Firefighter Mike Milner, who last winter was forced by the Jericho Board of Fire Commissioners to forego his position of chief, is attempting to reinsert himself into a position of departmental clout by campaigning for a seat on the very body that spurned him.

Milner is running against Tom Murphy for fire commissioner, which carries a five-year term. Jericho Fire District voting takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the firehouse on Route 106/107, Broadway.

Despite the circumstances surrounding his involuntary departure as chief, there is no animosity between Milner and his incumbent opponent, because Murphy, the newest member of the board, was appointed to fill a vacancy months after Milner's exile. "I have no harsh feelings toward my opponent," Milner stated.

Even so, his relationship with the five other commissioners would have the potential to be more strained; however, Milner promised that if elected, he would set his grudge aside and work solely with community in mind. In keeping with that philosophy, Milner emphasized a set of goals that he said are instrumental in improving the department's performance.

Meanwhile, Murphy is attempting to characterize himself as an independent voice on the board who will not merely echo the sentiments of the members who appointed him, but will be willing to dissent if he believes his ideas are in the best interest of the community.

"The board is doing a good job," said Murphy, a New York City Battalion Chief for 25 years, and 15-year Jericho volunteer. "We have our differences, of course, but we work them out. On most major issues we seem to be together."

Milner, a 21-year member of the New York City Fire Department, a 23-year member of the Jericho Fire Department and a state-certified medical technician, said that if elected he would press for the passing of a plan he engendered, the three-tiered emergency medical CAP program.

The "C" in CAP stands for CPR, a life-saving procedure which Milner wants the fire department's medical staff to teach to community members, particularly those who supervise children, like coaches and baby-sitters. "Mom and dad would be at ease that these individuals have that skill," said Milner.

"A" represents automatic defibrillators, the electric device that shocks a heart into its normal rhythm in patients suffering from cardiac distress. Milner wants the fire district to purchase several easy-to-use defibrillators and distribute them to locations where local people congregate, such as schools and shopping centers. The district would provide the proper authorities at these locations with all the training necessary to utilize this equipment.

Finally, "P" stands for paramedic service, which Milner wants available 24 hours a day, every day within the district, through the efforts of a core group of qualified volunteers. By accomplishing these three items, the district would, said Milner "spread the tentacles of health care" all around Jericho.

Milner also suggested that the fire district should take measures to reduce what he calls carelessly high spending for a small fire district. "If you look at our neighbors, they live in a quite larger area to protect, and their tax rate is not much higher than ours," said Milner. While the Jericho fire district spends about $3.16 million dollars in a year, the considerably larger Hicksville and Syosset districts both spend an approximate total of $3.82 million per year.

Both Milner and Murphy believe the district must reassess the need for firehouse expansion and renovation - an idea that comes on the heels of a plan currently in the architectural design phase, to construct a new firehouse on the opposite side of the street. Neither believes such a drastic move is necessary, especially for a department that is short on volunteers.

Milner said that before such a plan is undertaken, the fire district should investigate the root of its recruiting struggles and reexamine the use of the Company 3 fire substation located on Cantiague Rock Road, which is often undermanned. Milner said that renovating the current firehouse and expanding the substation might be a more viable option than building a new station. "I don't think they're using the physical property properly," said Milner.

Murphy, once a member of Company 3, has experienced first-hand the frustrations of being undermanned. In that regard, said Murphy, "What the board is thinking of doing is forcing people from the main fire department to come over there." He also said that lack of volunteers was an issue that needed to be addressed. "Every volunteer fire department on Long Island is having [this] problem," said Murphy.

The Syosset Fire District features an uncontested race, as incumbent Peter Morley will return for another term.