51. William Francis Donlon Jr. (1982-1983)
Served 2 Years
William Donlon was born October 9, 1939, and is the son of William Sr. and Edna (Waterbury) Donlon and he is a life-long 2nd generation Hicksville resident. He graduated from Hicksville High School in 1956. He married Martha Canham in October of 1958. William owned and operated Consumer Oil and lived on 6th Street in Hicksville.
Bill was a Veteran of the United States Navy, where he served 2 years active duty and continued in the active reserves for over 20 years. He retired from the Naval Reserves as a first-class radioman.
Being a lifelong resident of Hicksville, Bill was aware of the community’s needs, so he joined the department and Volunteer Hose Company 4 in 1967. Bill served Company 4 as 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, and Captain. In 1978, Bill decided to run against the incumbent candidate John Keyer from Company 6. Keyer had just completed his term as 3rd Assistant Chief when he lost to Captain Bill Donlon. Bill served as 2nd Assistant Chief and 1st Assistant Chief. Bill earned the respect and admiration of everyone he had been in contact with by his cool demeanor and fairness to all. He assumed the position as the 51st Chief in 1982-1983. All the experience has made Bill a well-rounded and experienced leader.
During his term, in 1983, a Chemical Tanker overturned on West John Street spilling over 7,000 gallons of MEK onto the ground and into storm drains. It took the support of Grumman and Republic Airports to help with foaming operations.
There was a fire at the Eastern Tile Warehouse on Bethpage Road that caused over $125,000 in damage.
A fast-moving fire broke out on April 30th in the rear portion of the building, in an alley behind Bill’s Bar located at 17-19 Herzog Place. There were numerous patrons in the bar at the time of the fire, and they ignored plea of firefighters and the bartender to leave. Firefighters had to forcibly remove some of the patrons. Efforts were hampered by a tin ceiling to manage the fire, but they were able to confine the fire to the bar.
Firefighters battled the blaze at Country Carpet located at the Railroad tracks and Raymond Street. Upon arrival of the one-story block building, fire was seen through the roof. Several small hydrants in the neighborhood made it necessary to call for mutual aid assistance. Early in the fire, the walls began to twist, and the steel beams gave way. Firefighters found themselves fighting the fire from the outside. The mutual aid engines relayed water from blocks away to units at the scene. Nearby buildings were protected from damage as was the portion of the warehouse containing paint and chemicals.
Under his term, firefighters pulled extra duty by serving on the Hazardous Material Response Team and trained in an 8-hour seminar at Hicksville High School. The seminar conducted by Safety System of Jacksonville, Florida, covered problems in dealing with hazardous material leaks, spill, and fire control. Over 200 firefighters from Long Island attended the lecture and field evolutions.
Ex-Chief Donlon was elected Fire Commissioner in 1984 to a five term and served as its chairman in 1987. Chief Donlon passed away at the age of 49 from cancer on September 15, 1988, and he is interred at Pinelawn Memorial Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.
Chief Donlon is shown above in command working with the Nassau County Police and below at the Hicksville High School Administration Building Fire
