Readers Write: N. Hills, not firefighters, are at fault on service

The Island Now

In response to the March 24 article “Albertson firefighters say no to North Hills,” I would like to provide some clarity to the information provided in the story. 

As a proud member of the Albertson Fire Company for 40 years and as current chairman of the Board of Trustees, I was disappointed in the angle of the article and some of the information provided.

First, the article implies that the Albertson Fire Company has not responded to certain outreach by Mayor Marvin Natiss about the matter. 

In fact, no one from our company has received any emails from the village. 

I had a lengthy conversation with Village Administrator Marianne Lobaccaro about the situation, so I was surprised to read that we have not been responsive to the village’s efforts in contacting us. 

Perhaps the information below will provide some further insight to the community.

Our fire company, like most on Long Island, is a volunteer organization. 

Our 62 members serve our entire community with great pride and a strong commitment to keeping our residents safe. This commitment is unwavering despite certain challenges we face. 

As a volunteer company, we work on a modest budget and do everything we can to contain costs. 

When we evaluated our fire service contract with the Village of North Hills last year, we determined that our fee to the village would have to be increased, based on the assessed valuation of residences in the area. 

We have mistakenly undercharged the village for several years now, as we should have been basing our fees on assessed valuations, as we do with properties within our own service area. 

In fact, we found that homes within the village were paying less for fire protection than homes within our own service area. 

Even with this knowledge, we entered into a fire service contract with the village last year that called for a modest 2 percent increase to our services— far below the increase we sought. 

In good faith, however, we did not want to leave the village without a fire protection company without giving ample notice to find a new provider. 

We were also sensitive to the village’s own fiscal constraints, as the mayor indicated to us that the village had to adhere to the 2 percent tax levy cap. 

However, the village trustees ultimately voted to pierce the cap. 

In our eyes, this was deceptive and misleading to the fire company, as we had already made concessions to the village based on their tax cap limit.

We cannot continue to provide our services to the village without a proper fee schedule. 

Thus, in February of this year, we provided notice to the village that we would not renew our contract upon its expiration in May 2016, leaving them with several months to secure another fire company. 

As we have stated to the village before, we remain committed to providing fire coverage to the area on a pro rata basis after our current contract expires and until the village secures a new fire protection company.

We will fully cooperate with the village’s new fire provider in the transition process and wish the residents, the village and the new fire company our best in regard to fire protection for the area.

Richard W. Ockovic

Chairman, Board of Trustees

Albertson Hook and Ladder, Engine and Hose Company No. 1, Inc.

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