Plandome Fire Department Honored For Century of Service

Local officials recently honored the Plandome Fire Department for 100 years of service to the community.

Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Dina DeGiorgio and Town Clerk Leslie Gross presented a proclamation on Oct. 5 to the department on behalf of the town. Chief Kevin Murphy accepted the award on behalf of the department. 

According to the department's website, the volunteer fire service was first organized in Plandome under a plan adopted by the village board in 1913 when the men of the village were arranged into six squads, each of sufficient number to move and operate the fire fighting equipment. 

Their hand-drawn fire apparatus was limited to a single hose reel and a chemical engine, which was essentially a forty-gallon soda-acid fire extinguisher. Both carts were stored in the basement of the village hall. The fire alarm was the split ring iron gong that still stands today, suspended between two locust posts on the north side of the building.

What began as a loosely formed brigade, with primitive hand-drawn equipment, has evolved into a highly developed organization which operates sophisticated 15-ton engines of today.