Laura Gillen secures $250K for Floral Park Fire Department

August 6, 2026

Read the full article in the Long Island Press

The Floral Park Fire Department will be receiving $250,000 in federal funding to purchase a new hook-and-ladder truck.

The funding was secured by Rep. Laura Gillen through the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process and will support about 10% of the new truck’s costs, which amount to over $2.7 million, Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald said.

“Every dime that we can get that doesn’t cost the taxpayers here in Floral Park is important to us,” Fitzgerald said. “Thank you once again for doing that.”

The purchase will replace an existing 30-year-old truck, which no longer meets operational and safety standards, Gillen’s office said, and will help meet the growing need for a hook-and-ladder truck as more multistory buildings are constructed in the village.

The department’s previous hook-and-ladder truck became “a total loss” after an accident in 2025, Chief of Department Gil Luger said in a letter to Gillen. Following the accident, Luger said the department had to purchase a used 1997 hook-and-ladder truck that had been subject to frequent servicing and costly repairs.

Funding for the truck is vital, Gillen’s office said in a statement, as the Floral Park Fire Department not only serves its nearly 16,000 residents, but also provides mutual aid to nearly 130,000 residents from the Village of Mineola west to the New York City border.

The fire department is also the only department within the four villages, Floral Park, Bellerose, South Floral Park and Stewart Manor, that has a hook-and-ladder vehicle, Gillen’s office said.

“When [the truck] is not in service, it puts a strain on not only the Four Village Area, but also on the entire mutual aid area that the Floral Park Fire Department serves,” Luger said.

The funding comes just over a year after Luger wrote to Gillen, requesting support for a new truck, saying the purchase “is essential for the village’s continued delivery of essential firematic services.”

The funding is also part of more than $13 million in Community Project Funding that Gillen secured for Nassau County and will primarily help fund community infrastructure, enhance public safety and improve the quality of life for residents across the district, her office said.

Gillen’s office said the request was supported by bipartisan leaders, including state Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, state Assembly Member Michaelle Solages, Nassau County Legislator Scott Strauss and Floral Park Village Trustee Jennifer Stewart.