Brookhaven Town Sent 2 Patrol Officers to Fire Island During Government Shutdown

The federal government has reopened for now, but Fire Island was able to receive some help from Brookhaven town during the shutdown. Brookhaven town officials offered two public safety officers and harbormasters to oversee Fire Island to temporarily stand in for workers furloughed by the federal government shutdown.

Although Brookhaven Councilman Dan Panico said the public safety officers’ roles would be “very limited,” in addition to Fire Island, town safety officers were sent to William Floyd Estate in Mastic Beach and Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge in Shirley. The three locations were either closed or partially closed due to the government shutdown.

“We just wanted to offer these entities our cooperation and assistance. Quite honestly, no one knows how long this is going to drag on,” Panico told Newsday at the time. He went on to say that federal parks are a large part of Long Island tourism.

During the shutdown, some Fire Island facilities were closed. However, the iconic Fire Island Lighthouse was open because a private organization operates it under an agreement with the National Park Service, Tours were temporarily canceled as a result of the shutdown, however.

After taking the Fire Island ferry over, we invite you to visit William J. Newman Realty. We have serviced Fire Island’s western communities since 1969 and offer the experience and professionalism to meet all real estate needs for people who want to take the Fire Island ferries over and stay on the Island for a few days or for the entire summer! We specialize in rentals from Fair Harbor to Dunewood, Lonelyville, and Saltaire.