55. Terrence Patrick Farrell (1989)
Served 1 Year
Terrence Farrell was born March 10, 1956, and was the fifth of seven sons born to Joseph and Ruth Farrell. He graduated from Hicksville High School in 1974. In July 1984 Terry became a member of the New York City Transit Police Department. Within 2 years he was assigned to the prestigious Emergency Services Unit.
He married Nora Hoffman in June 1985. They would have 2 children. Terrence Joseph (current 1st Assistant Chief, with the Dix Hills Fire Department) and Rebecca. Terry and Nora lived on Hope Lane before moving to Dix Hills.
Terry, as he was affectionately known joined Chemical Engine Company 3 in December of 1974 and was given badge 785. Terry was a very active member of the Company and was elected to serve as 2nd Lieutenant in 1980, 1st Lieutenant in 1981 and subsequently went onto serve as their 30th Captain in 1982 and again in 1983.
He became a member of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) in 1989. In October 1995 Terry was assigned to Rescue 4. Rescue 4 is just one of only five elite Rescue units that serve the entire FDNY system. Terry was committed to his profession by becoming a member of the New York City Fire Department’s elite “Rescue 4”, located in Maspeth, Queens.
During Terry’s career he served as a member of the Hazardous Materials Response Team and a member of the Rescue Squad. Terry was an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-D) from 1989 through 1991.
Following his departure as Captain, Terry was elected as an Assistant Chief in 1984 and went onto serve as the 55th Chief of the Hicksville Fire Department in 1989. His Assistant Chiefs were Anthony Wigdzinski (1st), Patrick Scanlon (2nd) and Albert Merk (3rd).
During his term as Chief, OSHA mandated that firefighters no longer ride on the rear “tail” of apparatus. The Chiefs set new guidelines and members either rode up top or in jump seats. Future apparatus will be designed with crew cabs to accommodate the new change.
A home was completely destroyed when a natural gas leak caused the home to explode on March 16th. The two occupants of the home at 51 Myers Avenue heard a hissing sound and smelled gas. When they were almost out the front door the explosion occurred, causing back injuries to both residents. The day before the fire, a gas appliance was installed at the home and investigators pinpointed the origin of the blast to that appliance in the basement. House numbers 49 and 53 on each side of 51 Myers Avenue were also damaged along with three vehicles in the driveway of the damaged home.
A late-night fire which caused moderate damage to the Old Lighthouse Restaurant at 46 West Old Country Road, took firefighters over several hours to extinguish the flames. Firefighters were inhibited to get at the seat of the blaze in a narrow crawl space under the kitchen. Fire and water damage was confined to those areas. There was some damage to the second floor where the fire had spread to the space between the walls. The entire restaurant received smoke damage, and the kitchen floor collapsed into the crawl space. The fire was discovered when the owner opened the door to see why the burglar alarm had sounded. For many years, the establishment was known as “Frank’s Alibi”. The fire caused over $150,000 in damage sending two firefighters to local hospitals.
When the Board of Fire Commissioners planned to move Hook and Ladder Company 6 from the Strong Street substation to the new Levittown Parkway substation, it received opposition from northwest residents, firemen and Chief Farrell who was not in favor of the move. At the Northwest Civic Association meeting on April 3, Northwest residents said they feared they would not have enough fire protection with only one truck. Firefighter and first vice president of the Northwest Civic Association, Bob Dwyer became Chief Farrell’s ally and felt that it was very important to have a second piece of fire apparatus at the Strong Street substation in case the first piece breaks down. Ladder 936 would not be transferred, and Ladder 931 was reassigned in its place.
In May of 1989, the Student Against Drunk Driving (SADD) chapter, the fire department and police carried out a message by staging a mock accident in which two prom students were hurt. The scene took place on the high school field and consisted of students, portrayed by firefighters Liz Flahavan and Tim Chase driving to the prom. They were then “hit” by a drunk driver, played by 12th grade Chris Horvath, a member of SADD. The event was coordinated by Ex-Captain Schweitzer who worked with Assistant Chief Scanlon. Firefighters worked to extricate the students from the cars, while 8th precinct police officers performed a sobriety test to determine whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In July two fires struck the Hicksville Motor Lodge at 429 Duffy Avenue, near Old Country Road. In both cases all guests were evacuated with no injuries but there was considerable damage to two rooms. At 3:42 AM the following morning firefighters were again called for a second-floor blaze, this one being two doors away from the first fire. All occupants were safely evacuated and there was about $35,000 in damage.
In September of 1989, arson caused a blaze that gutted that swept through the Bottom Ups Pub located at 10 Jerusalem Avenue. Firefighters had to work quickly to contain the fire which had already spread through the interior walls to the second floor. The fire gutted the bar and group of stores known as the Sutter Building that were also destroyed in the 1960’s.
A few days later a fire at Composite Hair Designs on 394 Woodbury Road caused over $100,000 in damage. Gasoline was found at the scene and investigations believed that it was poured down two air vents on the roof. The fire apparently burned all night undetected. On Sunday morning. the owner opened the door and found the entire store destroyed.
Hard work was nothing strange for Terry, whereas he was recognized for his actions above and beyond the call of duty on several occasions. Terry received Awards from the Elks Club, the American Legion, and a Certificate of Merit from the Department along with the Department’s Service Award. Terry was also a recipient of three Unit Citations for the Seaford-Oyster Bay Propane Tanker Incident, the All-Boro Propane Incident, and the Avianca Airline Crash.
On January 1, 1983, after being assured by hospital authorities that a 50-year-old male patient was in no distress, Hicksville Unit 939 staffed by Captain Terry Farrell, Lieutenant Jack Huttle, Firefighter Castiglia, and Lieutenant Seeley. While in route to the hospital, the victim went into cardiac arrest. CPR was started, after a few minutes of CPR the victim was revived. Before arrival at the hospital, the victim suffered 2 more cardiac arrests and was revived. Only through the dedication and persistence of the EMS Personnel did the patient survive that night.
Terry was a Life Member of the Exempts Benevolent Association and was active on the Ice Hockey Team, which he played the position as our starting Goalie, a position he shared with George Howard. Terry was also a member of the “Hicks” Drill Team for many years and a member of the Labor Day Committee.
After 16 years Terry left Hicksville in 1991 and moved his family to their new home in South Huntington. Terry immediately became a member of the Dix Hills Fire Department, where he served as an Assistant Chief. Terry always kept Hicksville in his heart, as he would return each Labor Day to march proudly in our annual parade by leading a division.
On September 11, 2001, Chief Farrell paid the ultimate sacrifice and was killed during the World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks. His son TJ carries on his legacy and is a member and Chief of the Dix Hills Volunteer Fire Department. Chief Farrell was laid to rest at St Patrick’s Cemetery, Huntington, New York.



