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Vol. 29 No. 3
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Baldwin schools to abide by N.Y. mask mandate By CRiSTiNA ARRoYo RoDRiGUez and SCoTT BRiNToN carroyo@liherald.com
Christina Daly/Herald
AT A NewS conference on Jan. 6, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed an executive order requiring school districts to vote this month on whether to require masks in classrooms.
Baldwin School District officials told the Herald that they will comply “with the law and follow the rules and regulations set forth by the proper governing entities of schools” after Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed executive orders on Jan. 6 directing local boards of education to vote this month on whether their districts should mandate mask use.
Baldwin residents took to social media to air their concerns about this executive order, generally saying masks in schools should be required. M a rk P revat t s a i d h e believed a county executive order could not supersede state law, adding, “An overwhelming majority of people who subscribe to [Blakeman’s] brand of politics have been showing themselves lately as having a penchant for believing their own misguided and/or misinformed [views], often with disastrous results.” Continued on page 15
A chat with the Baldwin Fire Department’s new chief By KARiNA KoVAC kkovac@liherald.com
Recently elected Baldwin Fire Chief Brien Cummings, 52, is ringing in the new year with updated equipment and supplies for his department — and hopes for new recruitment. C u m m i n g s m ove d f ro m Queens to Baldwin in the 1990s and joined the BFD as a probationary member in 2005 after a friend spoke about the joys of volunteering for the Fire Department. Moving up the ranks, Cummings has served as a lieutenant, captain and now chief. Cummings was elected with deputy chiefs William Dworsak,
Anthony Hopkins and Douglas Eberhart to keep the 200-member Baldwin department strong and the community safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. Responsibilities for this one-year position include overseeing operations for two truck and four engine companies and communications with the first-aid squad. The department recently added a state-of-the-art digital dispatch system, approved by the board of fire commissioners. Cummings said of the touchscreen system, “It looks like you can send a spaceship to the moon in there,” adding that it’s “light years” away from the old analog system.
T
he ‘main goal is pretty simple: get everyone high-quality training [so they] make it home to their families.’
BRieN CUmmiNGS Fire chief
Other upgrades, including flooring repairs and an equipment storage unit at the back of the firehouse, bring the depart-
ment into a new age, he said. With looming Covid concerns, Cummings said he is working closely with the emergency services director, Dr. David Neubert, to enact policies to keep staff and the public safe. The Nassau County fire marhsal’s office recently supplied Baldwin with fresh N95 masks, protective equipment and at-home test kits.
“If a member is suspected of exposure, they can figure it out quickly,” Cummings said. “This new Omicron strain is different, little bit more infectious, but it seems as though people are having more of a head cold.” Membership is down, however. Even before the pandemic, Cummings said, there was “a dip Continued on page 14