Page 7 - Work Force May 2025

May 2025 7
The Work Force
The state firefighters were also
responsible for the continued
operation of fire departments
responding to the fire. The tanker
truck that Ruddick was operating
carries 4,000 gallons of water, which
were used to replenish the water
supply of firefighters.
According to local newspapers,
fire investigators determined that
the brush fire was caused by a family
making s’mores. The people had
used cardboard to light the fire.
To prevent potential catastrophic
events, firefighters suggest that
residents abide by the state’s burn
ban, which is a temporary restriction
on outdoor burning implemented
to reduce the risk of wildfires,
especially during dry or high-risk
weather conditions.
“This time of year, it’s usually
cool, dry, windy, and there’s low
humidity,” said Ruddick. “No matter
what the conditions, state firefighters
are here full time and we’re always
ready to go.”
As this edition was going to
press, CSEA was fighting to include
a 25-year retirement plan for DMNA
firefighters in the New York State
Budget, which was still being
finalized. The 25-year retirement plan
would give DMNA firefighters the
fairness in their retirement benefits
that other professional firefighters
receive. Visit cseany.org/issues to
learn more.
— Wendi Bowie
counting CSEA members among their
ranks.
Firefighters fought back the main
body of the brush fire for about five
hours. Small fires still popped up into
the early morning, but since those
spots were in areas that were already
burned, they were not a threat.
At one point, the fire went right
over the heads of CSEA state
firefighters.
“It was orange and
smoky; we had to
retreat back to the
base,” said Ruddick, a
state firefighter.
The fire passed
over the group again
when they were back
at the airport base
protecting the police
aviation, civilian
hangers and airport property from
the fire.
Outside of being on the ground
directly fighting back the flames,
CSEA state firefighters directed
where the helicopter pilots would
drop water through the airport
base’s control tower.
“To better coordinate the efforts of
all the fire departments on site, Mike
[Gadman] would relay information
coming from the airport control
tower to other fire departments on
the ground through a radio system;
the other departments don’t have
the ability to communicate with
the Gabreski Airport tower,” said
Ruddick.
WESTHAMPTON BEACH — CSEA
members and New York State
Division of Military and Naval Affairs
(DMNA) firefighters Michael Gadman
and Kenneth Ruddick were in the
training room at Francis S. Gabreski
Airport with their colleagues when
they looked out the window and saw
black smoke in the distance.
At first, the workers thought it was
a plane crash. Regardless, they knew
it was time to mobilize and respond
to the situation.
Gabreski Airport is a central
dispatch, which means firefighters
based at the airport supply mutual
aid to firefighters in the surrounding
area.
Gadman, a station captain at
the civil-military airport, learned
through communication with
the Westhampton Beach Fire
Department that state firefighters
were responding to a brush fire.
Gadman informed the Westhampton
firefighters that 11 firefighters from
Gabreski Airport were already in
transit.
And what a fire it was.
According to local media,
ultimately the fire stretched over
2 miles and burned more than 400
acres of land.
CSEA firefighters were the first to
arrive at the scene.
“Fortunately, it
was National Guards
Weekend, so we had
a lot of extra people
at the airport,” said
Gadman. “There are
11 of us that serve as
both state firefighters
and in the National
Guard. Every one of
us was here [at the airport] were on
duty the day of the fire.”
As the fire progressed, additional
state firefighters were called into
work, which put 19 CSEA members
from Gabreski Airport at the scene.
They were not the only CSEA
members fighting back the fire. More
than 80 fire departments across Long
Island were dispatched, with several
CSEA state firefighters
key to controlling
major brush fire
Gadman
Ruddick
Part of the 2-mile-long fire fills the sky. (Photo by Cheran Campbell.)
CSEA New York state firefighters
discuss how to extinguish the brush
fire. (Photo by Ron Tedesco.)
Orange flames and black smoke fill
the sky. (Photo by Ron Tedesco.)