A busy day for the Long Beach Fire Department

The Long Beach Fire Department was busy on Tuesday, having responded to more than a dozen emergency calls within 24 hours, including one in which a 9-year-old boy was injured when he was struck by a car. It was one of three major incidents firefighters responded to throughout the day.

Firefighters responded to a call at the intersection of Monroe Boulevard and East Broadway at around 11:30 a.m. after two cars collided at the intersection. According to Fire Chief Richard Corbett, one car hit a traffic pole, and firefighters were unable to open the doors to the vehicle to reach the driver.

"We requested the extraction tools to respond, the Jaws of Life," he said, noting that Long Beach firefighters were assisted by members of the Island Park Fire Department. Long Beach Police also assisted. Both drivers had non-serious injuries, he said, and units were on scene for 25 minutes.

"One person was transported to South Nassau Hospital with a neck injury," he said, "the second was taken by Island Park Fire Department to Long Beach Medical Center."

Earlier in the day, a garbage truck burst into flames at the intersection of Arizona and Oceanview avenues in the West End. A total of six uniformed Long Beach firefighters attended to the fire, and were on scene for 40 minutes.

"Sanitation workers noticed smoke coming from the engine... They called the fire department," Corbett said. "When firefighters arrived, the cab of the truck was engulfed in fire. It doesn't appear suspicious. We wanted to make sure there were no smoldering embers, no fluids leaking out of the truck. There were no injuries."

Following a busy morning, in the late afternoon, a 9-year-old boy was struck by a car at Rochester Avenue and Beech Street in East Atlantic Beach.

"The driver hit the kid. The driver didn't see him," Corbett said, noting the boy was not a Long Beach resident.  "The boy was allegedly dragged down the block 20 feet."

Firefighters responded, and when they arrived on scene, several residents, Corbett said, had lifted the car up just enough to pull the boy out from under the vehicle.

"He appeared to have a leg fracture and a lot of abrasions," Corbett said. "He was conscience and alert, though upset. His mother was there."      

Corbett said a Nassau County helicopter airlifted the boy to Nassau University Medical Center.

"It was a rather busy day yesterday," Corbett said. "But every call that was handled was done professionally, and the fire department is always ready to handle any type of emergency."