Rescue Squad

          With the advent of the 1960’s, a new awareness of the importance of advanced emergency care was sweeping the nation.  Babylon Village had an ambulance service run by various organizations for many years, but it was little more than a transportation service to the local hospitals.  It was determined that a trained Rescue Squad was definitely needed.  The Fire Department with its sophisticated alerting system and abundant manpower was the logical choice to establish and operate such a squad.

          On December 5, 1960, the first organizational meeting was held and Ex-Captain Oliver Davison of the Sumpwams Hose Company was elected the first Squad Leader.  The Squad went into service on September 15, 1961, manning a new Superior Rescue ambulance built on a Cadillac chassis.  In its first full year of operation the Squad responded to 162 calls.  Today, however, the Rescue Squad is by far the busiest unit of the Department responding to approximately 1,700 calls annually.

• In 1976 a modular Horton ambulance on a Chevrolet chassis was put into service.  

• In 1984, the Squad put into service a modular Horton 500 ambulance which was fully equipped with the most advanced life support and extrication equipment.  

• In 1991 a state of the art Blue Star ambulance on a Ford F350 chassis was put into service.

• In 1996 a modular Horton ambulance on a GMC 3500 chassis was put into service. 

• In 2002 the Lion's Club donated two EMS bicycles which were put into service as units 1-2-17 and 1-2-18.

• In 2006 a modular Horton ambulance on a Ford E-350 chassis was put into service.

• In 2010 the Rescue Squad was honored by the Babylon Rotary Club with a Paul Harris Fellowship Award at its annual Recognition Luncheon for outstanding service to the residents of the Village of Babylon.

• In June 2010, Babylon's first-ever First Responder Vehicle was placed into service as unit 1-2-80.  The vehicle was a 2002 Dodge Durango which had previously served as a chief's vehicle from 2002 to 2010.  In July 2012, the 2002 Durango was rotated to the Code Enforcement Department and replaced by a 2004 Durango which had also previously served as a chief's vehicle from 2004 to 2012. 

• In February 2017, unit 1-2-10 was replaced with a 2017 Ford E450/Horton ambulance and unit 1-2-80 was replaced with a 2007 Chevy Tahoe acquired from another agency.

• In May 2019, two new bicycles were acquired and put in service as replacements for units 1-2-17 and 1-2-18.

• In July 2020, unit 1-2-80 was replaced with a 2012 Chevy Tahoe which previously a chief's vehicle.

• In July 2023, Babylon's first-ever second ambulance was placed into service as unit 1-2-15.  This vehicle, a 2023 Ford E450/Demers was secured through ARPA funds provided by the Town of Babylon.

          The Rescue Squad is manned around the clock by its membership.  Each member of the Squad is assigned to a specific crew which is responsible for a 12-hour tour per week.  Many members are Emergency Medical Technicians, Critical Care Technicians, and Paramedics.

          In addition to providing Rescue coverage to the Village and Beach Protection Districts, the Squad also has been involved with several other activities.  It supplies standby coverage for all home High School football games and other events such as the Country Fair, Snapper Derby, Greek Epiphany, and even the NYC Marathon.  Drills are held with the U.S. Coast Guard, Suffolk County Police Department, and neighboring fire departments.

          Over the years the Squad has responded to thousands of calls that have encompassed every type of medical emergency.  Many infants have been brought into this world by the caring members of the squad.

          The Rescue Squad is the only unit of the Fire Department that responds to every type of alarm.  It has been recognized over the years for the fine service it provides by generous donations from the Babylon Lions Club and others.

          The Babylon Fire Department Rescue Squad takes great pride in the fine record it has had over the last 60+ years and looks forward to providing the best emergency service possible to the community for many years to come.

 

Radio Information

Babylon Fire Department Radio Identifiers

1-2-0: Headquarters Base Radio

1-2-1: Engine (Argyle Hose Co.)

1-2-2: Pickup Truck (Utility)

1-2-3: Engine (Sumpwams Hose Co.)

1-2-4: Beach Engine (Electric Hose Co.)

1-2-5: Engine (Electric Hose Co.)

1-2-6: Engine (Phoenix Hose Co.)

1-2-6A: Antique Apparatus

1-2-7: Heavy Rescue (Fire Patrol Co.)

1-2-8: Tower Ladder (Hook & Ladder Co.)

1-2-9: Passenger Van (Utility)

1-2-10: Ambulance (Rescue Squad)

1-2-11: Passenger Van (Utility)

1-2-12: Fire/Rescue Boat (Marine Unit)

1-2-14: High Water Rescue Vehicle

1-2-15: Ambulance (Rescue Squad)

1-2-17: EMS Bicycle (Rescue Squad)

1-2-18: EMS Bicycle (Rescue Squad)

1-2-30: Chief of Department

1-2-31: 1st Assistant Chief

1-2-32: 2nd Assistant Chief

1-2-33: 3rd Assistant Chief

1-2-51: Argyle Hose Captain

1-2-53: Sumpwams Hose Captain

1-2-55: Electric Hose Captain

1-2-56: Phoenix Hose Captain

1-2-57: Fire Patrol Captain

1-2-58: Hook & Ladder Captain

1-2-61: Argyle Hose Lieutenant

1-2-63: Sumpwams Hose 1st Lieutenant

1-2-65: Electric Hose 1st Lieutenant

1-2-66: Phoenix Hose Lieutenant

1-2-67: Fire Patrol Lieutenant

1-2-68: Hook & Ladder 1st Lieutenant

1-2-73: Sumpwams Hose 2nd Lieutenant

1-2-75: Electric Hose 2nd Lieutenant

1-2-78: Hook & Ladder 2nd Lieutenant

1-2-80: First Responder Vehicle (Rescue Squad)

1-2-80A: DEMS ALS Provider

1-2-80B: DEMS BLS Provider

1-2-82 through 1-2-89: ALS Providers

Town of Babylon/Misc. Radio Identifiers

1-0-0: Dispatcher (Babylon Central Fire Alarm)

1-0-x: Town of Babylon Fire Coordinators

1-0-40 through 1-0-59: Town of Babylon Fire Marshals

1-1-x: Amityville Fire Department

1-2-x: Babylon Fire Department

1-3-x: Copiague Fire Department

1-4-x: Deer Park Fire Department

1-5-x: East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company

1-6-x: Lindenhurst Fire Department

1-7-x: North Amityville Fire Company

1-8-x: North Babylon Fire Company

1-9-x: West Babylon Fire Department

1-10-x: Wyandanch Fire Company

1-11-x: North Lindenhurst Fire Department

1-20-x: Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corp.

1-22-x: Republic Airport ARFF

3-17-x: West Islip Fire Department

FC-x: Suffolk County Fire Coordinators

Radio Frequencies

472.3000 MHz (PL 88.5): Town of Babylon UHF East *Primary - used for truck to truck and EMS*

472.3750 MHz (PL 94.8): Town of Babylon UHF West

475.1250 MHz: Town of Babylon UHF Fireground *Operations*

46.34 MHz: Town of Babylon F-1 *Secondary*

46.38 MHz: Town of Babylon F-3

46.46 MHz: Countywide Dispatch

472.1250 MHz (PL 77.0): Town of Babylon UHF Dispatch

The above is a list of frequencies that we operate on.  A full list of all Town of Babylon/Suffolk County frequencies can be found HERE 

Marine Unit

The Marine Unit, the Babylon Fire Department's newest organization, was organized on October 12, 2005 under the direction of Chief Jeffrey C. Weber.  The Marine Unit was deemed necessary as the need for fire and rescue protection for the waterfront of the Village of Babylon and Town of Babylon’s barrier islands became more apparent. 

Firefighting from a boat was not completely new to the Babylon Fire Department.  Over the years the department has owned a wooden rowboat and 8 foot inflatable raft, however this was the first time an organization was formed for the sole purpose of marine firefighting and rescue.

A committee of experienced firemen with boating experience was formed to convert a retired Bay Constable boat donated by the Town of Babylon into a fire boat.  The committee took the challenge and completely restored the 24 foot Privateer.  During the restoration the committee completely stripped the boat down to a bare minimum.  Among the many challenges to the boat were fiberglass restoration, adding a new gas tank, and rebuilding the deck and pilothouse.  A 225 HP Evinrude outboard motor was rebuilt and installed.  Most of the items installed on the boat were either donated by other organizations, used equipment, spare equipment, or purchased through grants.  A 450 GPM pump was purchased and installed on the stern with a 3 ½ inch standpipe deck gun nozzle installed on the bow.  This enabled the boat to shoot water longer distances at a safer distance from danger.

On October 27, 2005 unit 1-2-12 was launched at the Village boat ramp and placed into service.  In Winter 2006 the Marine Unit was put to the test when it was called to Amityville for a large brush fire on an uninhabited island.  The Marine Unit was able to pump water on the fire and keep it under control.  The Marine Unit has operated at several house fires on barrier islands, boat fires and brush fires on the Great South Bay, rescued boaters after accidents, and assisted the Rescue Squad by bringing patients to shore.  The Marine Unit has been an integral part of keeping the waterfront homes and recreational boaters of the Village of Babylon safe.

The Marine Unit is comprised of members from each of the six companies, each member has successfully taken a boating safety course as well as fireboat training classes.  The first officers were Co-Captains Richard Santos and Ex-Chief Robert Kraft Jr.  Other officers have included Ex-Chief Anthony Cardali, Ex-Chief Paul Twardy, Frank D. Bustamante, Joseph F. Fraccalveiri, Eric Price, and Robert Fredericks.

1-2-12 being launched for the first time