By Tammy Scileppi
“The funny thing about firemen is, night and day, they are always firemen.”
This quote by fireman turned screenwriter Gregory Widen (“Backdraft”) seems to perfectly describe lifetime Broad Channel resident Dan Mundy, Jr.
At 52, he is a battalion chief with the New York Fire Department, with 30 years of experience.
And he is loved by all — his family, community and fellow firefighters.
“My community is perhaps the most unique in New York City,” Mundy said. The island community is surrounded by a national park with thousands of acres of water, wetlands and islands, all within view of the Manhattan skyline. And it’s made up of hardworking, middle-class families, many of whom have been there for generations.
A devoted husband and family man, Mundy values his time with Ellen, his wife of 30 years, as well as with their two grandchildren and three daughters, who were raised in this tight-knit community.
“In times of need, such as Hurricane Sandy, everyone pitches in to help out,” said Mundy, who has been president of the Broad Channel Civic Association for 10 years.
At the 58th Battalion in Canarsie, Brooklyn, where he works, Mundy’s duties include overseeing building and fire hydrant inspections, supervising the training of units in the many aspects of firefighting, and responding to such emergencies as structural fires, hazmat incidents and serious vehicle accidents.
With all those responsibilities, it’s a wonder Mundy finds time to pursue other activities, such as serving as vice president and co-founder of the environmental organization, the Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers.
“This is an exciting time to be involved in Jamaica Bay. We are experiencing the cleanest water in decades, in large part due to our efforts to have the city reduce the nitrogen loading,” he said. “We have just finished large-scale restoration planting on the recently created wetland islands of Rulers Bar and Blackwall Islands and are getting ready to start construction on Sunset Cove, a 14-acre shoreline site that will see restored wetlands, a maritime forest and walking trails, along with a boardwalk.”
And they are moving forward with oyster research, which is showing encouraging results.
“I greatly appreciate having been chosen for this award as there are so many people in Queens who are making big differences in their neighborhoods,” he noted. “I have been very impressed with the efforts of Borough President Melinda Katz to get directly involved in the issues that need to be addressed in our neighborhoods, and her nominating me for this award makes it that much more important.”
