BOT rejects use of surplus to fund new fire trucks

Mayor Veneziale recalled the tragic loss of the Madigan family members two years ago, including a graduating Garden City High School senior and her mother Gail Madigan, who was heavily involved in the GCPTA. He said the possibility that the investment in the three new apparatus for the fire department being a catalyst to save the lives of residents would be the only reasonable option the Board could work with, but the opposition from Trustees Chester, Digan, Carter Flanagan, Kelly and Marciano stood firm against committing to a purchase of all three new fire trucks.

“This is about life safety -- the life safety of our residents. I don’t know about all the trustees but I went to the Madigan funeral, as we all saw the tragic loss as the house burned down. Right after that we started the Fire Safety Committee, because this can not happen in Garden City – Garden City is supposed to have the best of everything. This is a premier community and you should act like it’s a premier community. Our fire department needs this. Thinking about them waiting a year for a built-new apparatus and then you have to pay more for it – it makes no sense not to (fund three new trucks) from a practical point of view, with the intention to save lives,” the mayor commented on March 16.

He noted that experts from the FDNY visited Garden City and reviewed departmental operations with the GCFD fire chiefs and Fire Safety Committee. The outcome of those meetings was that the standardization of apparatus across three fire stations was “a must, not a want” since they advised the village it had to be done. Mayor Veneziale pressed the Board of Trustees to “dig a little deeper and figure out that this is what Garden City’s residents need.”

“We do not want to see any more houses burn down. I do not want to go to any more funerals and that’s not what I am interested in. I am interested in making sure the village is safe and we have the best fire department in the area,” he said prior to the vote to reject a $2.3 million transfer from surplus.

Trustee Bruce Torino said authorization of the transfer in order to purchase the three new engines was recommended “both by the GCFD and the analysis that has been done in support of the economics of it.”

Trustee Bruce Chester countered Mayor Veneziale’s concern by saying any non-standardization, or lack of firefighting apparatus with the current fleet, was not to blame for the tragic fire at the Madigan home. The mayor noted there was confidential information about the fire investigation but the Board did not discuss the tragedy or its circumstances further on March 16.

During the meeting, Trustee Lawrence Marciano questioned Fire Chief Matt Pearn. He asked if Garden City residents were in any danger due to the current fire apparatus and equipment being utilized by GCFD. Pearn’s answer was brief: “No they are not (in any danger). Everyone is currently safe.”

With that information, Marciano explained, “Trustee O’Brien I agree you have a responsibility as fire commissioner to look out for all the residents of the village – fiscally, as well as their safety. The chief of the fire department has said tonight that we are not in danger so I question the true necessity of having to buy these tonight. I would say we should look to do them over time, and true that things cost more and could rise in price but we could have bought them two years ago, three years ago. I am assuming the situation with fire trucks has not changed dramatically since our oldest truck dates to 2004. My concern is that we have some potential big things facing the village, where we may need to allocate funding that we have available today. Therefore I can not vote for that (allocating $2.3 million for three new trucks).”

Deputy Mayor O’Brien noted that for FY 2023-2024 it does not appear there were high cost projects planned. He brought up a potential operational pitfall of having fire apparatus that are made by different manufacturers, and how the FDNY has standardized the many fleets. He said any potential delays due to firefighters engine drivers lacking familiarity with the rigs could be catastrophic because fires can double in size in 30 seconds.

“If the fire is at your house and impacting your family in an emergency, you would be welcoming the fact that every GCFD responder is trained in the apparatus. The fire department does all that it can for fire safety, but this will improve it as muscle memory is critical – especially when adrenaline is flowing, on the go to reach the fire. This was pointed out in our Fire Safety report and that’s why New York City synchronized all apparatus. It’s more efficient and quicker, and I will point out again that what matters is how quickly water gets to the fire,” O’Brien explained.

From Get your businesss out there today in 11 newspapers!

Trustee Chester asked O’Brien if he has reviewed fire departments of surrounding villages and their current fleets to compare what Garden City has now to their operations. O’Brien said the Fire Safety Committee performed an analysis which included meeting with local chiefs in surrounding communities.

Chester responded that he reviewed fleets in Carle Place, Mineola, Westbury, East Williston and in Lindenhurst (Suffolk County). He noted that Garden City has better and newer apparatus and equipment for firefighting operations, compared with many municipalities but that high standard should be maintained and upgraded in years ahead – not with one swooping purchase of three trucks.

March 31, 2023