27. Vincent William Braun Sr. (1940-1943)
Served 3 Years
Vincent Braun was born September 2, 1910, to his parents William and Kathryn (Jacobs) Braun. He married Marian Gebhardt in November of 1937. They lived on 3rd Street, and he owned and operated his own Butcher Shop on Broadway, which was established by his uncle, Fred Braun.
Vince was a World War II veteran serving as a Corporal, then Sergeant in the United States Army from 1943 through 1945.
Vince followed in his father’s footsteps and joined Volunteer Hose Company 4 and served as their Captain from 1934 through 1937. In 1941, his father William installed Vincent, as the 27th Chief of the fire department. Braun succeeded Charles Steinhauer by defeating Lawrence Small by a vote of 80 to 57. There were contests for the two assistant chief's positions. Stanley Cheslock was elected first assistant, receiving a vote of 61 to 45 for Gustave Efinger and 34 for John Leckie. George Engel defeated George Gleckler for the second assistant's post.
In January of 1941, fire caused by a defective chimney caused an estimated $2,500 damage to a coat factory at 21 West Nicholai Street. The building is a one-story structure formerly used as a movie house. As is customary in the case of blazes in mercantile establishments, Chief Braun referred the matter to the fire marshal's office for investigation. The blaze, which started between the walls, apparently was well underway before it was discovered by workers. Firemen had difficulty in bringing the fire under control because they had to break through metal walls and ceiling to reach the flame.
In March of 1941, fire roared through a three-story frame factory building which was visible for nearly 10 miles, leaving the structure a bed of ashes and twisted machinery. Unofficial estimates of the loss made at the scene ran as high as $100,000 although officials of the company could not fully estimate the value of materials and machinery in the structure. All that remained of the building itself was fragments of the walls of the lower floor, mostly along the eastern side of the building. The plant was occupied by the Lakeville Manufacturing Company which manufactured wood and metal cabinets including kitchen equipment and special cabinets for commercial purposes. It was located on Bethpage Road, adjacent to the Long Island Railroad.
The flames and smoke blacked out the tracks halting service on the railroad for about 20 minutes as the firemen, directed by Chief Braun, carried hoselines across the right-of-way to keep the blaze from the ties of the roadbed. It started on the upper floor on the south side of the factory and spread through the interior of the building. The intense heat hampered the firemen and kept more than 500 spectators well away from the building. Hard work by the firemen kept the flames from the distribution plant of the John P. Trommer, Inc., brewers, which is the closest building to the factory site in the east. Hoselines were kept trained on the roofs of nearby homes as sparks threatened to spread the flames. The destroyed building was a landmark that had stood for about half a century, being used at one time by the Breslin Lumber company as lumber yard and for wood products, and later by the Trommer company.
In September of 1941, a fire of undetermined origin destroyed a large one-story frame warehouse filled with grain and hay in Hicksville after inventory was taken by the owners, the Nassau G. L. F. Farmers' Cooperative. Flames shooting high into the air at two minutes before midnight was the first warning of the fire, the second bad warehouse fire in the community in six months. The warehouse was located on West Barclay Street. Only the blackened walls remained, the entire inside gutted by the blaze which fed on the combustible grain and hay stored in the building.
In November of 1941, a fire caused by an overheated kerosene water heater caused an estimated $1,000 damage to the lower part of a two-story brick building at 17-19 Broadway. The blaze began in the cellar, and the flames, spurred by kerosene, were seeping into the first floor, occupied by a bar and grill, when firemen under Chief Braun brought the fire under control. The building was owned by Mr. & Mrs. Joseph and Amelia Jablonsky, who lived in an apartment above the tavern.
In February of 1942, Chief Braun commanded a fire at a Gas Station. The fire loss to the building was estimated at $51,000. The fire was of undetermined origin damaged the station building, a one-story frame structure, and situated at 145 Broadway, and was operated by Eli Friedman of 49 Lenox Avenue, Hicksville. The firemen extinguished the blaze in about an hour.
In April of 1942, fire destroyed Bonura Florist located at Old Country Road and Duffy’s Lane and took the life of a worker sleeping on the second floor. The alarm came in at 3:30 AM and firefighters were on scene within minutes. Firefighters attempted to access the attic where the resident was located, but they were driven back by the intense heat. Firefighters would locate the charred resident on a couch where he had fallen asleep.
During his term Chief Braun, required residents who burn refuse on their property to obtain a permit and that the permits were obtainable from Henry Gebhardt, recently appointed fire warden for the district.
It was during his term and under the direction of the United States Department of Defense, Chief Vince Braun created the Fire Police Civil Defense Squad. This was similar to those used during World War I. Chief Braun authorized the use of the old Ford to transport members to fires for the purpose of maintaining order. The Squad was staffed by five members from each Company who served extra duty. During his term many members joined the war effort with the United States Army. Many other members would begin to work long hours in factories that would support the war effort in Hicksville, including Grumman. Chief Braun also had the Board staff the firehouse between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM due to recent sabotage at other area fire departments.
The members that were selected to serve as Fire Police were.
- Arnold Jeanson‑Co 1
- George Metz‑Co 1
- Henry Gebhardt‑Co 1
- Arthur Maxey‑Co 1
- Charles Schaefer‑Co 1
- Charles Jud‑Co 2
- August Jud‑Co 2
- Arthur Reimels‑Co 2
- Clarence Valentine‑Co 2
- Edward Schluter Sr‑Co 3
- Edward Schulter Jr‑Co 3
- Wm Christensen‑Co 3
- Sid Rigby‑Co 3
- Jack Leckie‑Co 3
- Joseph Goettleman-C 4
- Joseph Jablonsky-Co 4
- William Ulman‑Co 4
- George Rennie‑Co 4
- Howard Heberer‑Co 5
- Henry Walton‑Co 5
- John Jeanson‑Co 5
- Ralph Kraemer‑Co 5
- Edward Devlin‑Co 5
In February of 1941, work of the Hicksville Fire department was expedited for residents to use the new electric alarm system for reporting fires, instead of telephoning headquarters. Chief Braun expressed that by pulling the switch at a box causes a numerical signal to be sounded by the siren at the firehouse. Firemen would proceed directly to the scene of the blaze. After pulling the switch, the person reporting the fire was asked to remain near the box to direct firemen to the scene. Chief Braun pointed out that alarm boxes, located at intersections in all sections of the community, cost the district $2,000 a year to maintain. The boxes were marked at night by red lights.
Chief Braun established five substation Civil Defense Points in Hicksville as rallying points for civilian defense workers and equipment in event of an emergency call. Chief Braun announced that two stations were at the police booth at Broadway and John Street and on the opposite corner: the others at service stations at Old Country and Newbridge Roads, at Old Country Road and Broadway and at Plainview Road and Park Avenue.
Twenty-six members were presented with first aid certificates by Chief Braun. The firemen passed the first aid tests after receiving instruction from Edward Smeller, of the physical education department at Farmingdale High School.
Chief Braun was elected to an unprecedented third term in 1943 when he was re-elected. He again was looking to stay in office in 1944 but was defeated at the annual election of officers by George Engel, his opponent, who was elected by a vote of 73 to 48.
Vince was a member of the Annual Labor Day Parade and Tournament Committee, serving as its chairman in 1947 and again in 1956. He was also a Charter Member of Volunteer and Exempts Firemen’s Benevolent Association of Hicksville and served as its President 1948-1949.
After serving as Chief, Vincent was elected as Fire Commissioner in 1946 and was elected to five-5-year terms spending twenty years on the Board, serving as Chairman in 1949, 1954, 1959, and in 1964.
As a business owner in Hicksville, Vincent was a member of the local Lions Club, serving as its President.
The Braun family extends through many generations and across several notable families within the firefighter community (i.e. Gebhardt, Schuckmann, Saurer, Ofenloch). Vincent’s grandchildren, William, and John Zike, continue the family tradition as 4th generation volunteer firefighters in Volunteer Hose Company 4. His great-grandson, Steven served as well in Volunteer Hose Company 4 before transitioning to the New York City Fire Department.
Vincent passed away on October 21, 1969, and he is interred at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, NY.
This was one of several fires that Chief Braun served in Command. This was the Lakeville Manufacturing Fire in 1942.
Chief Braun's grandchildren John, William and Stephen all served as members of the Hicksville Fire department in Volunteer Hose Company 4
