Lynbrook's Tally-Ho fire company marks centennial

The Tally-Ho Chemical Engine Co.'s early days were humble -- equipment consisted of a pull-cart with a hose and water tank, its firehouse a Lynbrook garage.

But the company, incorporated by the state on March 25, 1912, has grown along with the western Lynbrook community it serves.

Company members, local officials and residents celebrated Tally-Ho's centennial Sunday at its 10 Horton Ave. firehouse, which was built in 1918 around the corner from the old garage.

At the ceremony, attendees honored both the department and Dominick DeCarlo, a 65-year member of the company who died in January at 86. A stretch of Horton Avenue was renamed DeCarlo's Way in honor of the former Lynbrook Fire Department chief.

"This is a very appropriate thing to do," said Anthony DeCarlo, first deputy chief of the department and a nephew of Dominick DeCarlo. "Uncle Dom has a legacy."

More than a dozen fire companies on Long Island are more than 100 years old, the Firemen's Association of the state of New York reported. The oldest on Long Island is the Hempstead Fire Department, founded in 1832, according to the Nassau County Firefighters Museum.

The Tally-Ho company became part of the Lynbrook Fire Department in 1922 but has maintained its own identity over the decades, members said.

The company is named for the Tally-Ho Inn, a bar and boardinghouse in the neighborhood that was destroyed in a 1910 fire. Eight residents of the area who frequented the inn decided to start a volunteer fire company, current engine company members said.

Lynbrook Mayor Bill Hendrick, state Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray were among the elected officials attending Sunday's event, which attracted about 200 people.

"We're very proud of Tally-Ho guarding our west end for 100 years," Hendrick said.

Tally-Ho has 32 members, several of whom have served for decades, fire company officials said. After DeCarlo's death, the most senior member became Thomas Ryan, who has served for 52 years, officials said.