Volunteer celebrates 60th anniversary as firefighter

Written by Paige Rentz

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:34

Next week marks a big milestone for one member of the Village of Mamaroneck Volunteer Fire Department: Louis Santoro Sr. celebrates his 60th year as a member of the Volunteers No. 3 company this August.

A proud member of what he considers the best company of the department by far, Santoro, 83,
recounted memories of his years fighting fires side-by-side with his neighbors.

He was on hand for some of the more infamous fires in village history. He witnessed the explosions at Mitchell’s gas station on the Boston Post Road when the fire spread to the gas tanks. He fought to save stores along Mamaroneck Avenue as they went up in flames along the same stretch of the street where the Regatta now stands.

More than anything, he remembers the friendly competition among the departments. The race to have the first truck on scene at any fire was a fruitful competition for the men, leading to great response times in emergencies. In those days, firefighters didn’t respond to calls in their own vehicles; when the alarm sounded, they had to gather at the firehouse and assemble a full truck before they could roll out to answer a call. This was never any problem for the volunteers, Santoro said, as most of the members lived and worked in the Flats and could be there at a moment’s notice.

At that time, every member didn’t have his own gear. Instead gear waited in the truck, but the gear he and other members at the time used consisted of rubber coats, boots and gloves. Santoro never used a breathing apparatus when fighting a fire.

It wasn’t all serious for the men, however. Santoro recalled this same spirit of competition coming up in a recreational way as well. The department competed in fire races on Long Island that tested members’ strength and speed in such contests as ladder climbing. Santoro recalls his company always excelling in this particular sort of sport.

On Sunday mornings, the members would test the fire hoses down at the reservoir, and inevitably, hot days would see water fights among the men.
Santoro credits his beloved Volunteers company with starting some of the favorite traditions in the department, most notably the Fireman’s Carnival fundraiser. He recalls working with other members of his company to build and set up booths right in the firehouse so the neighborhood families could come and enjoy themselves.

His company’s annual picnic was at that time the envy of the rest of the membership before it became a department-wide event, he said. With a member who worked at Westchester Day School, the members were allowed the use of the grounds and facilities for the picnic when others were not.

Santoro had close ties to the Volunteers company before he ever became a member, as being a firefighter was quite the family affair for him.
“If my father wasn’t a member, I wouldn’t have had the intention to join,” he said. His father Anthony and his two brothers, Johnny and Anthony Jr., were already members when he joined in 1950. His brother-in-law Michael Ciraco was also a member. His family tended to rise in the ranks as well, with his father serving as chief of the department in 1962 and Johnny, who had 66 years in the department, serving as captain of the company. Ciraco and his son Michael Jr. were also both captains.

Santoro’s son, Louis Jr., a trustee in the village, broke family tradition and joined the Town of Mamaroneck Fire Department because he was eager to become a firefighter and the town’s minimum age requirement was lower. With 33 years in, he is an ex-chief, and now his son Nick has followed in his footsteps. Santoro’s son-in-law Gerry Reynolds is also a firefighter in the town, with more than 20 years in.

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