Mattituck Fire District expansion up for vote

The Mattituck Fire District’s Board of Commissioners will hold a capital bond referendum vote for the expansion of the fire department’s Pike Street firehouse Tuesday, Oct. 24. Voting will take place at the firehouse from 3 to 9 p.m. 

Before the vote, the fire district will also host a public hearing on the project at the firehouse Thursday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. Community members who attend are welcome to ask questions regarding the project.

In 2022, district voters shot down an $11 million capital bond referendum to expand the fire station, with 71 opposed and 50 in favor. After meeting with fire department members to learn what they hope to see in a new fire station, the district revised its plans, which now call for a two-story addition to the western side of the original building at the corner of Pike Street and Wickham Avenue.

The total cost of the revised plan is approximately $15.5 million. The fire district has approximately $2.5 million in its building reserve fund, which will be used for this project. Voters will be called on to approve a capital bond for the district to borrow $13 million. If the bond is approved, the average household within the fire district would see a tax increase of approximately $114 per year, according to the board of commissioners. 

Renovations to the existing structure and the two-story addition call for four pull-through truck bays, a new community meeting space, a full kitchen, office and training spaces and gear areas for responders to change more safely.

“The engines are really tight, close together,” said fire commissioner chairman Jason Haas. “People are getting their gear on right next to the trucks while they’re pulling out on the ramp. We need more room.”

To make room for the two-story addition, the existing historic firehouse will be moved closer to Route 25 and the building currently used as the district office will be demolished.

If the project moves forward,  the fire station, the original portion of which is nearly a century old, will comply with ADA, OSHA and FEMA regulations, including those it cannot currently satisfy due to spatial constraints, according to the commissioners. The fire station has undergone? renovations and additions over the years, however, certain practices, training and equipment have all evolved in recent decades.

For instance, fire fighters are now advised to remove contaminated gear after responding to calls before they even get back into their trucks  to limit their exposure to the carcinogens that blacken their uniforms. This means trucks and stations are being designed with extra space to store this tainted equipment.

“In the past few years it’s come out that cancer is one of the leading causes of death for firefighters,” said Edward Hanus Jr., a  district’s commissioner.. “Now they recommend keeping our turnout gear separate … We get our gear washed after each fire. Part of the addition is a gear room [and] someplace to clean the gear and service it away from our other areas.”

At a time when fire departments across the North Fork struggle to recruit members and departments are responding to more calls each year, Mattituck’s volunteers hope residents will support the expansion.

“I hope the public comes out and votes — and in our favor, hopefully,” said Bobby Haas, the department’s first assistant chief. “It’s something we desperately need.”