Levittown Fire Department(LFD) is a volunteer fire department that is responsible for over 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2) in Levittown, New York. The Levittown Fire Department has 240 members operating out of 3 stations.
Current Chairman of the Levittown Board of Fire Commissioners is Joseph Bentivenga and the Chief of the Department is Charles Giudice.
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Individuals from Levittown gathered informally in early 1949 to discuss ways of providing the newly built Levittown with proper fire protection. Previously the area was protected by the Hicksville, Bethpage, Wantagh, and East Meadow Fire Departments and because of a lack of fire alarm boxes there were many delays when a fire occurred.
On August 22, 1950, the Town of Hempstead Board authorized the creation of the Levittown Fire District and on that same day the newly appointed Board of Fire Commissioners passed a resolution creating the Levittown Fire Department. This was one of the largest and most completely equipped departments ever to be commissioned at once, rather than growing in gradual steps.
The first elected Board of Fire Commissioners consisted of Howard Haggerty, Bert Tanner, Art Pfeifer, Thomas E. Sweeney, and Lud Wolf. The current Board consists of Ex-Chiefs Tim Courtney, George Anderson and John Rottkamp, as well as Joel Bearman and Joe Bentivegna (the Chairman) who are not ex-Chiefs. The first Chief of the Department was John Cashman. The current Chief of the Department is Charles Giudice, assisted by Deputy Chiefs Scott Fisher Chris Behrens and Don Epple.
Over the last 59 years, the Levittown Fire Department has maintained a policy of keeping abreast of an ever-developing community and anticipating the best way of satisfying its fire protection needs. The Department provides 24 hour service to the nearly 17,000 predominantly single family home community, which includes a 2 mile commercial strip and dozens of community greens. There are four engine companies (E2, E3, E5 & E7), two ladder companies (L1 & L6) and a rescue company (R4) along with three ambulances and a special operations truck for MVAs and Haz-mat calls. The 240-member, 100% volunteer membership includes dozens of EMTs, and every member is certified yearly in CPR/AED/Emergency Breathing.
In 2010, the Department celebrated its 60th Anniversary, which included awarding the twelfth 5-year service star to Ex-Chief and Charter member Daniel T. Seip of Engine Co. 2. [1]