Under the prior administration, the burn buildings at the academy - used for decades to train Nassau’s volunteer firefighters - had fallen into disrepair and had to be taken out of service for years.
There was no centralized emergency communication system, as plans for a new integrated Public Safety Center failed to get funding for equipment. The critical water separator system needed major repairs, and requests for replacements during 2005-2009 went nowhere.
Almost immediately after taking office, County Executive Mangano began the process of renovating the 17-year-old oil water separator system at the fire academy and allocating resources and supplies for a “mask confidence” building.
He soon moved forward with rebuilding both burn buildings, providing $2.3 million in funding for the new structures to include an interior smoke hatch: operable floor hatch that allows smoke into designated rooms; roof cutting stations: and temperature sensors. The buildings will officially be online by the end of this month.
Mangano oversaw the opening of a new, state-of-the art Police and Fire Communications Center - which consolidated 911 Operations, Fire Communications, Fire Marshall, Arson Bomb Squad, and Police ITU from 4 buildings into one modern secure facility.
In Jan 2013, to ensure the communication interoperability between all first responders, Mangano issued each Fire Department two XTS 2500 portable radios so the fire service can monitor police calls, which will lead to faster response time and knowledge of what the police are doing on scene. He also secured funding for new computer technology at Fire Com and the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office and Motorola portable radios in fire department ambulances.
And, last week, County Executive Mangano distributed critical protective equipment – including radiation detectors, thermal imaging cameras and safety harnesses – to various County fire departments and EMS agencies, thanks to a Federal Homeland Security grant that county officials won.
The equipment is needed in the areas of hazmat response, weapons of mass destruction response, terrorism response, mass casualty response, training, exercise and interoperability, and also includes:
Automated External Defibrillators; Multi gas meters and radiation detectors; ambulance stretchers; Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) packs with extra air cylinders; assorted medical supplies for response to mass casualty incidents and Rapid Deployment Decontamination Tents. Fire departments requesting turnout gear will be receiving state-of-the-art individualized protective apparel.
County Executive Mangano has joined firefighters from across Nassau County, and state fire officials, each of the last three years, in a statewide effort to increase volunteer firefighter numbers in New York State.
He also joined Republican county legislators to announce funding to save the Volunteer Firefighter Recruitment and Retention Scholarship Program that provides volunteers with free community college tuition, after federal grants ran out.
And he’s worked to secure funding for several VEEB training initiatives as well as for the purchase of equipment.