Members celebrated Honorary Chief Gerald "Jerry" Melvin's 70 years of service to the department and community earlier in May at the Smithtown Fire Department Installation Dinner.

Chief Melvin joined the department in February 1956, according to officials, when it had just one firehouse on Bellemeade Avenue. He responded in his early years aboard the department's 1935 Mack ladder truck, which was the front-line equipment at the time.

Melvin, who is 89 years old and on the verge of turning 90, is still involved in the firehouse, coaching younger firemen and sharing department history. During the ceremony, he received numerous standing ovations from department members, family, friends, and local leaders in recognition of his decades of commitment.