Joining a group that always has your back: Fire Department mentors show the way for recruits

Before Maximilian Pelletier, then 20, joined the Shelter Island Fire Department in November 2013, he had witnessed and quickly responded to a fire on his own, and was asked by a veteran Island firefighter to consider joining.

Like all recruits he wanted to become one of the Island’s bravest for several reasons, but primarily to serve his community and protect his fellow Islanders. There are other tangible benefits, of course, such as a pension plan and tax breaks (more on these later) but an unexpected bonus was being taken under the wing by mentors who educated and encouraged him. The veteran firefighters showing him the ropes were essential in helping the young man, now chief of the department, to find his way.

Chief Pelletier mentioned John Mahoney, Phil Power and Anthony Reiter as those who, before, during and after the intense training every recruit must go thorough at the Suffolk County Fire Academy in Yaphank, were the ones who let him know they had his back. But it was Andy Reeve who the chief remembers as being particularly influential.

“Andy was a man of few words unless you really knew him,” he said.

Mr. Reeve, who passed away in April 2025, helped the young man with practical skills, such as driving and interior firefighting, but it was other things he imparted that the chief especially remembers.

“Andy was always encouraging me,” he said. “If you did something wrong, he’d say, ‘O.K., you messed up, so now, here’s the right way,’ And then he’d show you.”

Bur as a true mentor, Mr. Reeve did more than demonstrate firefighting skills. “He showed me how to give my all, to keep pushing,” Chief Pelletier said. “He wanted me to be not just a better firefighter, but a better person.”

Recruits to the department now get the same special treatment, the chief said. An officer and a newer member who has been through training are unofficially appointed to look after the newbies, to help them and to let me know at all times that, “You’ve got this.”

Again, it’s one more advantage of joining the department, and new members are actively sought to serve Shelter Island.

SIFD is not the only department that’s in need of volunteers. According to the Firefighters Association of the State of New York (FASNY), staffing at volunteer fire departments across New York has fallen by 20,000 in the last decade.

SIFD statistics show that in 1980 there were 173 volunteer firefighters; today there are about 65, Chief Pelletier said. Of those, there are only 20 “interior firefighters” (those who go into structures to battle fires), with the remaining members in exterior roles, such as moving hoses, setting up ladders and other equipment, and Fire Police, who control traffic and divert it away from the scene and the department’s water sources.

Shelter Island has one woman firefighter, Cathy Kenny. She completed training and was certified on June 14, 2025. The chief said the department welcomes anyone who expresses an interest in joining. “The door is always open to everyone,” he said.

There are several reasons for the fall-off in volunteers, the chief said, including the high cost of living on the Island these days, especially for young families. House prices have increased steadily, freezing out many families, and, as Chief Pelletier pointed out, young people often have side jobs in addition to their principal employment just to make ends meet, which leaves little time for volunteering.

But the chief noted that there are benefits in joining the department beyond serving and protecting the community, including college tuition reimbursement, free equipment and training, and in some cases property tax reductions. These benefits are in conjunction with those offered by towns and the State. In addition, there is the Length of Service Award Programs (LOSAP), which is, in effect, an earned pension system, which begins paying out after age 65.

Under LOSAP, volunteers earn benefits by performing activities, such as answering a certain number of emergency calls and attending drills and training sessions. In addition, points are awarded for community service, such as the annual Steak Dinner and The Country Fair.

To get information on volunteering for the Shelter Island Fire Department, contact Fire District Secretary Michael Johnson at 631-749-3369. And, the chief said, just ask any member of the Department for information, or attend a session on Sunday mornings, 10 a.m. to noon, at the Center Firehouse.

The deepest rewards are more than the individual benefits, he said. He knows this as a person who never looked back on his decision to join and answer the call for his fellow Shelter Islanders, and never forgets the inspiration and guidance he received from John Mahoney, Phil Power, Anthony Reiter and Andy Reeve.