Strauss honored by Mineola Volunteer Fire Department

Robert Pelaez
Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss was named the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department's 2020 Firefighter of the Year in April. (Photo courtesy of the Mineola Fire Department)

Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss, a former chief of the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department, has been named as the department’s 2020 Firefighter of the Year.

Strauss, who served as the department’s chief from 2003 to 2005, has spent 40 years serving the Mineola community as a member of Truck Company 2. 

“I would like to thank my family for their encouragement and tolerance in allowing me the opportunity to serve our community as a volunteer firefighter,” Strauss said at an April 8 meeting. “I would also like to thank my fellow firefighters. No one in the Fire Department does anything alone. It is wholly a team effort, and being recognized for one’s service by their peers is the ultimate compliment.”

Before his tenure at the Fire Department, Strauss was exposed to volunteer work in the community as a child. His parents worked in the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the same group he would eventually join and where he met his future wife, Pat.

Strauss  achieved the rank of Eagle Scout as a part of Mineola’s Troop 45. He also spent more than 20 years as a member of the New York Police Department’s elite Emergency Service Unit. Strauss experienced the aftermath of Sept. 11 firsthand, being part of the team that searched through rubble for survivors.

Strauss’ experiences were even depicted in Hollywood, with “True Detective” star Stephen Dorff playing Strauss in Oliver Stone’s 2006 film “World Trade Center,” depicting him risking his life to save two transit cops buried in the smoldering rubble of the World Trade Center.

Strauss  climbed the chain of command in the Fire Department, serving as Truck Company 2’s lieutenant before becoming captain in 1992. Strauss’ two children, Bryan and Christopher, followed in their father’s footsteps and continue to serve with him in the same company. Bryan was a captain in the company and currently serves as the department’s second assistant chief, while Christopher was elected this year to serve as the company’s captain.

Strauss has also been an integral force in the implementation of various teams and programs to train and enhance the performance of firefighters. He developed the county’s first ride-along program to have Junior firefighters aid the department on response calls. Strauss also developed the county’s first Fire Service Drone Response Team and Mineola’s Firefighter Assist Standby Team, which prioritizes rescuing firefighters who are trapped.

Strauss has also served on the Village of Mineola’s Board of Trustees since 2010, and has been mayor since 2011.

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