EDGE New York City

Yes, the Fire Island Pines may have lost four homes this year when this island’s eponymous element broke out twice in six months, but it certainly could have been worse.

The Lonelyville house fire in 2002 was on an unpaved sandy walkway that required firefighters to drag a hose from more than 50-feet-away-standard procedure on much of the island-strong winds then spread flames to the utility poles. This required the electricity be cut, which then shut down the pumps in the secluded neighborhood’s fire hydrants. That’s when the "big pump on wheels" came to the rescue. They pulled water from the Great South Bay, passed it through its half-mile hose and filtered through two neighboring community’s pumpers to those pointing the nozzles, who extinguishing the oceanfront structure fire.

At first a controversial purchase for the Fair Harbor Fire Department [FHFD,] the seldom-used $300,000 piece of equipment has since been known as "the truck that saved Lonelyville."

Dramatic yes, but drafting water from the bay is not unheard of while battling blazes on Fire Island. Ocean Beach Fire Department [OBFD] firefighters had to do the same after emptying the water tower while battling a propane store fire in 2006 that brought the entire island’s response, as well as the mainland-and prompted several blocks to be evacuated. And although no lives were lost in the 2002 Lonelyville inferno, it didn’t end as firefighters had hoped. Just as they celebrated getting the blaze under control, a Kismet man suffered cardiac arrest and died while bicycling home after watching the volunteers at work.

"That was a rough day," Vern Henriksen, a deputy fire coordinator for Suffolk County and former Saltaire Fire Department [SFD] chief, said.

Henriksen has fought fires on the beach for more than 20 years. He has seen it all; the daily run-of-the-mill ambulance calls to door-to-door mass hurricane evacuations. Henriksen noted, however, it wasn’t as bad as the 1983 Point O’ Woods fire that claimed three lives and four homes (Calls to the Point ’O Woods Fire Company were not returned.)

"Whenever you get a large house fire like that, it becomes a learning experience" Henriksen said. The public learns prevention, which is half the battle, and the firefighters gain experience for the inevitable next fire.

"Big fires happen," Henriksen said. "It pulls everyone together. It’s a wake-up call."

Out of the nine fire departments across the island, Henriksen is one of three regional response managers-one each for the West, Central and East Ends-who coordinate when more than one fire department responds. Each fire district has an approximately $150,000 budget with an average of 50 members and approximately 60 calls each year. Ocean Beach, which has more than 80 members, has registered over a record 300 calls this year, but most of these are not for actual fires or even false fire alarms. For the OBFD, SFD and FHFD, the only three that provide EMS service, there is about a dozen or more volunteer emergency medical technicians who respond to the sick and injured. Outside of those three, the Suffolk County Marine Bureau [SCMB] often calls upon local departments to assist with EMS calls, which adds to the non-fire responses.

Departments on the beach use Kawasaki "mules," or golf cart-sized vehicles intended for boardwalks that are neither strong or wide enough for a full-sized fire truck, and other highly specialized equipment. The Davis Park Fire Department [DPFD] opts for John Deere "gators."

Added to the toolbox is the new island-wide fire department radio system that went into effect during the last year, which allows all the departments to communicate with each other for the first time. It also allows the fire chiefs to communicate directly with the SCMB. In the past, messages between Suffolk cops and Fire Island firefighters would have to be passed back and forth through Yaphank-based operators.

Then there are the four-wheel-drive pumpers designed to battle hard-to-reach fires that raise eyebrows when Long Island firefighters come to visit.

"When they see what the machinery that I have down here they look at us like we’re crazy," FHFD Chief Scott Cheveny, who will be soon adding a new piece to his inventory: a long-awaited, renovated firehouse, said.

But before getting jealous, consider the job ahead of him.

"Logistically, it’s a big headache for me," he said as he detailed the difficulty in finding temporary office-space, storage for the department’s gear and a place to park the apparatus during the construction-all the while maintaining response capabilities. "The only perk is the chief’s car" he said with a laugh (although they do also get a state pension for volunteering.)

Yet no matter how prepared the island’s departments are, guarding this particular shoreline from itself can become especially challenging after the hordes of seasonal residents and day-trippers return home after Labor Day. The few year-round Fire Island firefighters scattered between Kismet and Davis Park have to pool resources and manpower in the off-season.

"Having the numbers you need to get the job done is always a problem" Henriksen said. "It’s been very hard to get people here in a part time community to put in all of the time and effort that is needed."

That’s what makes "mutual aid" so important. And it’s why for those who do show, this can be one of the most thankless-yet rewarding-jobs of all time.

For proof, look no further than to the man who is arguable one of the busiest guys on Fire Island,

Ocean Beach Mayor Joseph Loeffler, Jr., who volunteers with the OBFD. The retired detective can been seen bicycling to calls and driving one of OBFD’s two ambulances off-island.

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