North Fork fire districts elect commissioners
Fire commissioner candidates ran unopposed across five North Fork districts Tuesday, with most winning new five-year terms.
Chris Talbot, who recently ran for Town Board, returns to lead Cutchogue, while Brett Kehl, the current deputy chairman for Southold, will move up to the main job.
In Mattituck, incumbent David Haas won the district’s five-year spot, while Robert Dean captured the vacant one-year spot.
Michael T. Prindle Jr. won the five-year spot in the Orient Fire District, and Bryan Weingart took the lone five-year seat in East Marion.
Fire commissioner boards oversee each district’s financial and administrative operations, including proposing budgets and initiating projects to improve fire safety. They do not handle day-to-day operations or respond to emergencies; those roles are handled by fire chiefs.
Those elected this year to five-year terms begin Jan. 1, 2026, and end Dec. 31, 2030.
The boards govern all fire companies and departments within their districts by adopting rules and regulations for their members.
A resolution in Mattituck to increase the monthly service award for volunteer firefighters from $20 to $30 for all years of service credit earned after Jan. 1, 2026, was also on the ballot.
The resolution extends the maximum years of service credit for which a participating active volunteer firefighter may earn a service award from 40 to 50 years, increasing the maximum lifetime monthly benefit that could be earned by a participating firefighter from $800 to $1,500, provided all years of service credit are earned after Jan. 1.
The result of the vote was not available at press time.
