Joshua Charry was elected to a three-year term as Vigilant Fire Company’s new fire chief at a board meeting Monday night, succeeding Joshua Forst and becoming the first paramedic to be the chief of department.
Charry joined Vigilant as a fire medic in February 1994, before becoming a volunteer firefighter. He then spent 10 years as an EMS officer and twice led Vigilant’s emergency medical services before serving as a fire second lieutenant and assistant fire chief from 2011 to 2017.
During his more than two decades with the fire company, Charry worked to have Vigilant’s ambulances become state certified and to invest in new CPR devices, video laryngoscopes and other gear and equipment.
“It is a tremendous honor to be elected as chief of the Vigilant Fire Company – a company that has a rich and storied history of providing first-class emergency response services to the Great Neck community for more than a century,” Charry said. “As a community-based service, the entire Vigilant Fire Company will continue to work as a cohesive unit as we respond to increased emergency calls throughout the peninsula.”
Forst, who had served as the company’s fire chief since December 2014, said he “couldn’t think of anyone better to take over the reins” than Charry.
“While he is an outstanding leader and firefighter, the reality is that we do 2,000 medical calls a year, and this is the first time the chief will be a paramedic,” Forst said. “He is a thought leader in his field, and I am confident in his abilities to lead the Vigilant Fire Company for the years to come.”
Forst added that his own next step is to spend more time with his family.
Marim Charry, Joshua’s father and a chaplain of the fire company said, that Vigilant Fire Company has many things on its plate, ranging from improving cooperation between various fire departments to the possibility of billing for ambulance service.
But, Charry said, his son’s combination of skills, relationships and experience make him a good fit for facing challenges in the upcoming years.
“We’ve seen him in action and are pretty confident that he’s going to be able to handle the situation,” Charry said.
