Commissioner Rothschild's meteoric rise through the ranks of the Monsey Fire Department originated, oddly enough, when he came upon a flyer recruiting firemen, five years ago. The Monsey environs have an exclusively volunteer fire department and the poster indicated that they were critically short of personnel. As Mr. Rothschild contends, "Most of the communities that we move into are not new communities, they're existing communities. So that the Jewish population that comes in replaces the existing non-Orthodox Jewish population or replaces the non-Jewish population. The problem is the other groups that are moving out, one would find them to be more active in the community. When I saw the sign asking for firefighters, I signed up because I feel that it's appropriate that an Orthodox Jew give back to what he gets out of the community."

The Commissioner's induction into the fire department provided the watershed impetus for an additional 13 Shomer Shabbos firefighters to sign up in his wake. "After I joined I heard, 'How can an Orthodox Jew be in the fire department?' and I explained how really accommodating the fire department was," Rothschild explains the phenomenon of a fire department that is currently nearly 28% Shomer Shabbos, with 16 of the 58 members being Orthodox Jews.

Intensive training commences with a 13 week program that instructs firefighters in the proper use and maintenance of their equipment, the methodology involved in getting safely in and out of burning buildings, the specific properties of fire and its tendencies, etc. Firefighters are exposed to the extremes of a fire and its unrelenting destructiveness by training in a flashover simulator, which consists of a room engulfed in flame. "It's like walking into an oven at 400 degrees. No sane person would do it. Firefighters do it to save your life and your property," as Commissioner Rothschild asserts. The firefighters must get "comfortable" and brave the elements of extreme heat to insure that they can maintain control in asphyxiating and claustrophobic conditions without succumbing.

Ironically, though fire is a mechanism of light in its destructive capacity it brings overwhelming darkness, "One of the most dangerous myths is that a fire illuminates. Contrary to that supposition, a fire is black. A fire will be intense with smoke that obstructs any perception of depth or images." Consequently firefighters train indoors in a custom constructed 1/2 mile obstacle course, entirely absent of light. Weighted down by oppressive fire equipment they must maneuver their way in the dark while blindfolded, to avoid obstacles such as mattresses, bicycles, and sundry innocuous household objects that may prove life threatening in a firefighting environment. "Several firefighters lost their lives because they became entangled in common items and could not disengage themselves." This training activates a fluency in their latent reflexive and inituitive reasoning so that they do not succumb to the panic that could cost them their lives.

The initial training rotation is reinforced by semiweekly, Wednesday and Sunday, compulsory courses that review procedural initiatives and instruct firefighters in ancillary skills. Hence, the Commissioner's qualifications include aircraft crash training to provide assistance and rescue efforts at aircraft crash sites, and HAZMAT training - hazardous materials that are particulary volatile and combustible. Hazardous materials are conveyed on interstate routes by haulage trucks and in the event of a vehicular collision pose specific and unique fire hazards that must be addressed by personnel specifically trained in these issues. The Commissioner is a member of the Rockland County HAZMAT Team and is on-call to respond to all hazardous material incidents in the county.

Intense, relentless, training conditions a firefighter for the abysmal plunge into the depths of a conflagration, but nothing rivals the ferocity of a rampaging fire. "There's no such thing as a safe building to walk into when it's on fire. I have seen ordinary, nothing fires turn into tremendous fires." The Commissioner cautions, "Fire doubles exponentially every minute. Therefore, a fire that initially is confined to 1 square inch, will spread to 2 square inches within one minute, and 4 square inches within two minutes; within sixteen minutes a room can be fully involved."

Those statistics bear out the wisdom that there is no small fire, because it can potentially be out of control within minutes. The Commissioner is intrigued by the cavalier attitude towards fire safety. "We were called to a home with a fire in the kitchen. When there's smoke we are trained to search all rooms for victims. We found two children upstairs, and when we asked their mother why she had not removed them from the house immediately, she responded, 'They were asleep and I didn't want to wake them. Besides the fire was downstairs; I didn't think it would bother them.'"

The schematics of this scenario are starkly and horrifyingly portrayed frequently for the Commissioner's consumption, "Recently we were alerted to a kitchen fire. A live-in employee greeted us outside of the premises and we entered a home totally filled with smoke. While my comrades fought the fire in the kitchen we went to search for victims. To my horror there was an infant sleeping upstairs." When we are confronted by danger, adrenaline is activated and we enter into a "fight or flight" mode that engages all of our senses so that we can adequately either confront the peril or flee. It's an instinctual mode that leaves no room for extemporaneous suggestions. Therefore we register only those concerns and considerations that are foremost in our subconscious.

This woman was exclusively concerned with her position and her employer's possible reaction to property damage, so she focused on immediately alerting the fire department and then fleeing the danger; her subconscious dismissed any other secondary superfluous data that did not have bearing on those concerns. In this case the superfluous data happened to be an infant child. The reaction is instinctual, no less reflexive than a mother shielding her young, and an employee shielding her job.

Confounded by the irrational behavior of individuals, the Commissioner comments, "People do really strange things 'leshem mitzvah'. Last Succos we put out a fire with seconds to spare before the house was engulfed. The woman lit candles in the Succah, on a very windy night and then left the candles unattended. Not surprisingly, the wind propelled the flames onto the table, from there to the Succah, from there it was a small leap to the house. The greatest danger is people not being aware of their environment." The potential for tragedy is compounded by imprudence, "A family left their lamp on over Yom Tov and put a blanket over the light so they could sleep. And it caught fire. Common sense is crucial in the home. One family decided that a baby's changing table was the proper pedestal for their menorah. The baby shook the changing table, the candles came tumbling down and the table caught fire."

The Commissioner insists that we don't fully appreciate the ramifications of our behavior, "We were called to the scene of a gas leak last Pesach and we meet the homeowner at the door. He recounted the incidents of the last 1 1/2 hours. He smelled gas and walked to an area nursing home and requested that they call the gas company. Then he walked back home. He didn't want to be 'mechalel' Yom Tov so he waited for a while and then walked back to the nursing home to call the fire department because the gas company never showed. The house reeked of gas and I asked him where his family was. He explained that he didn't see the need to disturb them, so they were in bed sleeping." Gas is a highly combustible element. The most infinitesimally insignificant spark, such as from a light switch, or an appliance being turned on, or the emission of static electicity, can unleash the fury and destructive force of a bomb, and spark a fire that is leagues more difficult to extinguish. Additionally, the fumes can disable, impair,and kill, as well. "Fires will happen naturally because wires fray,etc.," but being negligent is inexcusable.

It seems redundant to implore people to safeguard their priceless valuables, "In the event of a fire, leave the house with your children. Scream for them to get out. Make sure everyone is out. And call the fire department from a neighbors house. I can't tell you how many times we've arrived at the scene of a fire and everyone's still in the house." People seem to be bizarrely motivated by fire and near disaster, "We responded to a call of a fire in a woman's upstairs bedroom. True to form she meets us downstairs takes one look at our boots and agitatedly explains that her whole house is carpeted in white - could I please take off my fireman'sboots before I put out the fire in her bedroom." This no nonsense firefighter responded by dragging in a mud-covered ladder for good measure.

"Look, I'm not here to do windows, I'm here to fight fires, to save lives and property. We're an exclusively volunteer fire department, therefore, statistically our response times are shorter. We're more efficient, more responsive, and more protective of property because we're fighting fires in our friends', relatives' and neighbors' homes. For us each face isn't an abstract." These men put their lives on the line everyday and receive no monetary renumeration as volunteers, thereby underscoring their status as heroes. Recently a live wire hit the fire engine and the engine nearly self-destructed, "I still can't figure out how I survived that one."

They are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and are witness to a menagerie of personality profiles, "Some poor lady's Lincoln Continental caught fire. Procedure requires us to smash windows to gain access to the car, if necessary, as well as douse the car and the surrounding area with water. When the flames were out the owner asked for my name and home phone number. When I asked her why, she offered, 'Oh, we're going to have to sue you because you ruined our car.' I pointed out that the flames probably had something to do with the current condition of the car." At another location, an automatic alarm signaled a fire and we dispatched immediately. Someone had left a turkey dinner roasting in the oven unattended and the oven was fully involved, setting off the fire alarm. We smothered the oven in carbon dioxide foam and water. Just then the homeowner arrived home. He promptly dusted off his turkey and sat down to enjoy his well-done and water-logged meal."

His training in emergency services qualifies him to participate in rescues not primarily reserved to firefighting incidences, "I came upon an indescribable horror, children were strewn all over the road. None of the children were seatbelted and their vehicle hit a van head on. There was nothing left to rescue. I will never forget what I saw that day."

Further investigation reveals the scope of the Commissioner's influence and his extensive community involvement. He also holds the office of President of the Brewer Fire Engine Company, elected to the position by his fellow firefighters. As Commissioner his responsibilities include: supervising all the fire operations in the district, implementing the programming to insure that the firemen are fully trained, supplying all the firefighters with the most advanced firefighting equipment, including bunker pants (especially heat resistant protective pants), which were only recently procured for the New York Fire Department, guaging and adapting adequate response times, to insuring that operating equipment is maintained and viable, etc. Additionally, he serves as President of his shul, Shomrei Torah of Forshay. In May 1996 he campaigned for and won a seat on the community school board so that he could further advocate on behalf of the community. The Commissioner explains his political initiative, "We are a unique school district in that of the 18,000 students in the East Ramapo School District, the majority attend private schools and yet the property taxes are assessed as if they attended public school." The vote proved to be historic as the Commissioner enjoyed the support of residents "up the hill and down the hill"or the full spectrum from Chassidim to Modern Orthodox, from left wing to right wing, Conservative, Reform and Orthodox.

But his political aspirations haven't been fully realized yet, "I am looking towards the office of Town Supervisor of the Town of Ramapo,and I hope to do that with the support of all the community. Recently the current Town Supervisor commented that he doesn't have a problem with the community because when one side supports an issue there will be an equal number who oppose the issue," basically implying that we as Jews, cancel each other out, thereby diminishing our impact and our clout. That is why Mr. Rothschild's nearly unanimous support by the Jewish community in this May's school board elections, was so remarkable and provides commentary on Mr. Rothschild's political potential. "We must understand that to protect our own interests, such as in our school district where we are paying 70% of the public school budget, but don't even use the service....we must stand united to be effective." That mantra defines his successes and propelled him into the political arena.

Pursuant to his election to the school board he assembled the RosheiYeshiva and principals of 22 area schools to discuss the issues and common problems that they share. To enhance this newfound commonality he invited Agudah to lecture on eligibility for benefits, grants and programs to the district, the first time such a forum was ever attempted. "There's so much more we can accomplish if we stand united. Jews in America choose not to belong or isolate themselves intentionally. We need to show that we are entitled to voice our opinions otherwise we've returned to the pre-Revolutionary history of taxation without representation."

Beyond the political maelstrom, Commissioner Rothschild is committed to his wife Toba and their five children. His commitment to the family and community reverberates in his involvement in Tomchei Shabbos, at whose dinner, in February, he was distinguished as guest of honor. "It is the only tzedakah where 100% of the proceeds go directly to the people who need it most. It's an entirely independent operation funded by the local community with absolute tznius. No one may deliver packages on a route where he may be acquainted with the recipient. I am proud to be involved in their organization."