Several fire departments across the North Fork reported record call numbers in 2024 and saw an uptick in fire response and rescue incidents compared to past years.
The Mattituck Fire Department racked up a total of 703 calls in 2024, which included 492 emergency medical service calls as well responses to fire alarms, automatic alarms and mutual aid requests from neighboring departments. The department also responded to five active house fires — a “peculiar” amount for a department that typically handles one or two house fires per year, said Mattituck Fire Chief Bobby Haas.
One of the more devastating house fires took place on Nov. 19 on Old Sound Avenue near the Amagansett Building Company. Multiple area fire departments responded to the morning blaze, which claimed the life of Edy Herrera, a dishwasher at C.J.’s American Grill. The incident is still under investigation.
Chief Haas said the last time the department saw a notable increase in structure fires was in 2016 — when there were a total of four. When asked what may have led to the hike this past year, the chief said he didn’t think there is a clear answer.
“Some [causes] are undetermined, so we don’t know what started them,” he said. “So, it’s hard to say why the influx in the amount of fires this year.”
The Greenport Fire Department responded to 1,144 combined fire and rescue calls in 2024 — the most in department history. Volunteer firefighters and EMTs surpassed 1,000 total responses in November and saw a roughly 14% overall spike for the year.
David Nyce, one of the department’s chiefs, said nearly 75% of the calls are rescues, which refers to any medical-related response. Most firerelated incidents result from automatic alarms — which refers to the alert systems commonly integrated in homes and commercial buildings. Sometimes the use of the terms automatic alarm and false alarm can be “interchangeable,” Mr. Nyce.
There was also a significant house fire on Anglers Road in November. The Greenport, Southold, Shelter Island, Cutchogue and Mattituck fire departments responded shortly after homeowner Mary McCabe evacuated the one-story, three-bedroom house. Volunteers battled the flames for more than two hours that afternoon, according to previous reporting. The cause of that fire also remains under investigation.
In terms of medical-related incidents, Mr. Nyce said the Greenport fire department responded to an increased number of alcohol overdoses throughout the year — including a notable spike over the summer. Around that time, Greenport Village passed an anti-loitering law in an effort to help ease the overwhelming number of emergency calls. Mr. Nyce, a former Greenport Village mayor, said the fire department has worked with local officials, the police department and the hospital to address this issue.
The East Marion Fire Department responded to 134 total calls in 2024, which breaks down to 53 fire-related and 81 EMS calls. Volunteers responded to nine active fires last year, a significant increase from the two fires recorded in 2023.
Although its full year-end tally has not yet been finalized, the Cutchogue Fire Department reported responding to 511 total calls, up from 498 in 2023. On the year, 369 calls were rescuebased and 142 were fire or fire alarm related.
The Southold Fire Department also reported a slight uptick, from 747 total incidents in 2023 to 787 last year.
Late in the year, three separate brush fires demanded the Riverhead Fire Department’s attention over Veterans Day weekend and several other Suffolk County fire departments — including Orient, Cutchogue, Manorville, Eastport, Wading River and Moriches — responded as well. Conditions were unusually dry for fall, and a red flag warning was in place.
The Riverhead Fire Department reported a slight year-over-year decrease in calls, with a total of 1,435 compared to 1,482 in 2023, while the Jamesport FD saw a slight increase, from 325 in 2023 to 344 last year. The Wading River FD responded to 370 fire incidents and 1,155 EMS calls for a total of 1,522 alarms — 127 more than the previous year.
Recruitment continues to be a struggle for most local fire departments and the need for more — particularly younger — volunteers remains. Chief Haas said that with the rising cost of living, volunteerism is at an “all time low” across Long Island.
Mr. Nyce noted that many potential recruits who move to the North Fork are coming from places where firefighters are paid to volunteer, providing an incentive to stay involved and compensate for the time burdens of required training. The Mattituck Fire District currently pays its EMTs and Cutchogue is in the process of offering paid volunteer opportunities as well, Mr. Nyce said. He feels this trend will continue and believes that eventually all departments will follow suit and compensate first responders.
The trend of increasing call volume shows little signs of reversing. The Greenport Fire Department, for example, has already responded to nearly 75 calls so far this year. At that rate, Mr. Nyce said, the department is on track to potentially hit 1,200 calls by the end of 2025. He added that Greenport would need a “substantial number” of new recruits in order to handle the uptick in calls.
“It’s not like we had a chance to stop, reset and let everybody sort of catch their breath — it’s sort of relentless,” Mr. Nyce said. “Is there a breaking point? At what point have we basically lost our crew — it’s not that dire, nobody’s saying stuff like that, we just need to be a little proactive.”