Town of Mamaroneck Fire Department

David G. Commender

Rank: TMFD Chief 2008

Previous Officer Positions:

1st Deputy Chief, 2006-2007

2nd Deputy Chief, 2004-2005

Engine 37 Captain, 2002-2003

Engine 37 Lieutenant, 2001

Education:

Bachelors from Queens College, 1976, Magna Cum Laude

Juris Doctorate New York Law School, 1979, Cum Laude

Solomon Scholar, University of Bologna, Italy, 1978

Profession:

Attorney

Fire Service Highlights:

David Commender's tenure as TMFD Chief was poetically captured by the nickname he earned during his first 24 hours as head of the department.  During the early hours of Commender's first day at the helm, TMFD was dispatched on mutual aid to a Rye NY house fire.  Upon returning to HQ, TMFD was quickly re-dispatched to Larchmont NY for its second mutual aid house fire of the morning.  During the second run, one of Commender's crew lovingly dubbed him Chief "Black Cloud".  A title that would prove itself to be more than accurate.

Later in 2008, a house being renovated in neighboring Scarsdale NY experienced a gas leak that led to an explosion leveling the house and causing damage to the neighborhood.  Only days later, a 300 gallon, in ground propane tank, was punctured in the Town of Mamaroneck, setting the stage for a another potentially dangerous explosion.  With the Scarsdale incident in mind, Commender and his crew oversaw a neighborhood evacuation, coupled with a 26 hour controlled "burn off" of the nearly full tank. 

However, mutual aid calls and propane burns would pale in comparison to "Hell Night."  Beginning late in the evening on November 21st and not ending until the early morning of November 23rd, TMFD would face the most amount of fire in a 24 hour period, in its recorded 101 year history.  Overall, Commender and his crew handled a heavily involved attic fire caused by a space heater, a mansion fire fed by the winds off of the Long Island Sound, and a basement fire caused by a faulty dryer.  In all, TMFD, along with mutual aid from the Village of Mamaroneck, Larchmont and West Harrison, would exhaust countless manhours, miles of hose, and Commender's vocal chords, containing the three blazes.  And if that wasn't enough, only 4 hours after the fire calls, TMFD was paged out once more for a MVA with an ejection on I-95.

While Commender's tenure as chief was short lived, his impact on the TMFD will be felt for years to come.