Arthur Kuss Jr. Award Ceremony [4-3-22]
The Second Battalion Fire District held the Arthur Kuss Jr. Award Ceremony on the morning of Sunday, April 3rd, 2022, at the Coral House in Baldwin. The event was held to recognize the heroic actions of various members of the Second Battalion at three incidents over the past two years.
The first of these incidents took place on November 27th, 2019, on Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook when the driver of an Infiniti sedan drove into the rear of a stopped box truck. As a result of the impact the sedan caught fire and its driver became unconscious and trapped. Baldwin Fire Department Lieutenant Jimmy Martinez [who driving eastbound on Sunrise Highway and heard the crash] along with another bystander ran to the scene and were able to extricate the driver from the vehicle before it became fully engulfed. The driver was then placed on the opposite side of the highway, tended to by Lynbrook Fire Department and Northwell EMTs, and transported to an area hospital where despite being seriously injured survived the accident. For his actions Lieutenant Martinez was awarded the Firefighter of the Year award.
The second of these incidents took place on August 1st, 2020, in the waters of Freeport Creek off Cow Meadow Park in Freeport when two vessels collided resulting in seven people being injured. Four of the seven victims received minor injuries, two victims were seriously injured, and one victim later died due to injuries sustained. Despite the multiple aided and one vessel being split in half from the impact the incident likely would have been much worse had it not been for the actions of several members of the Freeport Fire Department who were able to remove the aided from the water, assess their injuries and get them transported to area hospitals. For their actions these members of the Freeport Fire Department were awarded a unit citation.
The third [and most recent] of these incidents took place in the early morning hours of November 19th, 2020, in West Atlantic Beach. The Long Beach Fire Department was requested to standby at a staging area a few blocks away from where a barricaded subject was threatening to burn down his Erie Avenue home and harm law enforcement. Then Chief of Department Rick DiGiacomo was on the scene coordinating with Nassau County Police and upon seeing smoke and flames coming from the home transmitted a working fire and directed fire units into the scene. Guarded by armed Nassau County Police Officers Long Beach firefighters performed exterior fire suppression until it was safe to perform an interior attack. An eventual search of the home resulted in the suspect being found in the basement – semi-conscious. The suspect and a dog were the only ones inside the home and were both removed. For their actions several members of the Long Beach Fire Department received the Firefighter of the Year award.
Read MoreThe first of these incidents took place on November 27th, 2019, on Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook when the driver of an Infiniti sedan drove into the rear of a stopped box truck. As a result of the impact the sedan caught fire and its driver became unconscious and trapped. Baldwin Fire Department Lieutenant Jimmy Martinez [who driving eastbound on Sunrise Highway and heard the crash] along with another bystander ran to the scene and were able to extricate the driver from the vehicle before it became fully engulfed. The driver was then placed on the opposite side of the highway, tended to by Lynbrook Fire Department and Northwell EMTs, and transported to an area hospital where despite being seriously injured survived the accident. For his actions Lieutenant Martinez was awarded the Firefighter of the Year award.
The second of these incidents took place on August 1st, 2020, in the waters of Freeport Creek off Cow Meadow Park in Freeport when two vessels collided resulting in seven people being injured. Four of the seven victims received minor injuries, two victims were seriously injured, and one victim later died due to injuries sustained. Despite the multiple aided and one vessel being split in half from the impact the incident likely would have been much worse had it not been for the actions of several members of the Freeport Fire Department who were able to remove the aided from the water, assess their injuries and get them transported to area hospitals. For their actions these members of the Freeport Fire Department were awarded a unit citation.
The third [and most recent] of these incidents took place in the early morning hours of November 19th, 2020, in West Atlantic Beach. The Long Beach Fire Department was requested to standby at a staging area a few blocks away from where a barricaded subject was threatening to burn down his Erie Avenue home and harm law enforcement. Then Chief of Department Rick DiGiacomo was on the scene coordinating with Nassau County Police and upon seeing smoke and flames coming from the home transmitted a working fire and directed fire units into the scene. Guarded by armed Nassau County Police Officers Long Beach firefighters performed exterior fire suppression until it was safe to perform an interior attack. An eventual search of the home resulted in the suspect being found in the basement – semi-conscious. The suspect and a dog were the only ones inside the home and were both removed. For their actions several members of the Long Beach Fire Department received the Firefighter of the Year award.
