“Any time there’s a disaster, storms, anything,” said Bill Basdavanos, former chief of the Glen Cove Fire Department, “the city calls us, and we open up our doors to the community.”
Basdavanos recalled that during Hurricane Sandy, locals needed secure, dry shelter, and crowded the halls of the firehouse. “When you need us,” he said, “we’re there.” On April 22, the department will open its doors for another reason: to host a recruitment event as part of the statewide RecruitNY, which aims to inspire people to get involved with their local volunteer emergency-service agencies. The Fire Explorers — a group for boys and girls ages 14 to 19, run by the department — will also be there, to offer information and take membership applications.