On Tuesday December 9th between 6 pm-9 pm the polls will open at Station 1 located at 1916 Commerce Street for a Bond vote for the Yorktown Heights Fire District.

The $ 1.5 million bond will be used for very necessary repairs to the roof of Station 2 located at 794 Locksley Road and for a second story addition to be added on. Station 2 was built in the early 1960’s as a simple 2 bay sub-station to meet the growing need for a fire station in the Northern section of our district at the time. In the 1980’s Station 2 which was owned by the Members of the Yorktown Heights Engine Co. No. 1 (whose members currently still own the building and land at 1916 Commerce St known as Station 1 or Commerce Street Fire House) sold the building to the Yorktown Heights Fire District. The building at that time was in dire need of repair that the Engine Co. could not financially accomplish. Once the Fire District overtook ownership of Station 2; necessary repairs were made and an addition to the building and bays were made. The Engine Co. provided the manpower to the station and the District provided the facility and to this day these two very different organizations enjoy a great partnership with each striving toward the common goal of providing the best fire protection possible for its residents. To this day no other major work has been done to the station and the years of work as a busy fire station are taking its toll.

Why is this important you may ask? Well the roof is constantly leaking which is not only a problem that could potentially damage very expensive equipment which is housed in this station, but if this continues it can create a health and safety hazard and can affect the morale of our members. Those members you may be wondering about are VOLUNTEERS and have been since the creation of the Yorktown Heights Engine Co. No. 1 in 1909, most residents never realize that when they dial 911 that some of their neighbors, friends, teachers, town workers, high school students, college students, and ordinary people whom they may have never met drop everything and respond to their aid. These dedicated volunteers save the taxpayers of the Yorktown Heights Fire District millions of dollars every year. It also is a fact that we happen to be one of the busiest All Volunteer fire companies in Northern Westchester. Whose call volume does not include EMS calls which we do not respond to. Yearly, we average approximately 600-700+ alarms which can range from minor incidents to major disasters most of these emergencies you will never hear about unless you happen to see a two minute clip if it makes the evening news or the paper.

Station 2 is also no ordinary fire station that just stores “fire trucks” it is the home of two Special Operations Teams that our members volunteer even more time and energy to be a part of. The Firefighter Assist and Search Team (FAST) is a handpicked group of elite veteran firefighters that are also specially trained and requested at all structural fires and major emergencies to stand by and perform the dangerous necessary tasks in case a firefighter becomes trapped, disoriented, lost or otherwise injured and needs to be rescued. The second Special Operations team operating out of Station 2 is the Water Rescue Unit & Dive team that has multiple divers, ice & swift water rescue technicians that respond to a majority of water rescue incidents in Northern Westchester as well as incidents on the Hudson River, Bear Mountain Bridge and beyond with a specialized rescue vehicle and 3 small boats.

The fact is that the Fire tax for the Yorktown Heights Fire District is the lowest of all taxes in the Town of Yorktown. This proposed bond will call for a $ 2.00 increase for every thousand dollars in taxes which is about a $ 22.00 increase in the Fire Tax. This $ 2.00 average increase provides our volunteers with a safe, comfortable and reliable place to stay during storms and times of need to provide better fire protection and give these members a prideful place to call their own and will ultimately turn the “Fire Station” into a “Fire House”. That may not mean anything to the average person, but to the members that dedicate so much and risk their lives for others for nothing in return, it can mean the world to them. So please on Tuesday December 9th between 6pm-9pm at 1916 Commerce Street (Station 1) come out, Vote and show your support Please allow us to continue to keep providing the best fire protection possible, but we cannot do it without your help and support.