The Origins and Growth of the West Islip Fire Department
By Ex-Chief Al Waters

The West Islip Fire Department stands today as a proud realization of a vision that began in 1951 with the Schwartz family. Lou Schwartz, his mother Emma, and his wife Agnes played a pivotal role in the department’s formation by donating the use of a barn on their Horton Street property. This structure, once part of the Guggenheim estate’s carriage house, was relocated and became the first home of what was then known as the Causeway Acres Association Fire Protection Company. Remarkably, the department’s first fire truck was purchased with personal funds from Mrs. Schwartz.

As word spread about the formation of a fire department, membership began to grow. One unique incentive for early members was access to the lakefront beach at what is now Kime Lake. In the early days, members would visit neighboring departments each Sunday, collecting and repurposing the necessary equipment to outfit their apparatus.

The department’s infrastructure expanded with the construction of a fire station on Watts Place, now known as Station One. In 1958, a second building was acquired on Chestnut Street to better serve residents living south of the railroad tracks. The following year, the department submitted a proposal to provide fire protection services for all of West Islip—an area previously covered by the Babylon and North Babylon Fire Departments.

To meet the requirements for full-area coverage, the department had to modernize—adding new apparatus, radios, and an alarm system. Recognizing the financial demands of these upgrades, the trustees transitioned to a formal fire district. In 1960, the first Board of Fire Commissioners was elected, enabling the establishment of a tax base to support the department’s growing needs.

Today, the West Islip Fire Department—though the youngest in the Town of Islip—has evolved into a premier fire and rescue organization. The department proudly protects a diverse and vital community that includes a major hospital, 13 schools, a nursing facility, and over 8,500 individual structures.

Indeed, as the old saying goes, “You’ve come a long way, baby.”