Central Islip (NY) is a hamlet in the town of Islip in Suffolk County on Long Island. Like many other towns located further out on the “island,” once the Long Island Railroad reached its locations, towns began to emerge.
In 1889 the Central Islip Psychiatric Center opened there and sat on a 788-acre land parcel, which operated for over a 100 years, until it was shut down in 1996. Once the center was closed, the town had a resurgence in building with many new housing developments popping up throughout the community as well as commercial properties being built on and around the hospital site.
Today the area also boasts a minor league baseball stadium, home to the Long Island Ducks, and a large complex of court buildings. In 1906, like in many other areas in the country, a group of community-minded individuals gathered to discuss creating a fire department. A hand-drawn ladder truck and a supply of buckets was the department’s original equipment, far from their modern equipment and apparatus of today. The department currently consists of four engine companies, one truck company and a rescue company. One of the things that sets the department ahead of others was the acquisition of two twin 2020 Rosenbauer 104’ tower ladders that will provide additional protection to their ever changing community.
Hook & Ladder Company 1 was one of the original companies formed when the Central Islip Hook and Ladder 1 & Chemical Engine Company 1 was established. In 1929, the reorganization of the Central Islip Fire Department had the company moving to the “Truck House” on East Suffolk Avenue. The company would move twice more in its history and currently is located at Station 2. The company has operated various types of apparatus throughout its existence. Many of these rigs were unique in their own way. The first apparatus was a Grabowsky Ladder truck, which was purchased from the Huntington Fire Department. Their next rigs were: a Reo Ladder truck, which originally operated at the Islip State Hospital, a Maxim 75’ aerial ladder, a Pierce 85’ LTI aerial ladder, and a Pierce Dash tower ladder. Currently, Hook & Ladder Company 1 operates a 2020 Rosenbauer 100’ tower ladder.
Truck 1’s Commander Tilt-Cab and body has a unique paint scheme in its gray-over-red design, with the aerial ladder and tower bucket painted black. The chrome diamond plate on the apparatus is also covered or “blacked-out” with a grayish non-slip paint product, giving the apparatus a stunning appearance. Having the non-slip paint product on the rig makes it safe to walk on the turntable, climb up the rear access ladder to the turntable and operate off the front or side lips of the bucket. The body of the apparatus has three black reflective stripes; two thin lines and one thick line which run midway on the side of the apparatus and then diagonally to the rear. The CIFD letters are embedded in the lines towards the rear of the apparatus. The front cab doors have a departmental Maltese Cross logo while the rear cab doors sport a company Maltese Cross design. The front grill has the American Flag embedded on it with a rotating warning light mounted on it. The rear of the apparatus also has a very unique DOT chevron color, the reflective striping is blue with company signage on the rear roll-up door and “Keep Back 200 Feet”.
On each side of the aerial ladder, there are large signs with Truck 1 Central Islip and the two company logos on it. The tower ladder bucket has reflective Truck 1 emblems on the bucket’s side walls while the department patch adorns both of the doors. As with many departments, traditions and honoring their past is often found on apparatus; this department has dedicated their apparatus to a former member and a plaque is attached to the cab in his memory. Another item not often seen on fire apparatus is an engraved bell on the front bumper, commemorating past trucks the company has operated. All the rigs formerly serving Hook & Ladder Co. 1 are listed on the chrome bell, which has an eagle mounted on its top.
The Commander cab has a large vertical compartment on both of its sides, located just behind the jump seats. On the officer side the tools and equipment stored there are dedicated to the inside forcible entry team. These tools consist of: A K-tool, two sets of irons (one set has an 8-pound axe and the other The PIG Tool married to a Halligan), a pressurized water extinguisher, a Fire Hooks Unlimited Hydra-Ram and a 6’ wood handle hook attached to the inside door panel. On the chauffeur side of the rig, this tool compartment is dedicated to the firefighters performing outside truck functions; the outside vent position, roof firefighter and chauffeur. The tools stored here are: two Halligans and two hooks mounted in slide in shelves and two 6’ New York hooks mounted onto the inner panel of the compartment’s door. A flashlight is also stored there for the chauffeur, while the other flashlights are stored in chargers in the crew cab.
Located closely to the forcible entry compartment is the unit’s Rapid Intervention Team’s (RIT) equipment. Numerous other forcible entry tools are located in this compartment as well as other RIT team equipment. The compartment has a fold-down step to make accessing the tools stored on the upper shelf easier to retrieve. Mounted on the inner panel of the door are: A small and large bolt cutter and a duck bill lock breaking tool. Standing up vertically inside the compartment are a Fast Rescue Solutions FAST board with a Scott RIT Air-Pak mounted stored inside the unit. An additional set of irons, 8-pound axe, The PIG Tool, pike head axe, exhaust fan brace and hooks are also stored here also because of the cross-compartment design. On the opposite side of the rig in this cross-compartment, there are also additional hooks, a 30” and 42”Halligan bar, a 36” pipe wrench, a mini set of irons, search rope bags, chauffeur SCBA and a duck bill lock breaker mounted on the door panel.
Hook and Ladder Company 1 are very proud of their dynamic firefighting piece of apparatus. Not only is it set-up with making the truck easy to work off of, but it also allows the company to display the pride they have in helping those in need and representing those who operated before them.
Michael N. Ciampo is a 37-year veteran of the fire service and a Lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is the lead instructor for FDIC International Truck Essentials HOT program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter 1 & 2, The Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD and Co-authored the Tools of the Trade handbook. He is featured in Training Minutes truck company videos on FireEngineering.com. Recently he wrote the textbook Tower Ladders, Tactics, Tips & Tales.
