During the 1920’s, the Gibson
Corporation was developing the south western area of Valley Stream with the
construction of one-family homes. By the end of 1928, they had built over 800
new homes. With no fire protection in the immediate area, it became evident
that a fire company was a much needed entity. At the suggestion of the
residents and the prodding of the Fire Insurance Underwriters, the Board of Fire
Commissioners decided to form a volunteer fire company in the Gibson area. To
facilitate the organization of this new fire company, Emil Raising a member of
Engine Co. No. 1 and Archibald Seaman a member of Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 were
assigned to the task of recruiting men in the Gibson area to join this new fire
company. Offering the volunteers nothing but the opportunity to help their
fellowman, the drive was met with great enthusiasm, and by May 1929, over 50
volunteers had signed up.
While members were being recruited
and trained, a new firehouse was being built on Cochran Place and Birch Lane.
On July 2, 1929, the firehouse was dedicated and Engine Company #3 became an
official fire-fighting unit of the Valley Stream Fire Department. The roster
consisted of six officers and 52 men, plus an honorary member, John “Pop” Kane.
Emil Raising was the first Captain and Archibald Seaman the first Lieutenant.
The company’s first three pieces of
apparatus were American LaFrance (1929, 1938, and 1942). In 1946, 1956, 1969
and 1988, the company utilized Mack fire apparatus. The 1969 Mack was one of
the last open-cab apparatus manufactured by Mack Corporation and is still the
property of the Valley Stream Fire Department. It served as a caisson for
numerous FDNY firefighter funerals and memorial services immediately after the
September 11th tragedy, taking two of them to their final resting
place. It served as the Memorial Caisson for Lieutenant Peter Martin, a former
member of Engine 343 and a Lieutenant in Rescue 2 of the FDNY killed that
fateful day.
On December 6, 1969, a fire engulfed
the Cochran Place firehouse. While the building was destroyed, including most
of the memorabilia, no-one was seriously injured and the 1959 and 1969 Mack
trucks were saved. The company was quartered at the Brooklyn Avenue firehouse
while a temporary structure was constructed in the rear yard of the Cochran
Place firehouse. In April of 1970, Engine 3 members moved into their temporary
home. By July of 1971, a new building was dedicated and Engine Co. No. 3
officially moved into its new beautiful home and over 30 years later, our
building and grounds are a part of our heritage.
Another proud moment in Engine Co.
343’s history occurred on August 14, 2003, when a massive blackout left much of
the northeast in the dark. The members of Engine 343 who were on standby were
alerted to a house fire in the vicinity where an elderly disabled male was
trapped inside the burning home. Working as a cohesive firefighting unit, the
company rescued the victim from a home almost completely engulfed in flames and
manned the first hose line prior to the arrival of the second unit at the
scene. For their teamwork and effective removal of the victim, the members of
Engine Company 343 were awarded a Unit Citation from the Nassau County Fire
Commission.
Today, our company boasts four
living Former Chiefs. Richard Kaufmann, 1976 (son of a deceased member),
Charles Parker, 1983, Frank Dell’Anno, 1987 and Walter H. Weltner Jr., 1995
(grandson, son, and brother of members). We also have three Honorary Chiefs,
Walter H. Weltner, 52 years of service, Richard Lehmann, 47 years of service and
Thomas Danza, 43 years of service. We also have as a member one of 3 female
firefighters currently in the Department, Deborah Bove (daughter of member Richard Stacy)
who has served our Company for 19 years.
Engine Company #3 has been blessed
over its 75 years of existence with hundreds of dedicated firefighters, always
willing to answer the alarm whether they were alerted from an air horn on the
roof or a pager on their belt. Whether it was in the middle of the day or the
darkest time of night, during a family meal or a family crisis they continue to
risk their lives for the residents and business owners of our wonderful
community. We ask God’s blessing on each and everyone of them as they continue
their fight against the ravages of fire.
