On February 19, 1934, a group of wives of several members of the Department met with the Chief of the department for the purpose of creating a Ladies Auxiliary. This was officially approved by the Department on March 5, 1934 and the Ladies Auxiliary gathered for their first Meeting on March 12th of that year. The Ladies’ first uniform purchased in May of 1934 consisted of a white uniform dress, bow tie, swagger stick and a beret. In March of the following year, it was decided to purchase a light blue cape with red lining, blue caps with a white visor, white shoes and stocking. The cape was worn with one side thrown back dramatically displaying the red lining. In 1954, the Ladies assisted both the Brentwood and Hauppauge Ladies Auxiliaries as they organized in their respective Departments, and in 1955 they joined the New York State Auxiliary. In October of 1964, representatives from local Auxiliaries met at the West Sayville F.D. to consider the organization of the Islip Town Council of Ladies Auxiliaries. This association was eventually organized. Since their inception, the Ladies Auxiliary has provided countless hours of hard work in providing refreshments (Signal #8’s) during and after alarms, assisting at the hosting of numerous parades and drills each summer (motorized, Junior drills, etc.), and participating in local charitable endeavors. Participation in Parades continued over the years with great success, the height of which occurred in 1985 when the Ladies captured the New York State Championship at the Parade held in Nassau County. For a while, parade competition was halted, but began again in 2006. Their uniform has changed several times since the beginning, with a completely new style being adopted by the current marching unit. The Ladies Auxiliary has been an important and integral part of the Department for over 70 years and the members of the Department are deeply grateful for their dedication and look forward to working with them for many years to come. |
