Great Neck fire department, dropped by insurer, hired new one for $460G more

A fire and emergency services provider that covers much of the Great Neck peninsula sustained a $460,000 increase in insurance costs this year after it was dropped by its longtime provider.

Vigilant Engine & Hook & Ladder Co. switched to National Indemnity after being dropped by VFIS, a Pennsylvania-based company that insures fire and emergency service companies nationwide.

Dave Weiss, chairman of Vigilant's board of trustees, said in an interview that the fire company had limited options for finding a new provider. He said he was notified by VFIS that Vigilant was being dropped late last fall.

"Not many insurance companies want to insure big red fire trucks that go through red lights," Weiss said. "It's specialized insurance." 

VFIS did not respond to multiple requests for comment. 

Vigilant's insurance costs rose from $205,000 in 2025 to $665,000 in 2026, according to Chris Bollerman, the fire department's executive administrator. 

Vigilant serves about 15,000 households, and municipalities contribute to the district's $3.35 million budget.

Vigilant provides fire and EMS services to unincorporated Great Neck, Great Neck Plaza, Great Neck Estates, Kensington and Thomaston. It provides EMS, but not fire service, to the villages of Great Neck, Kings Point and Saddle Rock. 

North Hempstead had budgeted $426,575 for Vigilant to cover the unincorporated part of Great Neck in 2026. That number will rise to $432,234 if approved after a public hearing on April 21, officials said. The increase would be covered by the town's reserve fund, town spokesman Umberto Mignardi said in a statement.

North Hempstead contributed $450,000 to Vigilant last year. 

“We're seeing the rise in insurance costs impact municipalities and fire districts across the region, but public safety remains my top priority," Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement. "The Town plans for these types of unforeseen increases as part of our long-term financial management. That means we can respond without disrupting the fire protection and emergency services our residents rely on every day. "

Weiss, the company's chairman for the past 16 years, said he took pride in the minimal increases to Vigilant's budget under his stewardship. He estimated it had grown about 10% during that time period.

"This is truly a really bad one-off, just because of the fact that we had to find insurance at the last minute," Weiss said. "Our goal is to obviously come more in line with what we used to be paying for it."

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.