Tripp Ready To Serve The City

The Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department started 2010 with a new fire chief.  In the closing month of 2009, Anthony "Tony" Tripp, a 12-year veteran of offices within the department, was elected to the top position after serving the last two years as the first assistant, the next highest rank.

For Tripp, the path that led him to serving his community seems to have been set early on in his childhood.  He recalled growing up in the firehouse with his father, Howard Tripp Jr., who was also a longtime volunteer.  And like Tripp, his father served his own term as chief of the city's fire department from 1978-1980, just around the time Tony was starting out.  

"I wanted to be like my father and be a fireman," Tripp said.

One of Howard Tripp's first administrative acts was to add volunteer to the department's official title above the firehouse, a fact that is symbolic of the principles Tripp maintains in regard to his job. Tripp said it is important that emphasis is placed on the point that the firefighters are doing the job voluntarily to help their neighborhood remain a safe place.

"We do it for the community," he said. "We all have regular jobs to support our families, and when we're not working, we're here protecting the people of Glen Cove."

 For the past three years, Tripp has also been working as an overseer of maintenance, house-keeping, security, and, of course, fire safety, at the SCO Family of Services St. Christopher's Home, Residential Treatment Center in Sea Cliff.  In addition, he belongs to many organizations of firefighters on Long Island, including The North Shore Fire Council, Nassau County Fireman's Association, and Nassau County Fire Chief's Council.

The administration of the department is, for the most part, independent from governance by the city, since none of the officers or members receive payment.  Therefore, the process of election occurs in house and is generally a parcel to a longer and more tempered progression than what is typical of elections in public governments.

Even so, Tripp did not simply rely on his fellow firefighters to volunteer their votes. So, leading up to the election, he approached them with personal appeals to "just about all of the members."

"Even though I was unopposed, I wanted the members to know what my goals were and for them to support and vote for me," he said. 

The new chief was approved by the Glen Cove City Council and Mayor Ralph Suozzi, whose father, coincidentally, was mayor of the city in 1978 when Tripp's father was sworn-in as fire chief.

For the future, Tripp said he plans to focus on boosting morale among the volunteers and update the department's equipment, including a new fire engine in July to replace Engine #529, which sustained massive salt water damage from the Nor'easter in 1992. 

He, along with his fellow volunteers and other residents of the city, will also dedicate his two-year term preparing for the department's 175th Anniversary in 2012. The celebration will feature a carnival, block party and parade as well as include attendance from firefighters and community organizations from all over the Island.