The Great Neck Vigilant Fire Department on Sunday dedicated a new ambulance truck to ex-Vigilant President Ralph Fliedner, who worked with the fire department for 38 years.
“It’s really my honor to be here with the Fliedner family,” Vigilant Fire Chief Laurence Jacobs said in front of the Great Neck Vigilant Firehouse at 83 Cuttermill Road. “Ralph was the definition of what it means to be a Vigilant.”
Fliedner, who died in 1996, joined the Great Neck Vigilant Fire Department in 1956 and served as president from 1969 to 1980. He was also the president of the Vigilant Exempt Benevolent Firemen’s Association from 1988 to 1994.
Fliedner’s impact in the Great Neck community, Jacobs said, stretched beyond the Vigilant Firehouse.
He was the owner of the Fliedner Funeral Home, which was located on Middle Neck Road, until his retirement in 1994. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Aloysius Church, Great Neck Lions Club, Great Neck Village Businessmen’s Association and Great Neck Visiting Nurse Association.
“My family often talked about the Fliedner family,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs was joined by members of the Vigilant Fire Department, Fliedner’s family and elected officials as the new ambulance truck was christened by his two daughters, Kristin and Leigh.
“We are honored to have the ambulance dedicated to our father,” said Leigh Bales, Fliedner’s youngest daughter.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth recalled how the ambulance trucks used by the Vigilant Fire Department helped save her life one day about 20 years ago.
“I was once in one of these ambulances,” she said. “If it wasn’t for that lifeline, I may not be here today.”
State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) praised the work of people like Fliedner, who volunteer their time to protect the community.
“It’s about these individuals,” he said. “We live under the protection of volunteers.”
The Great Neck Vigilant Fire Department provides emergency services to the villages of Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Great Neck Estates, parts of Thomaston and the unincorporated areas of the Town of North Hempstead on the Great Neck Peninsula.
