Feds OK $725G for MacArthur Airport plan

A new aircraft rescue and firefighting facility is a step closer at Long Island MacArthur Airport after officials this week received the green light for $725,779 in U.S. Department of Transportation funds.

The money will fund the design phase for the new command center, which will include an emergency operations center, bays for fire rescue and hazmat vehicles, a dispatch center and a fire rescue staging room.

The present round-the-clock facility, built in the 1950s as an airport maintenance building, is tight on space for both personnel and vehicles.

Phil Nolan, supervisor of the Town of Islip, which operates the Ronkonkoma airport, welcomed the funds and said the new facility is "pivotal."

MacArthur Airport is a designated central hub for emergencies in Suffolk County. Besides servicing the airport, the fire department based there often assists in other major emergencies. Last January, its fire rescue foam trucks helped at the scene of a large fire following a gasoline tanker crash on the Long Island Expressway in Melville.

"This facility is central to emergency response throughout the county," Nolan said. "It's located outside the flood plain, centrally located for five Suffolk towns and within range of 1.5 million people."

The new facility would serve another purpose, he said. "As we endeavor to lure prospective new airlines, we raise these improved assets as part of the compelling case for the attractiveness of the airport."

Airport Fire Rescue Chief Joe Marino said the funds were a result of Nolan and the Federal Aviation Administration's commitment to emergency preparedness and safety.