Neil Schloth honored for 40 years fighting and preventing fires

Neil Schloth’s favorite part of being a firefighter is preventing blazes from ever breaking out.

Schloth, who has been a member of the East Rockaway Fire Department’s Hose Co. #1 since 1982, has delivered hundreds of fire prevention presentations to local youth over the decades to educate them on everything from changing smoke detector batteries annually to feeling interior doors for heat to determine if they are safe to openduring a fire.

He delivered a presentation this fall before a crowd of more than 200 first- and second-grade students at Marion Street Elementary School in Lynbrook.

“It helps to keep an older guy like me going,” Schloth, 68, said of the presentations. “For the younger kids, one of the first things we concentrate on is getting them comfortable with a firefighter when they’re completely geared up. If you have a fire, you need to seek out the firefighter and not be afraid of them.”

Schloth worked as a court officer at Queens Civil Court starting in 1981 and held various positions before becoming a senior court clerk at Nassau County District Court until his retirement in 2021. During that time he served in numerous leadership roles at the East Rockaway Fire Department  – including 2nd lieutenant, 1st lieutenant and captain – and has delivered as many as 30 presentations a year to local schools through his role as the department’s assistant chairman for fire prevention.

The Lynbrook resident currently works part-time as a docent and fire safety instructor at the Nassau County Fire Museum in Garden City, which he said is an opportunity to encourage teens to get involved in their local junior fire departments.

“They’re able to start training with regular fire companies and they do community service, plus they get to socialize with other boys and girls,” Schloth said. “It’s something that we hope helps with recruiting for the general fire department when they turn 18.”

East Rockaway’s 2nd assistant chief Matthew Pignataro credited Schloth’s personality and willingness to help with making him a great educator.

“He has something innate in him to want to help people,” Pignataro said. “He has a warm and humble side to him. He’s not a really a person who looks for recognition, but he’s certainly deserving of it.”

Schloth also volunteers as a lector at St. Raymond’s Church in East Rockaway and where he teaches religious education weekly to teens. He also periodically transports parishioners who are unable to or can't afford to drive themselves to medical appointments.

His other efforts include picking up surplus food from stores like Whole Foods Market in Garden City and bringing it to Faith Mission Food Pantry in Mineola. He also served 12 years, including a stint as president, on the East Rockaway School District’s Board of Education.

"Neil Schloth has always demonstrated steadfast dedication to the East Rockaway community," said James DeTommaso, superintendent of the East Rockaway School District, which honored Schloth with the district's “Hometown Hero” Award in October. "He is a highly respected leader, a devoted family man, and has raised a wonderful family that generously gives back to the community."

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.