Still among bravest after 50 years on duty

Richard Tedesco

Mineola Fire Department member Joseph Conlon was 19 years old when he joined Engine Co. 1 in April 1964.

He never expected he would still be fighting fires 50 years later.

“No way,” Conlon said.

Conlon, 69, doesn’t respond to the 75 fire calls a year he said he typically made during his first decades of service, but he said he remains active.

“I drove the pumper to the apartment fire on 2nd Street,” Conlon said, referring to the fire that destroyed an apartment in downtown Mineola earlier this month.

He also still serves as 1st Battalion delegate for the department, a commitment he first accepted in 1980. 

On April 25, Conlon was honored for his 50 years of service by the The Mineola Fire Department at a gala dinner.

“We’re proud to celebrate his 50th anniversary with the fire department. He’s been a valued member of the department for all these years,” said Mineola Fire Department Chief Jeffrey Clark. “He’s always looking how to best improve and protect the members of the fire department. And we’re looking forward to another 50 years of Joe’s service to the community.”  

Conlon’s honors include being named Engine Co. 1 Firefighter of the Year in 1990, but he refused to take credit for the lives he has saved over the years.

“There were one or two where I pulled people out. But you’re working as a team,” he said. “It’s teamwork. It’s camaraderie. It’s a pleasure being a part of the team. You count on them. They count on you.”

Conlon joined the volunteer fire department after graduating high school.

“It was community service. I knew a few of the fellows who were in,” he said.

He was then drafted into the U.S. Army in 1965 and served in Panama from 1965 to 1967. After his stint in the military, Conlon returned home and continued volunteer service in the fire department and joined the New York Police Department. 

During his 50 years of service, Conlon has held many positions within the Mineola fire department,

He served as chairman of 1st Battalion, an organization of fire departments in the Towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead from 1992 to 1997, and was vice president of the engine company in 1968 and president from 1969 to 1970. He also served as 2nd lieutenant from 1973 to 1975, 1st lieutenant from 1975 to 1977 and captain from 1997 to 1979. From 1986 to 2002, he served as a fire department warden from 1986 to 2002.

But perhaps Conlon’s greatest legacy is in helping organize of the Mineola Junior Fire Department in 1976.

“At that time, they were talking about students needing to do community service in high school,” he said.

But , he said, you can’t argue with the results.

“Since the inception of it, we’ve had with several members become officers and chiefs, so it was a very good program,” Conlon said.

Conlon’s also been active in the Nassau County Fire Commission, serving as its secretary, vice president and president in a succession of two-year terms from 1993 to 1996.

He has served as a delegate to the county and state Association of Fire Districts since 1997 and also serves on the county Fire Commission Awards Committee and the Association of Fire Districts Awards Committee.

After 23 years in the police department, he retired as a detective in 1989.

Conlon is also a 25-year member and past president of the Knights of Columbus in Mineola.

A longtime parishioner of Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Mineola, he said his faith fueled his desire to continue serving as a firefighter.

“You’re helping the community,” he said.

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