Elections for Syosset's Fire Commissioner will take place Tuesday, Dec. 11 from 2 to 9 p.m. on the second floor of Syosset Fire Headquarters at 50 Cold Spring Road.

Two candidates are running for a full five-year term to replace Commissioner Giovanni Graceffa, who has chosen not to seek re-election. The candidates are Roy Broillard and Don Russo.

Commissioner Christian Pieper is standing for his first election following his appointment in September to fill the vacancy created by Commissioner Hendrickson's departure. He is being opposed by Robert Manfredonia. The Syosset-Jericho Tribune did not receive information from Manfredonia to include in this article. The winner will fill out the remaining three years of the term.

Don Russo is running for a five-year term as Syosset Fire Commissioner and facing Roy Brouillard.

Some of the titles that Russo has proudly held during his 23 years living in Syosset are firefighter, fire captain, Emergency Medical Technician and Eagle Scout, but he said that the title he is most proud of is husband and the father to three kids.

Russo said he believes that the fire district's priorities should be public safety, public readiness and fiscal responsibility.

During his 17 years with the Syosset Fire Department, he has faced emergencies on the front line as a firefighter, an emergency medical technician and a supervising officer. He said that his years of supervisory and field experience make him very well-qualified to be a fire commissioner.

Russo is an advocate of improving public safety through public readiness. He has learned firsthand that educating the public about what to do in an emergency is an integral part of mitigating a call for help.

"The fire department will always respond quickly when called, but what should someone do pending their arrival?" asked Russo. "It can be as simple as parents and their children pre-planning where to meet if they evacuated their home for a fire, but it is our duty to educate the public." As fire commissioner, he would review the current fire district's educational programs and explore ways to broaden the district outreach efforts.

Trained in electrical engineering at Queensboro College, Russo is a procurement director for a major electrical construction firm. He has many years of managerial experience in the fiscal and operational areas of private business. He is confident that his professional expertise will provide the tools to work with the other commissioners to manage the Syosset Fire District.

He enjoys spending time with his family, maintaining his classic car and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle, and volunteering for the Syosset Fire Department.

Roy Brouillard is running for a five-year term as a Syosset Fire Commissioner against Don Russo.

As a lifelong Syosset resident, and his 32 years in the volunteer fire service, serving as a lieutenant, captain and Deputy Chief, Brouillard has seen many changes. He said that he knows today's fire service has to be constantly changing and adapting to keep protecting the communities from fires, natural disasters and medical emergencies. But he said he also knows that not all changes are for the better. That is one of the reasons why he has chosen to run for fire commissioner.

As a former deputy chief in Syosset and a dispatcher for several local fire districts, Brouillard has seen significant changes in fire communications from both sides of the radio and understands the vital role they play at a fire or emergency scene. However, he is very pleased that the majority of the current board of fire commissioners recently voted to suspend plans to implement a microwave-based radio system that would have required the erection of an over 100-foot communications tower in the middle of downtown Syosset.

"I think the majority of the board members were right to stop this project and re-evaluate other solutions that will still provide our firefighters with the ability to effectively communicate in our own service area during emergencies without saddling the community with an eyesore," said Brouillard. "It was important for the board to listen to the feedback from our neighbors in the community and explore ways to still provide high quality radio service while not tarnishing the Syosset skyline with another communications tower that probably wasn't necessary."

The radio tower was only one of the reasons Brouillard has chosen to run for fire commissioner and he said it was not a decision he took lightly. Brouillard said he has been regularly attending Board of Fire Commissioners meetings for several months and feels that this knowledge, combined with his 25 years of experience running his own contracting business, have prepared him for the job.

"As a fire commissioner, you choose to take on a great deal of responsibility to 35,000 of your neighbors, especially the over 120 men and women of the Fire Department," said Brouillard. "I wanted to make sure I was sufficiently familiar with the issues currently facing the district and the board before I decided to run. As a result, I will be able to immediately hit the ground running in January, should the voters choose to elect me on December 11th."

Brouillard is also a member of the National Fire Department Safety Officers Association, is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and looks forward to bringing this experience to the board on behalf of the volunteer firefighters and emergency medical providers of the Syosset Fire Department

Ex-Chief Christian Pieper was appointed to the Board of Fire Commissioners in September to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Commissioner Dennis Hendrickson, who submitted his resignation. He is running for re-election to finish the remaining three years of his term and is running against Robert Manfredonia.

Pieper is a lifelong resident of Syosset and has been a member of the SFD's Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 for 19 years, and previously held the position of company Captain. Pieper had served as an assistant chief for six years, and Chief of Department for two years.

In June of 2004, he was cited for bravery by the Nassau County Fire Commission, along with two other Syosset Fire Department members, for their actions in removing two elderly victims from a house fire on Marlene Drive.

"It's an honor and a great privilege to serve as commissioner of the Syosset Fire District," said Pieper. "I realize how important this job is and intend to do my best as to reflect positively on the district and this office. I'm also excited about working with the chiefs of the Syosset Fire Department. As an ex-chief, I know how important it is that the commissioners and chiefs work together to keep both the district and department moving in the right direction."

Pieper resides in North Syosset with his wife, Meredith and their three sons. He has been employed by the Long Island Rail Road for 18 years and serves as a supervisor for the railroad.