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Overcast At the top of their game
Lakeview fire chief discusses his new role and his busy department
Did you know that the Lakeview Fire Department serviced nearly 700 emergency calls last year? Or that the department, small in number when compared to other Long Island departments, has five paramedics and over a dozen EMTs on staff? Or that the Lakeview Fire Department has 51 volunteers, who risk life and limb for the residents of Lakeview every day?
We met with Patrick McNeill, the new chief of the Lakeview Fire Department, to learn more about him, his department and the volunteer work they do every day on behalf of their community.
McNeill, 30, joined the Lakeview Fire Department eight years ago — a transplant from the Valley Stream Fire Department, and before that — the Point Lookout Fire Department. He said that being a firefighter is steeped in his family’s tradition. “I have three cousins and an uncle in the Hempstead Fire Department, and my mother and my other uncle were members of the Pt. Lookout Fire Department,” McNeill said. His grandfather was a member of the Lawrence/Cedarhurst Fire Department.
After rising through the ranks of being a lieutenant, a captain and an assistant chief, McNeill was sworn in as chief during an installation ceremony in Queens last weekend.
So with all his background and family tradition, being a chief must come naturally to McNeill. Or does it?
“I love working with the guys and being with the guys, so being a chief is hard,” said McNeill. “I’m a young guy, and I like the work. As a chief, you’re more of an administrator. You’re watching what’s going on and are seen as management. Most of the time, chiefs are guys in their 40s and 50s, and they’re willing to take that step back But I’m young, and I’ve still got it in me that I want to get in there and get dirty.”
McNeill is chief to a pretty large coverage area, despite their small size. The department covers from Maple Avenue to Main Streets and Tanglewood Preserve. They also have cover from exit 17 through 19 on the Southern State Parkway. In addition, the department supplies mutual aid to the Elmont and Lawrence/Cedarhurst fire departments and assists the Hempstead, Rockville Centre, Malverne and Lynbrook fire departments.
Among some of the events coming up for his department include a new rescue engine — with an expected delivery by early October — and hopefully a new battery-operated Hurst tool this year through a grant filed by Nassau County.
McNeill expressed pride at his department, saying the number and enthusiasm of the young volunteers are bringing the department to a new high. “Every department has its highs and lows, and right now, we’re at the top of game,” said McNeill. “We’re well-equipped with our equipment and with our staff. We had a call this morning — a boiler emergency — where we had 18 guys show up for a call that happened at 10 a.m. A lot of departments don’t have that, but right now, we’ve got it.”
