New Hyde Park Fire District Commissioner John Brown is being challenged by fellow New Hyde Park Fire Department Hook & Ladder Co. 1 member John Waldron in an upcoming election for commissioner.
Brown, 55, is a lifelong New Hyde Park resident and a member of the fire department since 1977. He is a former lieutenant and captain of the Hook & Ladder unit. He also served in the New York Fire Department for 24 years, retiring in 2002.
He said the reason he ran for fire commissioner against longtime fire commissioner John Melinski was his feeling that a change in leadership was needed.
“I did not feel that everything was being run properly. I though a change was needed to break the cast that was formed year to year,” he said.
Over his five-year term, Brown cites budget reductions over the three consecutive years and a 2 percent increase last year among his contributions.
“I think I did the right thing for the taxpayers. I bring a good balance of frugality and a sense of necessity to keep the members of the department safe,” he said.
An advocate of training, Brown said he’s currently working on a plan to turn a large space on the east end of the Jericho Turnpike fire department headquarters. That space would be ideal for training with the new “bailout system” equipment that enables firefighters to escape from the upper story in a structural fire.
He said the fire district brought in $500,000 in grants during his tenure and has added two new vehicles, a new pump truck for the Estates Firehouse and a new heavy rescue truck.
Waldron, 34, is also a lifelong resident of New Hyde Park. He has been a member of the department since 1998. An ex-captain of his company, he is currently a 2nd lieutenant.
He said he’s also interested in improving department training and has been working with Brown on the same project at the firehouse.
“We don’t have a proper place to train our firemen in New Hyde Park,” Waldron said.
While it’s unusual for a member of a department company to run against a member of the same company, Waldron said it’s nothing personal and that he considers Brown a friend.
“I am the future of the young guys coming up. And we feel there needs to be representation on the fire district level,” Waldron said.
He said he’s also running because he feels fire commissioners should be limited to serving a single five-year term and added that Brown reversed himself on a pledge to hold only one term.
Brown said he also believes in term limits, but said he did not make any commitment to hold only one term.
Waldron also said he sees a need for a change in leadership among the fire commissioners.
“There has to be more accountability,” he said. “Everybody seems to be a boss at the firehouse.”
Waldron comes from a family of volunteers. His father, Edward, is a 40-year member of the department and his brother, Steve, a deputy chief, has been in the department for 20 years.
Waldron received a gold medal of valor last year for his role in saving the lives of two New Hyde Park firefighters in a basement fire on 6th Avenue in New Hyde Park.
An assistant director of the CYO basketball program at Holy Spirit Church, Waldron coaches the team his daughter, Andrea, plays on. He also coaches the New Hyde Park PAL lacrosse team his son, John, plays on. Both of his children attend the same elementary school, Hillside Grade School, Waldron attended as a youngster.
Voting in the fire commissioner race will take place at the New Hyde Park Fire Department headquarters on Dec. 11 between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m.
