North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue swore in 37 new firefighters today, including their first female ever, while four veteran firefighters were promoted.Â
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“I’m gonna steal the chief’s line, the chief told me that we hired off the state list, as you all know, you come from all over New Jersey, we’re hiring, this is a veterans class, we’ve hired … over 100 veterans in the last three or four years,” stated Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, also the chairman of the NHRFR board.
“Everyone talks about helping veterans when they come back: the mayors of North Hudson have accomplished that goal.”
This 37-person recruitment class is the largest in the department’s history, including their first female: Lisa Napier.
Additionally, Nicholas Prato was promoted to battalion chief, with Joseph Gobin, Peter Mancini and Timothy Richards earning the rank of captain during the roughly 30-minute ceremony at Schuetzen Park this morning.
“As leaders, you must lead by example everyday. You have new positions, new responsibilities, to the department: lead by example, have the right attitude every day, fulfill your duty day in and day out to the citizens of our community,” said NHRFR Chief Frank Montagne said of the promoted firefighters.
“To our recruits: thank you for your service, but your service continues supporting North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue. Your military background is a perfect blend for our paramilitary organization. You know the chain of command, you’ve dealt with difficult situations, you know the discipline that’s required and you’re constantly training.”
NHRFR serves Guttenberg, North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken and West New York and is the third largest fire department in the state.
The newly sworn in firefighters are as follows: Alexis Barreto, Ryan M. Haas, Kevin L. Riker, Joshua M. Grochowski, Stephen Arxer, Michael A. Viggiano, Mitchell L. Hoffman, Philip T. Hoffman Jr., Paul B. Brown, Rembert A. Amistad, Patrick J. Klebaur, Shane M. Paczkowski, Julio C. Pinedo, Kenneth E. Stewart, Lisa A. Napier, Kevin P. Greenfield, Alex C. Burkhardt, Richard J. Villane, Ryan A. Malanot, Matthew M. Buchman, Ronnie J. Guerra, Jose J. Solano, Patrick L. Morris, Jeffrey T. Mullins, Arthur J. Knutsen, David L. Washington, Fernando Rodriguez, Mark S. Moran, Andres F. Lopez, Marc R. Vero, Michael A. Carvajal, Thomas H. Ruane, David C. Sigwart, Mauricio B. Rojas, Kyle L. Rowand, Johandy Martinez and Xavier A. Romo.
