SOUND BEACH

To the Editor:

Since before Tropical Storm Irene arrived on Long Island, the members and staff at the Sound Beach Fire Department have been determined in their goal to serve the community at large and assist the residents in their time of need.

As you are all well aware, a good portion of our community has been without electric, telephones and cell phone service.  This also includes our members who answer calls for those in need.  We realize that this lifestyle begins to wear on your nerves very quickly and it is our hope that everyone will be fully restored very soon.

Our volunteers remained at the firehouse throughout the entire storm to insure our residents would be protected, even though their own families may have been without power.  In the past several days, we have answered over 40 calls for help that consist anywhere from downed wires, to candles that have caused fires, medical emergencies, serious gas leaks and many other hazards that have occurred in the aftermath of a storm of this magnitude.

We realize the number of calls has increased and that the siren is also sounding during the night.  However, this is only a temporary measure since many of our volunteers are still without electric power, which means they have no pagers to charge. Also, many volunteers have no landline phones and no cell phones yet.  Therefore, the only way of knowing there is a call is when they hear the siren blow and they come to the firehouse. It is the only way we can insure that the volunteers are aware there is a call.

Our single most important goal is to provide the best protection we can for our residents and rest assured that once power is restored to everyone, we will immediately revert back to only using the sirens from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.  It is our hope that by the time you read this letter, all power will have been restored and most homes and families back to normal.  Your continued patience during this time is appreciated.

Board of Fire Commissioners, Sound Beach Fire District