At the January 1994 meeting of the Islip Town Volunteer Firemen's Association held at the Bayport Fire Department, John "Shorty" Sunderland, a member of the Sayville Fire Department addressed those in attendance and expressed his concern that the rich history of the fire service within the Town of Islip was not being preserved. When queried as to a solution to this problem, he suggested the idea of a fire museum be explored to preserve and showcase the valuable history of the departments within the Town of Islip.
Shortly thereafter on February 2nd, a meeting was held at Station 2 of the Sayville Fire Department to further explore this rather lofty goal. Those in attendance included John "Shorty" Sunderland, Ex-Captain Bill Johnson, Nick Campson and Charlie Oelkers (Sayville FD), Ex-Chief Ray Reilly (Bayport FD), Ex-Chief Warren Horst (West Sayville FD) and Ex-Chief Rick Gimbl (Holbrook FD). After much discussion, a plan was formulated and the arduous journey began.
The task of finding a suitable location to call home proved to be quite challenging. Originally offered space at The Grange, a historical preservation village in Sayville, this opportunity was quelled by an expansion of the local Little League ballfields. The former firehouse of the Central Islip Psychiatric Center Public Safety Dept. was proffered along with the former three story laundry facility, however, both these structures required considerable investment for asbestos mitigation and electrical system upgrades. The use of a hangar at nearby Long Island MacArthur Airport was considered until the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited its' use due to security concerns. The historic Second Avenue firehouse in Bay Shore (which was later converted to the Firehouse Art Gallery, an artist-in-residence gallery) was also considered. Finally, in an attempt to gain some visibility of its' intended mission, a storefront on Dale Drive in Oakdale was rented for $500 a month. Finally, in 2013 the Town of Islip offered a parcel of land across from the Long Island Ducks baseball stadium in an area comprised of the former Central Islip Psychiatric Center compound that was being redeveloped for community enrichment.
As one can imagine, building a museum is a costly endeavor. As a private organization known as the Friends of Islip Town Firefighters, fundraising efforts were undertaken beginning in 2004 at the Islip Arts Council. Fundraisers included the selling of tee shirts at the Sayville Apple Fest, a display at the Balloon Festival at Brookhaven Calabro Airport seeking donations and with the creation of a professional Fire, Rescue and EMS trade show based on Long Island. The first "buff show" as it was known was held in 1994 at Stony Brook University's Sports Center. This event remained an annual trade show for 26 years showcasing the latest in fire, rescue and emergency medical apparatus and equipment to first responders throughout the Northeast region while acting as the museum's primary fundraiser for the year.
In addition to hosting fundraisers including the trade show, the Friends of Islip Town Firefighters (incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit corporation in 2008) sought financial support from the volunteer fire departments and ambulance companies within the Town of Islip as well as philanthropic organizations providing grant funding.
Site selected, building kit ordered, stored behind SFD sta. 2 for 1-1/2 years, groundbreaking built over 18 months, donated/reduced cost labor/materials >PRESENT DAY >
the 1st buff show @ USB 26 years ago, 1st exhibition @ Carriage House, 1st fundraiser
501c3 - 4/4/2008
Past presidents - John "Shorty" Sunderland 1993, Rick Gimbl 1994-1997, Ed Tully Jr. 1998-Present
Shortly thereafter on February 2nd, a meeting was held at Station 2 of the Sayville Fire Department to further explore this rather lofty goal. Those in attendance included John "Shorty" Sunderland, Ex-Captain Bill Johnson, Nick Campson and Charlie Oelkers (Sayville FD), Ex-Chief Ray Reilly (Bayport FD), Ex-Chief Warren Horst (West Sayville FD) and Ex-Chief Rick Gimbl (Holbrook FD). After much discussion, a plan was formulated and the arduous journey began.
The task of finding a suitable location to call home proved to be quite challenging. Originally offered space at The Grange, a historical preservation village in Sayville, this opportunity was quelled by an expansion of the local Little League ballfields. The former firehouse of the Central Islip Psychiatric Center Public Safety Dept. was proffered along with the former three story laundry facility, however, both these structures required considerable investment for asbestos mitigation and electrical system upgrades. The use of a hangar at nearby Long Island MacArthur Airport was considered until the Federal Aviation Administration prohibited its' use due to security concerns. The historic Second Avenue firehouse in Bay Shore (which was later converted to the Firehouse Art Gallery, an artist-in-residence gallery) was also considered. Finally, in an attempt to gain some visibility of its' intended mission, a storefront on Dale Drive in Oakdale was rented for $500 a month. Finally, in 2013 the Town of Islip offered a parcel of land across from the Long Island Ducks baseball stadium in an area comprised of the former Central Islip Psychiatric Center compound that was being redeveloped for community enrichment.
As one can imagine, building a museum is a costly endeavor. As a private organization known as the Friends of Islip Town Firefighters, fundraising efforts were undertaken beginning in 2004 at the Islip Arts Council. Fundraisers included the selling of tee shirts at the Sayville Apple Fest, a display at the Balloon Festival at Brookhaven Calabro Airport seeking donations and with the creation of a professional Fire, Rescue and EMS trade show based on Long Island. The first "buff show" as it was known was held in 1994 at Stony Brook University's Sports Center. This event remained an annual trade show for 26 years showcasing the latest in fire, rescue and emergency medical apparatus and equipment to first responders throughout the Northeast region while acting as the museum's primary fundraiser for the year.
In addition to hosting fundraisers including the trade show, the Friends of Islip Town Firefighters (incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit corporation in 2008) sought financial support from the volunteer fire departments and ambulance companies within the Town of Islip as well as philanthropic organizations providing grant funding.
Site selected, building kit ordered, stored behind SFD sta. 2 for 1-1/2 years, groundbreaking built over 18 months, donated/reduced cost labor/materials >PRESENT DAY >
the 1st buff show @ USB 26 years ago, 1st exhibition @ Carriage House, 1st fundraiser
501c3 - 4/4/2008
Past presidents - John "Shorty" Sunderland 1993, Rick Gimbl 1994-1997, Ed Tully Jr. 1998-Present