New Ambulance Dedicated to Ed Carney

The ’s Rescue Company will have an ambulance dedication ceremony in honor of the late New Hyde Park firefighter Ed Carney from 1-5 p.m. Sunday at the department’s  headquarters.

From the time he joined the NHPFD in August 1972 to his passing in September 2009, Ed Carney served in the Rescue Company with distinction.  Not only was he awarded with multiple service pins, but he received the “Firefighter of the Year” title after rescuing someone from an apartment fire. 

“He took pride in the company and in everything about the department,” said Chief Brian Sherwood, who has known Carney since joining the ranks in 1992.

Carney’s pride extended to him quite literally bleeding for the cause.

“When we were new students doing IV training,” senior NHPFD member and former chief Karl Bumeisters recalled, “Ed would sit down, throw up his arms and say ‘OK guys, you can poke me for practice.’ That’s the dedicated kind of guy he was.”

During his tenure, Carney was a man who wore many hats.  He played a vital role in raising money for firefighters who have fallen on hard times by serving as an officer in the benevolent NHPFD Exempt Association.

Carney was also instrumental in raising funds for the department through its subscription program.

“That was his baby,” Sherwood stated. “He was good at motivating the volunteers to get out and collect donations.”

While serving as rescue company’s secretary for many years, Carney “brought a wealth of information to the department and the company,” according to four-time captain Robert Sprance, who will serve as Sunday’s Master of Ceremonies.

“Ed was a very intelligent guy who had a good understanding of how to write letters and of parliamentary procedure,” Sprance noted. “He was organized and always had it together.”

Not only was Carney organized, but he had a very traditional way of doing things.

“He wouldn’t change to CDs!” Bumeisters exclaimed. “When our equipment eventually modernized, he insisted on keeping his secretarial records on floppy disks.”

Carney’s most important role, perhaps, was that of ambulance chauffeur.

“That was his thing,” Sprance indicated. “He was our go-to guy for getting the ambulance out on the road and he made sure he was always there to do so.”

Sherwood added, “It didn’t make a difference if it was 2:00 a.m. or p.m.,”, who noted that there were many occasions where the ambulance “wouldn’t have gotten out if it wasn’t for Ed.”

All three men insisted that Carney’s percentage of response was over 90.

“Even after he got sick,” Sherwood remembered, “he would still respond to calls.”

Sprance added, “He was a tremendous asset considering we do about 1200-1500 calls a year and ambulance-related ones are especially important."

There have been ambulance dedications prior to this Sunday, but it is not a frequent occurrence as the department only purchases a new one every six or seven years.

“He was a very honest and righteous man,” Sprance declared. “He always did the right thing for the right reasons in every situation.  It is because of the structure, wisdom, foresight and commitment he brought to the company that we feel it is important to have this dedication.”