The History of the Glenwood H&L, E&H, Co., Inc

1967-1976

Construction started in 1967, and temporary quarters were set up in the old Cities Service gas station, which at the time was vacant, located on Glen Head Road at the railroad plaza entrance. Two engines were housed in the upper bays of the former repair station, and the Mack rescue truck was housed in the lower garage in the rear of the structure.

The new Station 2, with three bays and room for six pieces of apparatus, was completed in early 1968 and was dedicated with pomp and circumstance in the Spring of that year.
During the 1960's and 1970's, the New York Daily News sponsored the NEWS Vamp awards, honoring volunteer fire departments from throughout the metropolitan area for outstanding performance at fires and rescues. The Glenwood firefighters were honored on many occasions, taking the top honors on more than one occasion.

In 1971, it was decided by the Company to replace two engines - the Darley and the Approved Fire [AF] at the same time. This decision was unprecedented in the company's history. In 1973, the Company accepted delivery of two twin American LaFrance 1250 g.p.m. pumpers - engine 532 was assigned to Station 2 and engine 537 was assigned to Headquarters. The following year the Company purchased a 1974 Pierce "Quick Attack" engine. In 1978, the Company purchased another quick attack engine to replace the now aging. Mack pumper, which had served the company faithfully for more than twenty-nine years. The Mack was purchased by the Long Island Lighting Company for use at the Shoreham Nuclear Power plant which was under construction at that time. When the dismantling of the Shoreham plant began in the late 1980's, LILCO returned the Mack to Glenwood and the 1978 quick attack was sold to LILCO for use at the Northport power plant. The 1954 Seagrave 75-ft aerial ladder was retired in 1979 after twenty-five years of service and was replaced by a 100-ft. Peter Pirsch aerial ladder.

On the afternoon of January 24, 1974, 86-year-old George Amrhein, Sr., life member and active member of the Fire Police squad, was at his home at 23 Chestnut Avenue, when a fire broke out in the second floor of the 2'/2-story wood frame home. Firefighter Amrhein immediately called the fire department. Knowing that his son-in-law John Lehman was somewhere on the second floor, Mr. Amrhein tried to reach the second floor, but was beaten back by the flames and smoke. He tried a second time to reach the second floor, and once more the flames and smoke drove him back. Badly burned by his repeated attempts to reach his son-in-law, Mr. Amrhein found himself unable to remove his 84-year-old wife who was confined to a wheel chair because of a broken hip, from the first floor of the home.

Glenwood firefighters received the alarm at 4:41 p.m. Alerted to the fire at his parents home, ExChief George Amrhein. Jr. and brother-in-law Raymond Sweeting (also a Glenwood firemen), arrived on the scene moments before the first units and successfully removed Mr. and Mrs. Amrhein from the blazing structure. The elder Amrheins were then transported to Glen Cove Hospital via Glenwood's ambulance. Chief John Matthews and his two assistant chiefs - Warren Alexander and Jeff Brown arrived on the scene within three minutes, followed immediately by engine 532 from Station 2 and ladder 538 from Headquarters. The first order of business was the rescue of Mr. Lehman.

The fire had gained a considerable headway on the second floor and Mr. Lehman could be heard calling out for help. Capt. Carmen Ciampi and Lt. Vie Puchaiski attempted to reach the second floor via the interior stairs, but were unable to reach the second floor because of the flames and intense heat and smoke. The ladder truck's crew quickly raised a twenty-four-foot ground ladder to the second floor rear bedroom window which was reported to be Lehman's room. Assistant Chiefs Alexander and Brown, along with Lieutenants Tom Halloran, Bob Di~yer and firefighter George Wolf entered the second floor bedroom but were unable to locate the trapped Lehman. Apparently he had tried to escape the flames and was now trapped in a front bedroom. Chief Brown and Lt. Dwyer pushed through the flames and located the unconscious Lehman in the front bedroom and dragged him to safety. Inunediately resuscitation efforts were started and Mr. Lehman was rushed to Glen Cove Hospital via the Sea Cliff fire department ambulance. Unfortunately, six days later Mr. Lehman died of his injuries received in the fire - severe bums and smoke inhalation. This was only the second time in 67 years that a loss of life occurred as a direct result of a fire. For the heroic actions of Company at this fire the Company was awarded first place in the 262~ monthly NEWS Vamp Award for January 1974.

There were many times however, that the company's members were successful in saving a life. In March of 1976, a four-year-old Glen Head boy fell into a swimming pool in North Shore Acres.

Firefighters Scott and Stret Whitting saved the young boy's life by administering mouth to mouth resuscitation. For their efforts they were rewarded the Dr. Robert S. Donnenfeld Memorial "Life and Breath" award from the American Lung Association in June of 1976. The award is presented annually by the association to emergency rescue personnel who save lives using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the lifesaving technique which Donnenfeld, a pulmonary physician thought was not used enough by personnel trained to use it.

During the early 1970's the treatment of sick and injured individuals by rescue personnel was advancing to a higher level of care than provided in the past. The era of the Emergency Medical, Technician IEMTI and the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician [AEMT] had arrived. The teaching of Advanced First Aid - the standard for many years, was slowly being replaced by the EMT level of training. This new level of training and care was popularized by the television show "Rescue 54." The AEMT could, in certain situations and under strict protocols, administer drug therapy via an intravenous needle. The technicians would be in constant conimunication with the Medical Control center at the Nassau County Medical Center, where a doctor would evaluate the information transmitted via voice radio and a heart monitor attached to the patient. Captain Neil Caggiano was the first member of the Company trained as an EMT and AEMT. and was instrumental in instituting the program in Glenwood, which was one of the first departments in the area with the advanced life support equipment. In 1974, the first group of Glenwood firefighters trained as AEMT's -Tom Buchta, Mark Clampet, James Abbondondolo and William Schmidt received their certificates in a ceremony held at the Old Bethpage Restoration Village. They were among some fifty other graduates from fire departments throughout Nassau County who had attended the first AEMT course offered by the Nassau County Fire Service Academy.

In the twenty years since the program was adopted, numerous Glenwood firefighters have been and continue to be certified as technicians. The result has been many a life saved that otherwise might have been lost. Today, the technicians can offer drug therapy in a wide variety of situations that were not available in 1974. The medical technicians of the Company are to be commended for the many long hours spent in training, in order to serve the Company and the community as Emergency Medical

Technicians. In addition to the many hours spent in their initial training, the technicians must spend many more hours of their own time keeping abreast of the new techniques and training, and the constant upgrading of the County's protocols, as well as attending the required refresher courses.