Ira Nagel
Rock musician
Publicist for The Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Ira Nagel is a mixture of community passion and artistic flair. He volunteers on several fronts and one of his involvements entails getting the word out about The Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps (FHVAC), located at 92-29 Myrtle Avenue. The FHVAC responds to emergencies such as fires and highway accidents in Forest Hills and Rego Park.
Over the past 15 years, Nagel, of Middle Village, has also served as a FHVAC dispatcher and ambulance driver, jobs that are quite demanding. “You have to really concentrate. You have somebody else’s life in your hands,” said Nagel, 55.
PERSONAL: Besides being a volunteer, Nagel is also a bass guitarist. He notes with pride that he participated in the conception of the Ramones, a band started by Forest Hills youngsters in the 1970s which is regarded today as the seminal punk rock band in the world. The Ramones are famous for their pulsating two-minute songs.
“We grew up together, on the same block,” he explained. “My mother didn’t want me to continue with the band though - she wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer. That never happened.” But this is not the reason why Nagel left before the Ramones emerged as a band; it was because of a disagreement with the rest of the group.
“I knew they were gonna make it from the beginning. Their sound was driving,” Nagel explained. Afterwards, he played bass in other local rock bands. Today, he’s working on putting together a new band with members of varying ages who will be performing newly-composed Rock ‘n’ Roll songs. And to this day, Nagel looks like a typical rock person – although he no longer has long hair, he still wears an earring, leather jackets and jeans.
Nagel, who has not married yet and does not have any children, has one artistic passion - taking photos, especially of landscapes. “I always have a camera. I really enjoy taking pictures. It gives you good lasting memories.”
Nagel works two jobs for a living, he’s a paraprofessional at Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood and a community service director at Ridgewood Development Corporation.
INSPIRATION: “You’re helping the community try to get a positive feeling,” Nagel said about the driving force behind his music. When it comes to community work, he explained that he simply likes helping others and practicing his interpersonal skills.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Nagel said, half-jokingly, that nowadays his biggest problem is “paying the rent.” He doesn’t face significant challenges as a volunteer any more; he used to though when he was working as a FHVAC dispatcher. “When you have a couple of ambulances out, you have to make sure your information is correct.”
FAVORITE MEMORY: Nagel thinks fondly about 1998, when he brought to FHVAC Richard Allen Perlman, who died in 9/11 while using his emergency response skills to help others.
“I spoke to him the night before he died. I lost a very good friend. He would be 25 now,” Nagel said. Then he recalled how he tried, in vain, to reach Perlman after the attack. “His phone just kept on going.”
- Yaldaz Sadakova
