On Dec. 8, 1888, a group of men met in a schoolhouse on Willis Avenue to discuss the formation of a volunteer fire department in Mineola. Three weeks later, on Christmas Day, Mineola Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 was formed.
On February 8, 1889, the first regular meeting was held in the schoolhouse with 23 members present. The company rolled to its first fire on April 29, 1889.
A notation in the fire record reads as follows: “barn shed, carriage house and corn crib, property of Caroline L. Smith of Mineola, with entire contents except carriages, consisting of six good horses, three cows, about seven tons of hay, one-ton straw, four sets double and two sets single harness, two sleighs, lot potatoes and three barrels vinegar consumed by fire discovered about 1:30 a.m.” The first Mineola firehouse was built around 1889.
On Jan. 1, 1899, it was chosen as a temporary home of the Nassau County Court. The building also served as a civic center, where many village organizations held their meetings.
On April 19, 1907, the Mineola Village Board incorporated the Jericho Turnpike Engine and Hose Company No. 1 of Mineola, known as Company No. 2 today. Two separate and independent fire companies now protect the Village of Mineola.
During the year of 1908, the new company continued to grow. Training standards were set, and meetings were held with Mineola Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 (Engine Co. 1 today) to elect one chief for both departments.
On March 8, 1910, the village asked the companies if they would let the village use its fire apparatus until the village could take over the equipment. They approved, provided that the village pay rent. This began the process of combining both fire companies to become part of the village government.
Just four years after Mineola became an incorporated village, officials passed a resolution that the two fire companies be reorganized into a village volunteer fire department.
The christening of the Mineola firehouse took place on March 20, 1913. Seven years later, on March 23, 1920, the village purchased all property, buildings and equipment owned by Jericho Turnpike Engine & Hose Company No. 1 for $1. Hose Company No. 3 was formally organized on Aug. 22, 1922.
Before Company No. 3’s firehouse was built, the firemen held their meetings either in their own homes, in Company No. 1’s Firehouse on Main Street or in Company No. 2’s Firehouse on
Jericho Turnpike.
Company No. 3’s firehouse was erected by the original members of the company in their spare time and opened in 1923. By 1925, the Company No. 1 fi rehouse, which also housed the Village Hall, had fallen into disrepair. The Village Board decided to expand Company No. 2’s firehouse, which was renovated with the truck room facing Washington Avenue on the rear of the building.
The existing firehouse was converted into the new Village Hall. Both fire companies were then housed in the new quarters. The new building was dedicated in 1928 and is known as the headquarters.
The Mineola Hotel fire hit the front page of all local newspapers in 1966. One person was found dead in this arson-related fire. In 1976 and for the second time in its history, the Mineola Fire Department mourned the loss of one of its leaders when Chief Jack Levatino succumbed to a heart attack. A rescue truck is dedicated to his honor.
The Mineola Junior Fire Department was organized in 1976. On March 19, 1983, Company No. 3 dedicated its new, larger, and more modern quarters next door to its old firehouse. The old structure still serves the village as the headquarters for the
Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
In September 1988, the first female firefighter in the department’s 100-year history joined Company No. 3. At the beginning of the new millennium, the headquarters on Washington Avenue was completely renovated, adding two new bays to house the newer and larger equipment that is needed in today’s firefighting.
Information provided by the Mineola
Fire Department.
