which offers long-term leases to the members who reside in them. Many members' families have summered there for generations. Government Point O' Woods is not a municipality and has no government as such. Like a few other Fire Island enclaves, it is a privately owned parcel of land. It is subject to the political jurisdiction of the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County; local law enforcement is the duty of the Suffolk County Police Department's marine bureau. The beaches are (a) open to the public, and (b) regularly patrolled by state and local police, as well as by the National Park Service and United States Coast Guard. Education Residents are zoned to the Fire Island School District. Students attend the Woodhull School (PK-6), and then may choose either Bay Shore School District or Islip School District for secondary education. Their respective high schools are Bay Shore High School and Islip High School. Infrastructure As on much of Fire Island, cars are not permitted in Point O' Woods and bicycles are the principal means of wheeled transport. The community uses its private railroad, a half-mile long, narrow gauge line to transport freight from the dock to key buildings in the community. It is not used for passenger service. In addition, the community operates a small fleet of motor vehicles to conduct maintenance, recycling and pest control. Point O' Woods has its own church and volunteer fire department. It operated a post office until journalist Nat Hentoff, who was not a member of the community, protested because club rules denied him access to the federally funded U.S. post office located within the Point O' Woods grounds. Eventually, the hamlet resolved the dispute by giving up its federal post office; it now has no separate ZIP Code. Mail is delivered to the Bay Shore Post Office by the United States Postal Service and taken by ferry to Point O' Woods, where it is distributed privately. In popular culture In the television series Mad Men season 2, episode 6, "Maidenform", Trudy and Pete tell Bud and Judy Campbell they'll summer at Point O' Woods, so Pete can stay near the office. He says his presence there is important. References External links Fire Island Website: News Travel Guide Brookhaven, New York Fire Island, New York Hamlets in New York (state) Hamlets in Suffolk County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state)