Richard Kroebel On Dec. 9, local fire districts will be holding elections for Fire Commissioners. Following are the districts scheduled for a vote:

West Islip

Salvatore Celeste ran a year ago for an unexpired term and is seeking his first, five-year term as Commissioner in the district. "It was a quick year," he said. He is running against Peter Martin.

Celeste is a 43-year resident of West Islip and has been with the department for 14 years. He is a former captain of the rescue squad and an EMT for 13 years. He lives in West Islip with his wife and their two children and has been a den leader and Cub Master for Cub Scout Pack 83.

Celeste's concerns are for the members and taxpayers. "Safety comes first for the member," he said, adding that if re-elected, he would like to continue to learn more about a Commissioner's role and work to keep the taxes low.

The current district budget is $3,665,903 and the 2009 budget is $3,735,400 with an increase of approximately 2 percent. The department answered 2,500 calls this year.

Nicholas Vitucci The election will be held 1 to 9 p.m., at the West Islip Fire Department, 309 Union Blvd., West Islip.

West BabylonIn West Babylon, incumbent Fire Commissioner Richard Kroebel is seeking his second, five-year term and the budget is on his agenda. He is running unopposed.

The state continues to pass along mandates for all fire departments in New York, and while the department is complying with these mandates they have added to the cost of the budgets, he said.

"The budget is the big thing this year," he said.

The current budget is $3,326,180, and the proposed 2009 budget is $3,469,050, an increase of 4.3 percent. The department answered 3,200 calls this year, the majority for rescue services.

Another challenge facing the department is the lack of storage room. The department was unable to purchase the property in the back of the firehouse when the community voted it down by 12 votes this year.

"We are trying to make upgrades," said Kroebel. "We have 29 pieces of equipment and it is hard to store all of them inside."

The department would like to renovate the firehouse, the Commissioners, including Kroebel, recognize that the current economic environment makes that impractical.

"With the economy as it is, it is not the right time for a new firehouse; we have to protect the taxpayers," Kroebel said.

Even though the district faces challenges, Kroebel said he is confident that, with his colleagues, they can face them together and find solutions.

"There are five commissioners and we're on top of our game," he said.

The department responds to between 2,500 and 3,000 calls a year, the majority of them for rescue.

This term we need one or two more ambulances.

The West Babylon Fire District will hold elections 2 to 9 p.m. For those residents living south of Sunrise, the voting poll will be at the 126 Arnold Avenue Firehouse. For the residents living on the north side of SunriseHighway, the voting poll will be at the Herzel Boulevard, Station #2.

Deer Park

In the Deer Park Fire District, four candidates are seeking two seats on the board. Incumbent Commissioner Thomas Donnelly faces a challenge from Nicholas Vitucci, and Chris Shaiavo faces Andrew Duguid.

"I am re-running in order to keep moving on some of the projects that are underway, such as medical services and to keep the fire department involved with the community," said Donnelly who is seeking his second, fiveyear term.

Vitucci believes there is room for change in the district and he'd like to be on the Commissioner's Board to usher through that change. "Change is coming to Deer Park," he said. "People are loosing their homes and jobs, but we can hold the line on taxes without having services suffer. "I can do the right thing for the taxpayers. I am a stable and no nonsense person."

Donnelly is a Lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department, Rescue Company #1 for the past 20 years. He has been involved with the state and federal operations (he was a part of the New York Task Force) such as Katrina.

Donnelly is proud to be a part of the Deer Park Fire District. "We are the only fire department to guarantee a 24/7 life support for the community," he said. The fire department holds ceremonies at the firehouse for the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts.

The fire district also expanded, purchasing property near its site which is open to the community. The Deer Park Little League and the Soccer Club use the field.

"I want to keep making improvements for the community projects while trying to keep the tax increase down to a 2 percent increase each year," Donnelly said.

Vitucci is a volunteer firefighter for the past 25 years and served as a fire captain at various times between 1999 and 2005.

"I've been interested in running for Commissioner for many years," he said.

Vitucci is a 20 year resident of Deer Park, is married for 25 years and has two children.

If elected, Vitucci said he would try to implement a plan to increase the use of the equipment. "The longevity of a piece of apparatus may be ten years, but with the proper maintenance, we can increase that longevity," he said. "That would hold the line on tax increases. I am all for that."

There is another commission spot open for election this December. Firefighter Chris Schiavo hopes to win the one year commissioner term.

Schiavo is a life long resident of Deer Park and graduated from Deer Park High School in 1984. He has been a fire fighter for the past 18 years and rose up the ranks to the position of Chief Officer since 2000 and was the Chief of Department in 2006-2007.

He is a Suffolk County police officer for over 16 years and currently assigned to the Aviation section as a pilot. He served in the United States Air Force as a military officer for 23 years and currently holds the rank of Major in the Air National Guard based in Connecticut and serves as a group commander.

He is a Suffolk County Basic Life Support provider in 2007 for a life saving action. Schiavo is a husband and a father of 2 girls.

He graduated from CW Post College with a degree in Business Management and minored in Finance.

"I believe with my life experience, fire service and education background, I can improve the fire service to the residents of Deer Park and keep the taxes down," he said.

And increase in the level of technology of the Deer Park Fire Department and make the department more efficient with the same assets are important to him. He also would like to work on ensuring training levels and continue to be aggressive in the education of the volunteers.

Shaiavo's opponent Andrew Duguid was unavailable for comment or information.

The operating budget of the Deer Park Fire Department is approximately $2.9 million for the current year and the 2009 budget is $3.1 or an increase of approximately 6.8 percent. The fire district services 9,700 residents and 2,200 businesses. The firehouse answered 2950 calls last year and 2642 calls this year.

The vote will be at the Deer Park Fire Department, 94 Lake Avenue in Deer Park, on Tues., Dec. 9 from 6 to 9 p.m.