The Garden City Fire Department’s chiefs and line and corporate officers recently took their oaths of office during ceremonies at village hall. Mayor Theresa Trouvé and Trustee John Delany, fire commissioner, did the honors.
Thomas Strysko will continue serving as Chief of the Department. He will be aided during the coming year by 1st Assistant Chief Devyn Moody, 2nd Assistant Chief Matthew Pearn and 3rd Assistant Chief James Taunton.
Chief Strysko has more than two decades in the fire service, serving 11 years in the West Hempstead Fire Department, many of which were at the rank of captain. He moved to Garden City with his family and did not hesitate to join the fire department. In his 15 years with the Garden City Fire Department, he was an Engine Company Officer for three years and is now starting his eighth year in the chiefs ranks serving his second term as Chief of Department. Chief Strysko is an engineer and owner of a manufacturing company and lives in the village with his wife, Maureen, and their two daughters. One daughter is a rising senior and education major at SUNY Geneseo and his other daughter graduated from Elon University in May with a degree in Public Health and Human Service Studies.
First Assistant Chief Moody joined the department in 2010 and was assigned to Engine Company. Three years later, he transferred to the Truck Company where he then served as 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant and Captain. He resides in Garden City and works for the village serving the community as a Police Aide for the Garden City Police Department.
Second Assistant Chief Pearn has served the Garden City Fire Department for the past 11 years. He has spent five of those years as a line officer; three years with Engine Company having obtained the rank of captain and two years as a lieutenant in Truck Company. During his tenure he has served on various committees and continues to this day to serve on the Driver Training, the SOG and the Fund Drive committees. Always looking to enhance his skills and knowledge, Assistant Chief Pearn has taken numerous courses over the years provided by both New York State and Nassau County Fire Service Academies, including Principles of Instruction, Apparatus Pump Operator, Vehicle Extrication and Fireground Communications. A graduate of Garden City High School, Assistant Chief Pearn attended Loyola University Maryland earning a degree in business. He is currently working for JP Morgan in its investment bank. He is looking forward to a successful year as the department continues to strive to the best of its ability to protect the lives and property of residents of Garden City.
Third Assistant Chief James Taunton moved from Valley Stream to Garden City in 2000, where he attended Garden City High School and graduated in 2006. In 2010, he obtained a Bachelor’s of Science with a major in nursing from Adelphi University. Currently, Assistant Chief Taunton is working at NYU Winthrop as a registered nurse and has recently been promoted to assistant nurse manager at the Electrophysiology/Cath Lab. He has been part of the Garden City Volunteer Fire Department since 2012 and has rapidly ascended the last three years as captain of the Truck Company. In addition to his wide range of experience in both the fire department and working at NYU Winthrop Hospital, Assistant Chief Taunton is now also taking classes towards a master’s degree in Emergency Management from Adelphi University.
