Ray Burke Reflects on Time as Lynbrook Fire Chief

After a year as the head of the Lynbrook Fire Department, the man known in the village as "Chief" has handed the job over to his former deputy, Mike Hynes.

Raymond Burke, with the department for over 30 years, took some time to chat with Patch about his stint as fire chief, which ended last month.

"I'm very honored and privileged to serve and lead a group of 200 volunteers in the Lynbrook Fire Department," Burke said. "I'm proud of the work that they do and the credit that's derived. The best thing I can do is make sure I hand [the position] in the same, and better, condition that I got it in … and I believe I did that. I'm very thankful."

Burke was exposed to the firehouse lifestyle as early as his childhood. His father was a fireman in the Central Islip Fire Department, and Burke later followed in his footsteps, signing up for the Hewlett Fire Department at the age of 19. Within a few years, he moved to Lynbrook's Vulcan Company. And he's spent the last 32 years with Lynbrook's Hose Co. #1.

The former chief said he's certainly seen his share of changes over the years, particularly in the area of fire safety and prevention. A more proactive ideology, he said, rather than a reactive one.

For example, Burke recalled that there were far more fires in commercial buildings earlier on in his career, but thanks to automated alarm systems and more personnel working on fire prevention, those numbers have dramatically decreased. "Atlantic Avenue, we used to have a major fires every couple of years, and we haven't seen one there in probably 15 years," he said, crediting the alarms and added personnel.

The firefighters themselves also have undergone a transformation, Burke said. They've gone from wearing canvas coats and rubber boots to having top-of-the-line equipment when fighting fires.

"We have definitely moved from an aggressive, almost cowboy attitude to a fire science, and making sure that we can protect the guys both with gear and with operations that minimize possible injury, and even death," Burke said.

The former chief, who marks 50 years in Lynbrook this month, will remain involved in the fire department in a training and safety role. He'll continue his day job working in tech support for Cablevision, and plans to spend more time with his family: his wife, Maria, of 34 years; and two daughters, Jaclyn, a special education teacher in New York City, and Tracey, who just completed a term as captain of Lynbrook's Medical Company.

But "Chief" will still miss the old job, and says he wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

"In short, it's something you aspire to … you get a chance to do it and the job essentially becomes your life for four years," said Burke of his time as 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Deputy Chief before becoming Chief of Department. "It's huge. It's one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life and I am very proud to have served and I'm very humbled at that office."