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The
fourth company of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department
was first organized in 1912 as Section Four of the original
Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department. Section Four was housed
in an annex belonging to the Red Lion Inn. According to
local lore, the Red Lion Inn was visited by George Washington
during the Revolutionary War. Sometime around 1919 the Section
was disbanded.
On an April night in 1926, a group of residents got together
to discuss the changing neighborhood. They felt that the
age of sparsely populated farmland was gone and that densely
populated residential housing was growing quickly. It
was decided that the nearest fire-station was not close
enough. They vowed to answer the call of duty no matter
the time of day or condition of weather. |
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The newly formed company got a bright red Model T Ford
fire truck from the Douglaston Fire Company. The truck
was nicknamed Lizzie. Lizzie had good brakes but they
had to be relined after every trip. "She would go
like the wind on level ground and even faster downhill.
Trying to go uphill was another story." As Lizzie
neared Lakeville or Plandome Roads on Northern Boulevard,
the Captain would tell everybody to "get off and
push." A neighbor offered the use of his garage in
which to store Lizzie. This civic-minded person did not
know what was in store for him. When a call came in he
or his wife had to run, open the garage, sound the siren,
and give the location of the fire. At that time, all four
fire companies (there are 5 now) had to respond to every
alarm in the district. |
| About a year later, a new hook and ladder truck, a 1927
Maxim, was delivered. It was housed in a wooden shed that
was erected opposite of the location of the new building,
which was now nearing completion. Upon completion of the
new house, it was learned that the Highway Department
changed the route of Northern Boulevard. This meant that
the truck could not go out of the house from the front
doors on Northern Boulevard. There was a deep gully that
ran in front. During the dry season a brook rambled through
the gully. This gully became a torrential river during
rainy weather. |
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Did that stop the volunteers from performing their duty?
No Sir! They merely opened the back of the firehouse and
went out that way. It was about 10 years later that our
present house was completed. It was here that Company
No. 4 celebrated its 50th year of service to the community,
in 1976, despite floods, which filled the basement of
the firehouse and caused much damage. In 2001, Company
No. 4 celebrated 75 years of service to the community.
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Company #4 presently houses a 1999 93' LTI Tower Ladder,
a 2006 1500GPM KME Pumper and a 1982 100' American La
France Aerial Ladder. These pieces of apparatus are available
to respond day or night, fair weather or foul.
Company Four is one of the two ladder companies in the
department. They protect the villages of Russell Gardens,
University Gardens, Lake Success, Thomaston and portions
of the un-incorporated areas of Great Neck. |
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Copyright © Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department 2000-2008.
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