Oyster Bay fire dept. merger reconsidered

Officials from Oyster Bay hamlet's two independent fire companies and the villages and town they service met Tuesday to begin considering consolidating the volunteers into a single department.

Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, who called and chaired the meeting, said he asked the representatives of Oyster Bay Fire Company No. 1 and Atlantic Steamer Fire Company No. 1 if they were serious about pursuing the merger before any more time or resources were devoted. They agreed to return with their answers by June 1.

"If they are interested in merging, no one knows better than them how to make it happen," Venditto said afterward. "The town will assist in any way the two companies deem appropriate."

Village and fire department officials declined to comment after the meeting.

Venditto scheduled the meeting after Peter MacKinnon, attorney for Cove Neck and Oyster Bay Cove, urged the town in March to push for a merger. There have been two unsuccessful consolidation proposals over the past decade as the villages served by the two companies, Cove Neck, Oyster Bay Cove, Laurel Hollow and Mill Neck -- which pay almost half of their costs -- have pushed for consolidation. The town supplies the balance of their budgets. Each department has supported one of the past merger plans, but neither plan was approved by both departments.

Oyster Bay Fire Co. No. 1 Chief Anthony DeCarolis said before the meeting that the failed proposals called for creating one unified department but retaining the two existing companies under a larger single board of trustees, elimination of an assistant chief position in each company and having the chief come from each company in alternate terms. A new proposal is likely to be similar.

DeCarolis said, "We really do run as one department already" with each alternately in charge monthly and both departments sending different equipment to the same scene. He said the departments also already specialize in certain services to avoid duplication but added it did make sense to merge administrative activities.

"You would have centralized purchasing, one insurance policy covering both companies and it should bring operational improvement," he said. It might be easier to respond to a call on weekdays if personnel from both companies could man one truck.

Atlantic Steamer Fire Co. No. 1 Chief Ty Jiminez said before the session that "there was no financial reason to merge in the past" because the prior plans would have saved about $100,000 a year or about $20 per household.

With combined budgets of $1.4 million, he said, "There may be some savings" in combining insurance, legal representation and other factors.