As Floral Park Centre Fire Co. closes, New Hyde Park Fire is set to officially take over

The New Hyde Park Fire Department would formally take over areas served by the Floral Park Centre Fire Company, which closed its doors after more than a century, under a plan proposed by the Town of North Hempstead. 

The Floral Park Centre company shut down before midnight on New Year’s Eve because of a lack of members, former chief Martin Tolan said in an interview. The department had 26 members, only 14 of whom were authorized to fight fires indoors.

"If you know there's going to be a fire on Saturday morning at 10 o'clock, you can assemble the troops and have them ready to go," Tolan said. "The problem is we don't always know if it's going to be 10 o'clock Saturday morning, or 3 o'clock or 12 o'clock. We have no clue when the call comes in."

Floral Park Centre had served 350 households and about 20 commercial properties in an unincorporated part of the town, Tolan said. The special district had a budget of about $170,000 in 2025. 

Since Jan. 1, the New Hyde Park Fire Department has been providing fire services for the area, while Nassau County has been providing emergency medical services, Nassau Assistant Chief Fire Marshal James Hickman said in an interview.

North Hempstead's Town Board is weighing a measure to approve the New Hyde Park Fire Department's new contract. The agreement would also include the department taking over EMS service in the area from the county, town officials said.  

New Hyde Park Fire Department Chief John Waldron declined to comment. 

The town board on Wednesday voted 7-0 set a public hearing on Feb. 10 to consider the contract. 

Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in an emailed statement the "transition speaks to a larger issue, which is the urgent need of volunteers for our local fire districts."

"They're really the lifeline for so many residents and their value can't be overstated," DeSena said.

Tolan said Floral Park Centre had 42 firefighters at its peak. But membership dwindled over the years for a few reasons, among them people aging out or moving out of town, as well as increased training requirements, Tolan said.

"We tried to keep the lights on as long as we could," Tolan said. "It was getting to the point where it was going to become a liability."

By Joshua Needelman

joshua.needelman@newsday.com

Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.