Emergency pauses Shelter Island pickleball

It was a lovely, gray, overcast St. Patrick’s Day morning when the Shelter Island Pickleball Gang noticed a peculiar smell in the American Legion Hall gymnasium.

Someone made a quick call to the Shelter Island Fire Department and within minutes three firetrucks arrived and police sirens were blaring throughout the Island.

Fire Chief Dan Rasmussen said Monday that his department responded to the emergency call from the American Legion Post of a gas leak. “Downstairs at the Legion we found a pilot light had gone out. We secured it and vented out the area,” the chief said. 

The emergency paused but didn’t stop the game. These are very determined people. Only when the Fire Chief said, “Get the heck out of the building — there’s gas downstairs,” did the gang retire their paddles.

Thirty minutes later, all was well, and with much appreciation, we bid the whole crew of firefighters adieu and kept playing.

As one of the firefighters left, he said, “It’s all due to the luck of the Irish.” 

We played on.