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| Robert Chartuk |
A volunteer himself for more than 40 years with the Medford Fire Department, DeStefano has been a chief advocate for the fire services, noting their immeasurable value to the communities they serve. “Long Island would be an all-together different place without the dedicated men and women of the fire and ambulance departments who devote enormous amounts of time and energy in serving their neighbors,” DeStefano said.
The state grant funded the installation of a special training module that simulates a burning building. Almost every day of the week and on evenings members of Suffolk’s 110 fire departments storm academy structures to learn how to extinguish raging fires set with wood pallets and hay. In full gear and using equipment from their own companies, the firefighters are quick to extricate victims and douse the flames under the watchful eyes of academy instructors.
In addition to dwelling and business fires, the school simulates train rescues in repurposed Long Island Rail Road cars, as well as car crashes and multi-story blazes where temperatures can range up to a thousand degrees. Trainees crawl through dark mazes and take to the rooftops in aerial ladders. The facility provides weighted mannequins for rescue and hydrants where firefighters can learn and practice the capabilities of their pumps, hoses and other apparatus.
Always aware of the hazards of emergency response, demonstrated by memorials to those who perished in the 9-11 disaster, some of whom were academy instructors, the staff lives by the motto: “Let no man’s ghost return to say his training let him down.”
According to Academy Field Supervisor David Didio, the facility provides both real-life training and classroom instruction to prepare firefighters for the multitude of situations they may face. “We do collapse simulations where structures have caved in on people, high-angle response, trench and cesspool rescues. Any challenge a firefighter may face back in their own communities,” Didio noted. The academy can also simulate a car crash under a tanker truck full of fuel with victims trapped in the wreckage, as well as liquified natural gas and electrical emergencies. A 5,000-square-foot burn building with a front porch, attached two-car garage, basement, and attic reflects the type of homes most commonly experiencing a fire in Suffolk County.
Academy courses include technical and heavy rescue, forceable entry, emergency vehicle operation, brush truck safety, rope rescue, hazardous material response, and marine and ice situations, in addition to officer and leadership training.
Attending a ceremony to announce the state grant was county Legislator Dominick Thorne, chairman of the Fire, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services & Preparedness Committee who has trained at the facility. “The academy provides a wide array of critical lessons to make sure the men and women who respond to emergencies are properly prepared for anything they may encounter,” Thorne said.
DeStefano, who also trained there, noted that personnel from the New York City Fire Department have been to the academy, as well as the FBI, Secret Service, and Suffolk County Police and Sheriff. “Right here in Suffolk is a world-class emergency training facility that has prepared thousands of first responders in saving countless lives and an untold amount of property damage,” the Assemblyman said.
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| Robert Chartuk |