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DECEMBER 5--11, 2024
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Long Island champions!
Massapequa High School’s football team captured its third Long Island title in four years, defeating William Floyd, 42-40, last Saturday inthe Class I championship game at Stony Brook University. Story, Pg. 10.
Fire, water district commissioner races go to voters Dec. 10 By CAROLYN JAMES
cjames@liherald.com
Registered voters in the fire districts of Massapequa and North Massapequa and the water districts of Massapequa and South Farmingdale will head to the polls Tues., Dec. 10 to elect commissioners for each board. Fire commissioners generally serve five-year terms and are responsible for establishing policies and procedures within the department, working with the other members to assess and secure equipment and apparatus. The board generally includes five commissioners who also formulate and are responsible for the district’s annual budget and expenses. Water district commissioners generally serve three-year terms and are responsible for ensuring an adequate and healthy water supply and overseeing the district’s budget and finances, its contracts and legal commitments and the maintenance of its infrastructure. Commissioners are all volunteers, but receive a stipend for attending meetings.
MASSAPEQUA FIRE DISTRICT
In the Massapequa Fire District, residents are voting to fill one seat on the board, currently held by Mike Hanna, who is seeking reelection to another five-year term with no opposition. Hanna has been a member of the Massapequa Fire Department for 53 years and has served as a commissioner for 40 years. “I have enjoyed working with the rest of the board and the fire officials to ensure the safety of the community and our volunteers,” said Hanna, who emphasized the importance of maintaining a constant focus on training for the volunteers. “With all of the changes in OSHA regulations, we have to make sure everyone is trained and prepared.” The department has a new budget of $9.06 million, an increase over the current budget of $8.8 million and within the New York State tax cap. The district serves approximately 18,000 homes and 2,000 commercial properties, providing both fire and
rescue services and other emergency services. Under a recent New York State law, fire departments are now able to bill insurance companies for ambulance costs when they provide those services to residents. Those monies are placed in a separate fire district account and can be used for costs associated with those services, such as gas, maintenance and purchase of new ambulances. Residents without insurance are not charged. Like all departments on Long Island, Massapequa is responding to an increasing number of calls with fewer volunteers, which has become a strain. Most other departments have hired full- or part-time Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to help relieve the dependency on the volunteers. Massapequa responds to between 600 and 800 rescue calls a year. For the first time, it will be hiring part-time CONTINUED ON PAGE 24