Floral Park Centre Fire Company disbanded on New Year’s Eve at 11:59 p.m., marking the end of over 100 years of firefighting for the Floral Park Centre community.
The New Hyde Park Fire District will now handle fire emergencies in the small area formerly covered by the company.
In a letter to residents, the Floral Park Centre Fire Company said low volunteer rates, combined with state and federal regulations requiring new equipment and training standards, contributed to its closure.
“The decision was made that we could not continue to provide adequate services to our community/taxpayers,” the fire company said. “We thank you for letting us provide you with 100 years of service.”
The fire company was founded in 1924, according to former Fire Chief Martin Tolan, and recent years have been tough. He said that with members aging or moving from the area, and low enlistment and retention due to high training demands and cost of living, the volunteer company could not keep up.
“The problem is since I joined over 20 years ago, the training is getting longer,” said Tolan. He said that for one required training, a volunteer must complete a 63-hour training, often in addition to a day job.
Tolan, who works in construction, said he understands that basic training is necessary to stay safe in a fire. However, he noted that for volunteer firefighters, it is becoming increasingly difficult to balance time for training and work, given the rising cost of living.
The building and equipment all belong to the taxpayers, so as they are liquidated and documented, the Town of North Hempstead will retain any proceeds, according to Tolan.
“We put a lot of work in here,” Tolan said. “But people aren’t coming, knocking on the door to join.”
“The residents of Floral Park Centre will benefit tremendously from this,” said Reid Sakowich, chairman of the New Hyde Park Fire District Board of Commissioners, saying the district’s fire and emergency medical coverage is capable of managing the addition of Floral Park Centre.
“New Hyde Park, with all of the measures that we’ve taken, will prolong our existence for the foreseeable future,” Sakowich said, saying volunteer and paid medic staffing as well as a strong junior firefighter program will ensure long-term volunteer streams for the district.
