Photos by Richard Lewin Professional Photography (soniboy@aol.com)
Welcome to this month’s edition of the Montauk Fire Department Corner, where every month I have an opportunity to share with the public the current events in our department. I hope everyone had a pleasant and safe Columbus Day weekend and Halloween. As we all know, we are heading toward winter, so this is the time to check and insure that your smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are all working properly. It only takes a few minutes to check your safety equipment and it is time well invested.
On Friday, October 6th the Montauk Fire Department held its Annual Inspection Dinner. The event at Gosman’s Restaurant was a wonderful night filled with good food, 
drink, and dancing. Well over one hundred firefighters, EMT’s and their guests were in attendance and everyone had a great time. Also present were Fire Chiefs from surrounding Departments and other dignitaries.
The Annual Dinner gave me and my two Assistant Chiefs, Peter Joyce, Jr. and John McDonald, an opportunity to give special recognition to individuals in our organization for their special service to the Department. A variety of awards was presented that night. Here are just a few. Company No.1 was awarded the Company of the Year Award, Rick White was awarded the Chief’s Award, and Ed Eurell was presented with the Firefighter of the Year Award. To make the night even more special, Ex-Chief Peter Joyce, Sr. received his 50-year pin for his 50 years of volunteerism and service to the people of Montauk through his work in the Fire Department. What made it especially memorable was that his son, First Assistant Chief Peter Joyce, Jr. was on hand to make the presentation to his father. Congratulations to all! Please see the accompanying photos here.
Also in early October, the annual Tyler Valcich Memorial Car Show supporting the Tyler Project was on full display at the Amagansett Fire Department. This is the tenth year of the show, organized by Montauk Fire Department Ex-Chief Mickey Valcich and his wife Valinda in memory of their son Tyler. As always the show was a success. Photos accompany here.
On Sunday, October 8th, the Montauk Fire Department, in conjunction with the Montauk Point Lions Club, hosted a 
pancake breakfast. This breakfast has been an annual event for many years. Proceeds from the fundraiser support the upcoming Senior Citizens Holiday Dinner in early December. I want to thank all the Members of the Department who assisted, especially chairman Tom Dess, and thank you to the Montauk Point Lions, with whom we’ve worked side by side to make our holiday dinner such a successful and well attended event.
Lastly, I want to thank and congratulate fire policeman Jon Forsberg for his continuing efforts in coordinating our annual Blood Drive. Jon has reported to the Department that Members of the Department and the community at large showed up in great numbers on September 19th and set a record for blood given. This is so very important, and Jon has been spearheading this event for many years. Thanks Jon, job well done.
That’s it for this month’s article. I hope everyone has a safe and fun Thanksgiving with family and friends.
~ Ken Glogg, Chief, Montauk Fire Departmet
