| A week before Hurricane Irene hit Sayville, preparations were being made for the massive storm. Emergency vehicles, equipment and generators were tested and readied ensuring that firefighters had whatever tools and equipment they would need to respond to calls during and after the storm. Readiness meetings were attended with various agencies and town officials as well as local nursing homes and Sayville Ferry Service. Sayville's boat was taken to secure mooring further inland, and buildings and equipment were secured in preparation of the high winds and flooding. The pantry was stocked in anticipation of volunteer firefighters and some of their families spending many hours at the firehouse for the duration of the storm.
As the storm neared on Friday, Sayville Fire Department sent members and their bus to Good Samaritan Nursing Home to assist with patient evacuation. A few hours later, Fire Police were called in to assist Good Samaritan Hospital with their patient evacuation.
On Saturday morning, members attended a storm briefing given by Chief Thomas Pantano. Sayville Fire Department was as ready as they could be for whatever blow Hurricane Irene was going to give Sayville.
Later that evening, dozens of volunteer firefighters said goodbye to their families and headed to their respective stations for the storm standby that lasted 21 hours. Some came with their own sleeping bags and inflatable mattresses, some were prepared to catch a few winks in a chair in between alarms. Several members' families also took shelter at Sayville Fire Department Headquarters.
There wasn't much time to sleep after midnight for anyone. Calls for hazards caused by downed power lines, transformer fires, downed trees as well as flooding started coming in steadily about every hour and then increased to several an hour by about 9AM. In between alarms Sayville Chiefs drove around assessing water conditions and other hazards. Overall, volunteer firefighters answered about 30 calls on Sunday alone. Firefighters continued to be called out for alarms related to the storm several days after Irene passed through Sayville.
Chief Pantano says, "I am thankful to my members, who worked tirelessly to keep our residents safe. I am especially thankful to those family members who were willing to weather the storm alone while their spouse was helping our community." |
