Newsday

Fire department’s air packs need replacing

November 1, 2011 by DENISE M. BONILLA / denise.bonilla@newsday.com

The Village of Lindenhurst Fire Department is looking for help with its air supply. Lindenhurst’s village board has approved hiring a grant writer to apply for federal and state monies to offset the estimated $495,000 needed to replace the fire department’s air packs. An air pack is a self contained breathing apparatus firefighters use in emergencies. More than 125 of the department’s 20-year-old packs will need to be replaced in the next few years, said Village Deputy Mayor Kevin McCaffrey.

The village has hired JSK Inc. Public Safety Consultants of Williston Park for grant-writing assistance, at a cost of $2,750. “We were seeking to have someone with expertise specific to fire departments,” McCaffrey said. Their clients include the Uniondale, Port Washington and Roslyn fire departments. Village officials plan to work with the East Farmingdale Fire Department on the grant proposal, with that department paying a share
of the costs, McCaffrey said. In other fire department news, the village board has approved a $5,000 payment to ATS Consulting Inc. of Bohemia as part of a judgment against the fire department for a dispute over whether the company met certain hardware and software specifications as well
as issues with consultant work the company performed. Village Administrator Clerk-Treasurer Shawn Cullinane said the village decided not to appeal the decision because it would likely cost more than $5,000. The money will come out of the department’s office supplies budget. The fire department has also come a step closer to having a refurbished home. The committee looking at the costs and feasibility of retrofitting the main firehouse on Wellwood Avenue, which was severely damaged in a 1978 fire, is considering the proposals of four architectural firms, McCaffrey said.

An engineering study done on the 1923 building in January concluded that repairing the structure bordered “on impossible.” But a second study completed in August found that “critical structural components remain stable and salvageable.” Village and fire officials have said the building is too small for modern vehicles. McCaffrey said the committee expects to soon pick one of the four companies to perform a feasibility study for retrofitting the firehouse.