Meet the two fire commissioner candidates for the Franklin Square & Munson Fire Department

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The Franklin Square & Munson Fire District elections take place on Dec. 13 at 841 Liberty Place, behind the Franklin Square Post Office, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Les Saltzman and Ted Braun are running unopposed for two fire commissioner seats.

Saltzman said there are five fire commissioners for the district, each serve within a five-year term and elections for these positions are held once every five years. He has been the fire commissioner for the district since 2005 and is seeking reelection for his 4th term, which would be another five-years that would begin on January 1, 2023 and end Dec. 31, 2027.

Braun is running for a one-year term to replace the late fire commissioner Joseph Torregrossa, who died on March 21, 2022 from COVID-19. If elected to serve, Braun would finish out the position on a one-year term, which begins on January 1, 2023 and ends December 31, 2023. He will then run again next year for a five-year fire commissioner seat.

“The main thing is we have an excellent relationship with the chief’s office, they are great people and we work well together,” Braun said to the crowd at a Franklin Square Civic Association meeting on Nov. 30. “Anything you guys need and the chief need from us, you guys got it.”

In addition to serving as the district’s fire commissioner, Saltzman has been an active firefighter of the Franklin Square & Munson Fire Department for 32 years. He also has a 40-year career as a pharmacist on his resume and owned a community pharmacy for 20 years.

The taxes that the district commissioner handles pays for the 24/7 services the fire department provides to the public, including emergency medicine. Due to the decrease in volunteers over the years, the fire department began looking into a paid EMS program. Right now, Saltzman said the goal is to ultimately have either one paramedic, one EMT or two paramedics 24/7.

If reelected, Saltzman said he wants to strengthen engagement with the community through continuous open houses, fire prevention drills with school children, fire safety demonstrations with the local girl and boy scout troops and more.

The Franklin Square & Munson Fire Department is also always seeking new members, Saltzman added.

“One thing I come across the whole fire department is our passion,” Saltzman said. “Because there’s no reason for us to do it — most of us have at least one, sometimes two jobs, have a couple of kids, if not more, and it’s something you do because you want to do it.”

For more information about the upcoming election, contact the district office at 516-488-1858.