David Donnarumma was sworn in as the new North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue chief as a promotion ceremony on Tuesday afternoon that also saw a new battalion chief and two captains named.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
“We’re all very proud of our regional fire department. We’re looking forward to hiring some additional firefighters, which we’re in the process of doing,” Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, also the chairman of the NHFR board, said.
“We want to congratulate everyone who is getting promoted today. Thank you to North Hudson Regional and to the families. It is a difficult job to serve as a firefighter anywhere, especially in a place like this that is so densely populated. I thank you all for your service to this community,” added West New York Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez.
State Senator (D-32)/North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco presided over the swearing-in of Donnarumma as the new chief, taking over for Acting Chief Michael Falco – who assumed the role after Chief Frank Montagne retired in February.
“He is a man who deserves it. It is a great honor from all of us. To all of you who are involved here, thank you for your sacrifices,” Sacco stated.
Donnarumma then swore in Glen Gavin as Battalion Chief, while Gary Colombo and Kevin Todd were both promoted to the rank of captain.
“It’s a pretty good day for us. There are many great warriors in our fire department. It will be my honor to represent them as their fire chief. Each and every day, I will be looking out for your safety and taking care of everything for you guys,” Donnarumma said.
“I will tackle problems before they become political problems, hopefully, I might add,” he joked. “We’re going to protect the public while providing safety to our first responders. The idea is to ensure maximum effort with minimum risk. It’s a tough task, but I’m sure my team is up to it.”
He also said he would continue increasing training for firefighters.
“You heard it here first, the chief is going to spend money, and he’s going to handle all the political problems in North Hudson. You’ll never see him,” Turner joked.
The North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue serves as North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken, West New York, and Guttenberg.
The ceremony took place at the Waterside Restaurant, with sweeping views of New York City and the Hudson River in the background. At the end of the ceremony, a fireboat outside in the river shot water out of a cannon in celebration.
