Director Nicholas Luparella III

Chief Nicholas (Nick) Luparella III started his fire service in 1978 in Suffolk County. For the last two years of his United States Coast Guard career, he was a member of the Springs Fire Department as an EMT/firefighter, and during the day served as an on-call EMT for the Montauk Fire Department. In 1980, after moving to Riverhead, Luparella joined the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance as an EMT and the Riverhead Fire Department. He rose through the ranks, serving as chief of the department from 2012-2014. A member of NYSAFC since 2006, Luparella served on the Volunteer Chiefs Committee before joining the board of directors in 2026. He is a past president of the Southampton Town Fire Chiefs Council and past president of the Fire Chiefs’ Council of Suffolk County. Luparella now serves as corresponding secretary for the Suffolk County Chiefs Council and as secretary/treasurer for the Riverhead Town Chiefs Council. Nick and his wife, Cheryl, have a son, Nicholas, and a daughter, Amy, along with four grandchildren, Isabel, Lily, Ryler, and Reece.