66. Edward Korona Jr. (2010-2011)
Served 2 Years
Edward Korona Jr. was born July 7, 1962, in East Meadow and grew up in Levittown. He is the son of Edward Sr. and Florence. He married DeAnna in September of 1986. Edward was employed by Nassau County for over 40 years, working as a Supervisor in the Printing & Graphics Department, as well as a Deputy Commissioner of Nassau County Emergency Management and served as a Deputy Chief at the Nassau County Fire Service Academy. He lived on Bobwhite Lane in Hicksville.
Ex-Chief Korona started his volunteer career as a Cadet (Junior Firefighter) with the Levittown Fire Department and was very active in the Junior Firefighter program before he moved to Hicksville. Chief Korona joined the department in June 1988 as a member of Volunteer Hose Company 4 under the command of Captain Gene Pietzak. After just completing his probationary period, he was asked by Captain Bob Becker to assist with the department’s Labor Day Committee where he continued to serve for many years. In 1989 Ed was chosen to lead the department as Grand Marshal and Chairman of the 70th Annual Labor Day Parade & Drill by Chief LaNasa.
In 1990 Ed was elected as Corresponding Secretary to the department. Over the years Ed served on the 100th Anniversary Committee in 1993 and co-authored the department’s history book along with Chief Karl Schweitzer. In 1995 Ed was elected as 2nd Lieutenant to Hose Company 4 and was later elected from 1997-1999 as its Captain.
Edward Korona, Jr., was elected 3rd Assistant Chief in 2004-2005, 2nd Assistant Chief 2006-2007, and as 1st Assistant Chief 2008-2009, before he was elected as the 66th Chief of the Hicksville Fire Department in 2010-2011. Edward’s Assistant Chiefs were Christopher Moskos, 1st Assistant, Frank McGeough, 2nd Assistant and Richard Diaz, 3rd Assistant.
In 2010 Chief Korona announced that they would no longer sponsor the annual Labor Day Parade. The 2009 parade was the last one. The first Labor Day Parade and Drill started in the mid-1920s and at one time the parade consisted of six divisions with almost 50 fire departments marching and now the committee was hard-pressed to get 20 departments to parade. The parade and drill were held as a fundraiser, and in recent years, it had cost the department to run the event. The drill portion was dropped in 2005 under Chief Doucette because the grandstands did not comply with OSHA standards.
Over the years Eddie received numerous firematic and service awards and served on the Department Training Committee for many years and was appointed to chair that committee from 1996 until 2004 when he was elected 3rd Assistant Chief. In addition, Eddie was a member of the Department Hazardous Materials Response Team and was a member of the Rescue Squad (EMS) where he served 9 years as an Emergency Medical Technician. He was also a member of the Department’s Fire Police Squad.
As a Firefighter, Eddie received an EMS Award for his actions taken on March 22, 1993. The Hicksville Fire Department responded to a reported cardiac arrest at 136 First Street. Firefighter John DeLellis an EMT, first upon the victim, discovered that she was in cardiac arrest. Firefighter DeLellis immediately started CPR and continued until the arrival of his fellow rescuers. The arrival of Unit 937 with Lieutenant Doucette, Firefighter Korona and Firefighter Hudson, all EMTs, brought much needed assistance to the scene and allowed them to take over CPR from Firefighter DeLellis. With no further rescue assistance responding to the scene, these members continued CPR and packaged the patient for transport to the Hospital. The patient was placed in the Ambulance where CPR and basic life support skills were continued, and the patient was turned over to Hospital staff and a follow-up on her condition 2 days later revealed that she was in ICU and had survived this medical emergency.
In 1993, firefighter Edward Korona was presented with a Department Service Award for his research and authoring of the 100th Anniversary History Book. He along with Assistant Chief Schweitzer formulated and compiled information for the writing of the Hicksville Fire Department's 100th Anniversary Historical Journal. This historical journal would turn out to become the most comprehensive and concise history ever produced on the history of the Hicksville Fire Department. The task of putting this document together required firefighter Korona to spend many hundreds of hours researching information, meeting with local historians, visiting local libraries and having to travel hundreds of miles upstate to visit museums and to speak with past Hicksville residents. All this time did not come easy and required Eddie to take personal time off from his place of employment. After many hours reviewing slides, photographs and over 10,000 photocopies of news clippings from 9 different publications dating from 1890 through 1992, firefighter Korona's task was now to layout and edit this historical journal. In December 1993, after 4 years of research, typing text, editing and re-editing, the finished version of the Hicksville Fire Department's-First One Hundred Years, an historical journal, which consists of over 300 pages was finally completed and put to print.
Over the years with the Hicksville Fire Department, Eddie received numerous firematic and service awards including responding to the Avianca plane crash in 1990 and the Suffolk Wildfires in 1995.
Captain Korona was awarded a Unit Citation for his work on Friday, August 21, 1998, when the Hicksville Fire Department was called to assist the Jericho Fire Department for an overturned gasoline truck on the Long Island Expressway. Upon arrival at the scene, it was unknown how much product was in the tanker since its driver sustained injuries and was transported to the hospital. A Hazardous Material Command post was established, and a review of the load and delivery tickets concluded that the truck was carrying approximately 10,000 gallons of gasoline. Various operations were being conducted which included the stabilization of the truck, monitoring of storm drains, the evacuation of residents and the cutting of six 4" holes into the side of the tanker and offloading its contents into a second truck while foam was being applied. Periodic meetings at the command post, among the various agencies involved allowed for good communication during this large-scale incident that lasted approximately ten hours and started on a hot and sunny day.
Captain Edward Korona was awarded a Certificate of Merit for his actions at a house fire in 1999. On November 17, 1999, The Hicksville Fire Dispatcher received a call for a report of a house fire at 46 Andover Lane with the possibility of a victim trapped. First members on scene, proceeded to attempt a rescue by trying to enter the front door. They were forced away due to the heavy volume of fire and smoke pushing from the front of the residence. They went to the rear and kicked in the rear door and again were met with heavy smoke and heat. Engine 932 arrived at the scene and picked up a hydrant and the line was stretched to the front door. As the hose crew entered the front door, they encountered a heavy volume of fire in the hallway. At that time a flashover occurred throwing the hose crew and the officer out onto the front lawn and the search team was thrown out the rear door. The Second due Engine 937, arrived with Captain Korona as the officer in charge. He immediately split his crew with one stretching a second line. His crew immediately started ventilation on exposures 2 and 3. Engine 2's crew regrouped and proceeded to take the line in the rear door of exposure 4 through the hallway into the kitchen, hitting the heavy volume of fire in the kitchen and dining room. Captain Doughty and Korona entered the kitchen with the second line and advanced up the hallway and assisted the search crew. A second crew entered through a window on exposure 2 side without the benefit of a hand line and started a search of the first floor with heavy smoke, heat, and fire above them. At the same time, a third crew entered the rear door with the protection of a hand line in place and started a search for the victim. The three search teams met in the middle of the house and located the victim. They then proceeded to remove the victim with a heavy fire condition above them. The victim was handed over to an awaiting NCPD ambulance.
Eddie received a Certificate of Merit for his actions as part of a crew for his efforts on February 27, 2005. The Hicksville Fire Department received a call for a possible cardiac arrest at 355 Newbridge Road in Apt. 67. Upon arrival, Assistant Chief Chiz noted the patient to be pulse-less, not breathing and transmitted a "Code Red". The crew from 939 arrive, Firefighter Wicks and Assistant Chief Korona moved the patient to the floor and started CPR. As other members from the ambulance crew arrived, they took over CPR and assumed compressions and maintained the airway, which became difficult due to the patient's positioning in the room. While basic life support care was established, Lieutenant Farrell began cardiac monitoring and determined that the patient had an agonal rhythm. While the patient was being stabilized, the crew began to prepare for the packaging of the patient by securing the appropriate equipment from the rig. As they were using basic life support maneuvers, the patient went into ventricular fibrillation. After counter shocking, the patient resumed agonal rhythm. Following the defibrillation, the patient was packaged and moved to the ambulance and transported to the hospital when the patient's blood pressure returned to a pulse of 150 over 90. The patient's status was confirmed by the Emergency Department staff, and it was noted that the patient was connected to a ventilator with stable blood pressure and in sinus tachycardia. The patient was later transferred to the Cardiac Care Unit and then to a medical floor. Within two weeks, she was scheduled to return home. The teamwork and level of skill displayed by the members of the crew on scene contributed to the patient's survival.
Chief Korona served on the Department Training Committee for many years and was appointed to chair from 1996 until 2004 when he was elected 3rd Assistant Chief. In addition, Eddie was a member of the Department Hazardous Materials Team and was a member of the Rescue Squad (EMS) and served 9 years as an Emergency Medical Technician. He was also a member of the Department’s Fire Police Squad. Ex-Chief Korona had a love for fire department history, he was the historian for Volunteer Hose Company 4 and helped in the restoration of the Hose Cart that would be part of the Department’s Anniversary Parade and now proudly sits on display at Station 4. He would author various historical programs and coordinate the display cases at Station 4 and because of his background in printing, Eddie was the “go-to” for all the Department’s printing needs.
Ex-Chief Korona was instrumental in fund raising activities at the Department level, within Volunteer Hose Company 4 and while a member of the Rescue Squad. Everything from Craft Fairs to BBQ Cook Off’s, Car Washes, Car Shows, Baseball Card shows and much more. Eddie would have a hand in making them successful.
In July of 2024, the department was saddened to learn of the passing of Chief Korona who unexpectedly passed away at the age of 61. With him throughout his career has been his wife, DeAnna, and their children, Devin, and Taylor.
It takes a special dedication, a strong desire to help others and a tireless sense of community to forsake precious time with family and friends to respond to the call that a neighbor is in need. Ex-Chief Edward Korona, Jr. is such a member; throughout his years of devoted service he has heroically performed, above and beyond the call of duty, those responsibilities which define the task of fire protection.
