Flames and Smoke: Surprise Guests at VFW Party

by Judy Silberstein

( September 21, 2002) Pat Conlon will have a hard time forgetting her fiftieth birthday. There were balloons, family, friends, roommates she hadn’t seen in thirty years, all gathered at the VFW Hall in Flint Park for a surprise celebration in her honor on Saturday night. Suddenly there were flames, smoke, and the Village of Larchmont Police and Fire Departments crashing the party.

The party was in full swing at approximately 9:30 pm on Saturday night when flames and smoke started billowing out of the kitchen and into the social hall. The two women helping with the food heard something pop. “We were all downstairs serving,” one reported. “We came up to the kitchen and saw the ceiling in flames. I screamed, Fire, fire!”

“The DJ did a great job of getting people outside,” said celebrant Pat Conlon, “And the Fire Department was there almost immediately,” reported another partygoer.

Village of Larchmont Fire Chief Brian Payne confirmed that the first fire truck arrived within 90 seconds of being notified by police. Responding to the fire were three Village rigs, about 20 Larchmont Volunteers, the Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and individual volunteers from the Town of Mamaroneck Fire Department. The Village Police Department, always first on the scene, provided crowd control. In addition there was a FAST (Fire Assistance Search Team) from Mamaroneck whose job is to stand-by in case a firefighter is in need of rescue. Fortunately, no one required rescuing at the VFW Hall.

The fire fighters did find very heavy smoke conditions in the kitchen, but were able to suppress the fire within minutes without anyone sustaining injury. “The fire was small, it was quickly put out and damage was minimal. That’s always what we’re looking for,” said Payne.

The Chief was pleased with the turnout and with the way the volunteer force has been growing recently. “Our numbers are definitely on the increase. Our guys are active and involved,” he reported. In the past few months the department has added four new recruits, three who contacted the Chief via the website at http://www.ci.larchmont.ny.us/departments/fd/join1.html (See also: Fire Recruits Looking to Give Back to the Community.) The two newest recruits bring previous experience to the department: Vi Le already volunteers with VAC, and Carl Nelson, an émigré from Colorado, is a nationally certified firefighter.

As the firefighters were winding up their hoses, the party was reentering the building. Unfortunately, all food exposed to the fumes or smoke would need to be discarded. A few of the hungrier guests wistfully eyed the buffet tables, still laden with party fare. But the balloons were still flying, the DJ was getting ready to start up again, and no one was expecting any more surprises.

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