Gershow Donates Use of 30 Cars for Local Extrication Tournament

May 15, 2025 Hank Russell Business Comments Off on Gershow Donates Use of 30 Cars for Local Extrication Tournament
(Photo: Gershow Recycling) Pictured (front row, left to right): Northport Village Mayor Donna Koch, her sister Sue French, Tournament Co-Cordinators Jeanne Varese and her husband, Robert “Beefy” Varese, Huntington Town Clerk Andrew Raia, Clerk, Town Council Member Theresa Mari, and Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontemp. Back row (l-r) Will Varese, Gershow’s Huntington Facility Manager Rich D’Angelo, Jenny Varese, Wayne French, Ms. French’s husband and Northport Village Mayor Richard Boziwick.

Gershow Recycling donated the use of 30 cars for the 18th Annual Chuck Varese Vehicle Extrication Tournament, which was held at the Northport Fire Department’s Training Grounds at Steer’s Pit in Northport on May 10. Gershow also donated the use of its Huntington facility to enable teams to practice in the week leading up to the tournament.

Twenty-five teams from seventeen fire departments participated in the tournament, which involved groups of five firefighters working to extricate a “victim” from a “crash” using the Jaws of Life. 

Each team was judged on the amount of time it took to perform the extrication, the handling of equipment and the safety procedures they followed. The top three teams were:

  • 1st Place — East Northport FD #1 (7 minutes, 23 seconds)
  • 2nd Place — Commack FD #1 (8 minutes, 40 seconds)
  • 3rd Place — Hauppauge FD (11 minutes, 30 seconds)