NORTHPORT
Ripping Cars Apart
Firefighters from across LI honor memory of Chuck Varese
By Mike Koehler/ mkoehler@longislandernews.com

Raindrops doused firefighters working in the Pit all day Saturday, but the rain, which ultimately gave way to the sun, chased no departments away from the Sixth Annual Chuck Varese Extrication Tournament.

Organizer Robert “Beefy” Varese confirmed all 23 teams from 16 fire departments showed off their skills cutting off doors, listing dashboards and ripping off hoods.
The Dix Hills, Melville, East Northport, Northport, Eaton’s Neck, Greenlawn, Centerport, Huntington, Huntington Manor, Cold Spring Harbor Fire Departments were all represented at Northport’s training facility and fairgrounds.

Each team consists of five participants, each with different roles and responsibilities. One member handles the cutters, another handles the spreaders, two chalk and stabilize the car and the fifth oversees safety.

Bedel Sagat, captain of Huntington Manor team II, said they practice extrication techniques year-round with additional emphasis a month before the tournament. Saturday’s event, Sagat said, was extra experience for a department that answers two extraction calls a week.

“This is perfect real-life training for us,” he said.

Beefy described the tournament as a way to build camaraderie among the different departments, something Northport First Assistant Chief Joe Pansini agreed with.
“It’s a lot nicer when I go to Kings Park and I know Greg by first name,” Pansini, who led the Hook & Ladder team, said.

“Everybody knows somebody from all the departments around here,” Brian Keane, of Huntington Fire Department, added.

The centerpiece of the tournament is Charles “Chuck” Varese. Chuck was riding his motorcycle through Centerport five years ago when a driver high on drugs crashed into him and killed him.

The Northport Fire Department had been talking about creating an extrication tournament before his death, but Beefy successfully championed the cause to have the new event in memory of his son.

“It gave it its own existence. It gave me a purpose to do this,” the former Northport chief said.

Sagat said Manor participates because “it’s a good cause,” in reference to Chuck.
The captain’s Manor II team did reach the semifinals on Saturday, but was knocked out by East Northport. However, East Northport then left for other obligations, winning third overall but missing a shot at first.

Huntington Manor I finished ripping all four doors, lifting the dash and tearing the hood off their car in 11’38”. Pansini’s Northport team finished in 10’05” to bring the first-place trophy back to the host fire department.

All junk cars used in the competition were donated by Gershow Recycling, while Beefy and a team of almost two dozen Northport Fire Department volunteers prepared the training facility and fairgrounds for the tournament.