Nassau Herald Person of the year 2012: Kevin Carrero

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It seems he was an extrovert from the beginning. By age 11, he recalled, he was hanging around A. Russo Wrecking, a demolition and contracting company on East Avenue, the road off Rockaway Turnpike that leads into Meadowmere Park. The community is a cluster of approximately 100 houses tucked between Lawrence and the Queens border, hard by Jamaica Bay. Its population is estimated at a little over 200.

Anthony Russo, who has known Carrero for 20 years, said he was the kid who was curious, to put it mildly. “He used to come around and asked a ton of questions,” Russo said. “He asked so many, we were only able to answer every third one. The questions were about how things work, what are you doing, where are you going, can I go. He learned what he knows today.”

That curiosity came in handy. Growing up in a family that considered education the No. 1 priority for children — Carrero didn’t join the Fire Department until 2004, after college — he attended the Number Two School and Lawrence Middle School, and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1999. He went to Nassau Community College and then the New York Institute of Technology, where he focused on engineering. “I wanted to join [the Fire Department], but with school, I had no time to get into it,” he said. “I always went to school — that was more important.”

Though Carrero didn’t earn a degree at New York Tech, the combination of school and what he learned from Russo’s business, he said, was more than enough for him to begin working in construction. “I knew my stuff already from high school, college and Russo’s Wrecking,” he said. “I did everything over there.” His company is U-Name-It Construction, Inc.

When he finally joined the department, Carrero steadily moved up the ranks, from lieutenant to captain, then serving 3½ years as second assistant chief and 18 months as first assistant chief. He became chief shortly before Sandy stormed into the area.

“As long as I’ve known him, he doesn’t want to say no to anyone,” said Vargas, adding that Carrero takes the time to “take someone under his wing.” “He’s always the person who says, ‘I’ll take care of that,’ and then has gone out and done it.” Carrero motivated Vargas to become a fire department member four years ago.

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