Friday, January 24, 2025
The dozens of firefighters who were recognized at the first Oceanside Fire Department awards ceremony since before the coronavirus pandemic were honored for risking their lives in several severe fires.
They saved the lives of people pinned down in auto accidents, one stuck under a bus and a choking victim, in addition to saving one another in a massive building fire in the past year.
“Training kicked in,” said Patrick Massimillo, who received both a Heroic Act Award and a Unit Citation for the building fire. “We go down to Mott Street every Wednesday and Sunday for years now, doing the same thing. Unfortunately, the events happen that we had to use our training in a good scenario, in a real scenario, and we were able to get everybody out.”
The building fire, for which over a dozen firefighters received Unit Citations and eight received Heroic Act awards, erupted at an industrial building where metals are recycled. Several members of the department were stuck inside when some debris collapsed, leaving them injured and disoriented. Their colleagues worked together to get them all out.
“Besides being scared, training is a big vital part of what we do, and it really took place that day,” said Former Chief Patrick Madden Jr., who received a Heroic Act Class III and a Unit Citation for his actions in the building fire. “You can see it. (There was) tremendous support. The assets we had coming to help us were exactly what we needed.”
Madden was one of several firefighters who expressed concern about how the community has treated firefighters in recent years.
“I think we need a little more community support for what we do,” he said. “A lot of us here are put in certain lights, but every day we put ourselves in a situation that could get us to not come home to our families. This was one of those situations. It’s a funny story, because it was my granddaughter’s first birthday the next day, and that would’ve been a terrible story. But this is a different outcome. This was for the better. The community should embrace this department.”
Former Chief Steven Klein expressed similar sentiments.
“I think the public needs to be aware of what the Fire Department does on a day-to-day basis,” Klein said. “We get a lot of bad publicity at times, so it’s nice to recognize the people for what they do.”
Some of the honored firefighters received several awards for their actions in more than one emergency. Capt. Matthew Regan received Unit Citations for saving a woman trapped by an industrial machine; for saving Pauline Hauxhurst, who was stuck under a bus; and for saving two people who were pinned in the front seats of a Mercedes sedan.
“It’s one of those things that you train on constantly,” Regan said. “When the one time comes you actually have to put it to work, it pays off, and it’s a good feeling.”
“We’re responding to more alarms than we have ever before,” Klein said. “We responded to around 2,000 alarms for this year already. We have another month to go.”
And yet, recruitment isn’t what it needs to be.
“The fire service is always looking for new volunteers,” Klein added. “So if anybody who reads this article is interested in volunteering, they should stop by our firehouse, on Foxhurst Road, and speak to someone about joining and helping our community.”
He explained the process of applying for an award. “When a company does something they feel they should be recognized for, the officer will write up a scenario explaining the actions of the company and what difficulties they encountered,” Klein said. “The committee is made up of three retired law enforcement people, a current fire department officer from the City of New York and two people that work in the health care profession in hospitals. So they’re smart people — they’re very knowledgeable in emergency services.”
Klein also noted the fine line that committee members have to walk when determining who gets an award.
“It’s very difficult to determine,” he said. “You don’t want to award somebody something that they’re not entitled to. But even worse is missing somebody for something that they should’ve gotten.”
