The East Marion Fire Department gathered from all over the North Fork on August 10 to celebrate 125 years of service. There was a parade led by Grand Marshall Frank “Buzzy” Begora, a 70-year member of the fire department, followed by a picnic at the firehouse and a raffle. The festivities concluded with a live drone show.

Photos by Jeremy Garretson

Many volunteer fire departments on Long Island have struggled to retain local members in recent years, but East Marion is doing well. Members live primarily in Orient, East Marion and Greenport, with a few in Southold. 

“I think all departments are struggling to keep members and retain members, but this department has done a great job. Chief Miller has been recruiting new members in the last couple of years and retaining them, because that’s the big thing, retention. (Recent chiefs) have done a great job in recruiting and keeping all of these members, because there is a lot of training to do and a lot of participation in all sorts of events,” said Kevin Webster former chief and communications liaison.

The fire department has a rich history in the area. Founded in 1899 with 10 original members, they purchased their first truck for $325 the same year. Three years later they were invited to their first parade. The department continued to add to their equipment, obtaining chemical extinguishers and a cart to haul them. The canisters were stored in crates stuffed with sawdust to keep them from freezing. They used the church bell to sound the alarm until two foghorns could be purchased, which were followed by the current siren system.

Things have certainly changed for East Marion, and for the North Fork in general. The area has fully transitioned from a primarily agricultural economy to one rooted in tourism. The architecture of new construction has changed as well, from small ranch-style homes and farmhouses to larger buildings. Transportation has changed, adding to the challenges of confronting emergencies. And the types of emergencies has evolved, with mass casualty events and pandemics demanding new approaches. These changes mean innovations in training and equipment.

“We train to be able to extricate. We’ve had a few car fires with some electric vehicles. We have to train especially for that. We train out there with the simulation of cutting into a roof and going up on a ladder. Working off [our ladder truck] is a skill you need to train for. As new construction is coming in, you have some properties with much higher roof lines. There are challenges to get to the top and maintaining scene safety, which is very important for our members. We want to make sure that we take the time to work the scene properly and that we all go home. There’s a whole group of people that do fire police to keep the scene safe,” said Mr. Webster.

Because of the seasonal nature of much of East Marion’s population, the department has had to get creative with its membership. “So the last couple years, we have thought outside the box. And some people that just come for the summer, that have certifications at Fire School or EMT, we kind of take them in to help us out in the bigger months, to do the EMT and fire things,” said current Chief Carol Miller. “It’s our second year doing this. We have a nice young, young gentleman, Connor. He’s 18. He wants to become FDNY. So he’s like, ‘can I come learn from you guys?’ And we’re like, ‘Sure.’ So he just got a CFR, and he hopes to do his EMT next year…So as our demographics are changing, we’re learning to change with it.”

Even though members may have a specialization, they are trained across all areas of rescue. This allows the department to be nimble and cover any kind of emergencies that might come their way. ”So when we show up at a rescue and we have all sorts of hands there to help, somebody to stop the traffic, somebody to back up the ambulance, somebody to pick up the patient, somebody to pick up the stretcher, somebody to write down the times. If you have a full crew like that, it’s 100% that many hands make light work, and then it just goes smoothly,” Mr. Webster said.

For information on how to volunteer with the East Marion Fire Department, call  (631) 477-0163.