Freeport Fire Department

The Freeport FD was alerted for a reported house fire on N Brookside Ave in the vicinity of Maxson Ave at around 9:30 this evening. First arriving Chief, 2103, transmitted a working fire signal for heavy smoke emanating from the structure. Heavy fire was located on the 1st and 2nd floor of the residence. Arriving units stretched 4 hoselines, 3 coming off Unit 216 & 1 coming off of Unit 213 to extinguish the fire. Mutual aid was staffed by units from Roosevelt, Merrick, Baldwin, Uniondale, Oceanside, & the Point Lookout-Lido FDs. All operations were under the command of Chief of Dept Joe Sotira (2100). Pictures from various photographers.

It’s official, our new Slate of Chief Officers for 2021-2022, left to right: 3rd Assistant Chief Albie Gonzalez (2103), 2nd Assistant Chief Kevin Collica (2102), Chief of Department Joseph Sotira (2100), & 1st Assistant Chief Scott Donnelly (2101). The transition is now complete and we wish these gentlemen a safe and healthy year. We wish outgoing Chief Scott R. Braun (2120) the best in his future endeavors. These gentlemen assumed their offices at 8pm this evening during our Fire Council meeting. Congratulations to all line officers and we wish the outgoing Company Captains the best moving forward.

Newsday approached our Dept last month about doing a spotlight piece on senior men in the fire service. Collectively, there is no one who epitomizes senior men like our own Ex-Chief John Cappy Capozolli, Jr. As our senior Ex-Chief, Cappy is a true testament to the selfless dedication of our greatest generation. Still active to this day, Chief Cappy serves in various committees, a prominent member of the Ever Ready Hose Co 1 kitchen committee, who makes sure the men are fe...d and ready for duty. Chief Cappy also received the highest tally at our recent general election for Battalion Delegate. Chief Cappy is a model for all of our younger members to emulate. A very nice job by Newsday for capturing his dedication in words. On a lighter note, Chief Cappy is still as sharp as a tack, mostly his sharp quick-wit and playful jousting verbally with the men and is probably in better shape then most twenty-somethings these days. See more

Our thoughts & condolences are with the brothers & sisters of the Oceanside FD & Ex-Captain Calderone’s as they mourn this sudden & shocking loss. RIP brother.

As the transition to a new Chief of Department begins, we would like to recognize outgoing Chief of Department Scott R. Braun for his tireless work and steadfast dedication to the Chiefs Office. Chief Braun commanded our Department at the precipice of a challenging and changing world, making tough decisions about how to battle Coronavirus and making those decisions with the safety of each and every member in mind. It was a year unlike any Chief in our Departments history has ...ever experienced. There wasn’t any room for mistakes, and Chief Braun managed it effortlessly. None of the traditional salutations were allowed to be enjoyed, dinners cancelled, parades put off, normalcy seemingly lost, yet Chief Braun managed it effortlessly. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors as he leaves office in the coming days. To his wife, Sue, thank you for allowing him to do the job he loved, thank you for allowing him the time away from home to dedicate all of his free time to our Department. A tip of the helmet to you both. Good luck Chief in whatever your future brings. See more

HERE IS THE BIG NEWS WE HAVE BEEN PROMISING. We all know 2020 has been rough on all of us. Come by and see Santa at all 6 of our firehouses on Saturday December 19th (rain date of 12/20) between 1pm & 4pm. Our way of trying to spread some holiday cheer in 2020. Please refer to the attached flyers for event details.

We’re working on something big & jolly to help bring some holiday cheer to the Village and our residents this year. Details will be announced once its finalized. We think you’re gonna love it. Ho ho ho.

To our members and their families, our friends & followers.......

Here is your friendly reminder to please make sure your major appliances are in working order before Thanksgiving. We come hungry and will most definitely exceed the 10-person limit for holiday gatherings.

1240am, our Dept was alerted to a building fire on Guy Lombardo Ave. A quick response from first arriving units found extremely heavy fire conditions existing throughout a 2-story mixed occupancy building. Shortly after arriving units mounted a firefight, an explosion occurred within the structure. Early indications are that this may have been a smoke explosion in the ceiling area. A smoke or fire gas explosion occurs when unburned products and flammable products of combust...ion accumulate and mix with air, forming a flammable mixture and introduction of a source of ignition results in a violent explosion of the pre-mixed fuel gases and air. The fire was under control in approximately 90 minutes, with crews remaining on scene until the early morning hours. The Chiefs Office would like to thank all mutual aid partners for their assistance. All Fire Dept operations were under the command of 1st Asst. Chief Joseph Sotira. 7 firefighters sustained non-life threatening injuries battling this blaze, ranging from heat exhaustion to bumps and bruises and lacerations. Our thoughts go out to all who occupied this structure, staples of our Village for more than 5 decades. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Nassau County Fire Marshals Office. See more