the village.
After leaving the academy in 2017, Strauss was an officer in the 113th Precinct. He later entered the training course for the Emergency Services Unit, where he remains to this day.
“When civilians need help, they call the police. When the police call for help, they call the emergency Service unit,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. I mean, I’m probably in the best spot ever.”
Strauss graduated from the police academy and ESU training with his brother Christopher, three years younger than Bryan.
The two took after their father, Scott Strauss, a former New York ESU officer who currently serves as the Nassau County Legislator for the ninth district. Scott Strauss received a Medal of Honor for his service on Sept. 11, 2001, and is a former mayor of Mineola.
Bryan Strauss recalled attending medal ceremonies and memorial services with his father during his childhood, which he said influenced his career path in firefighting and law enforcement.
“I would just see the camaraderie and guys telling stories and hanging out. I’m like, This is what I want to do,” said Strauss. “So from day one, I knew I wanted to be a police officer and then go into an emergency service unit.”
Family remains a core value of Bryan Strauss’s life. He and his wife, Lia, have been married for four years and have a 20-month-old daughter named Ariana. Strauss is glad to be raising a child in Mineola, saying proximity to his family is important to him.
“I just like being close to home,” he said, “I’m family-oriented.”
His family has always been committed to public service, extending even beyond his father’s work in the police and politics. Strauss embodied this volunteer spirit both through his work in the Junior Fire Department as a teenager and in his time at Scouting America, where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
“I hope my daughter stays here and gets involved in the community, as I did,” he said. He also hopes the spirit of volunteerism returns to Mineola, especially in firefighting.
To anyone thinking of volunteering at the Mineola Fire Department, Strauss said, “Come on down, get your second family.”
