Administration
During 2009 Chief Moran and Deputy Chief Marion have continued their education by attending various fire service and management related seminars. These classes were sponsored by numerous organizations including the Bergen County Fire Academy, New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, and the National Fire Academy. Chief Moran also attended and instructed at several nationally recognized fire service conferences throughout the year. In 2009 he obtained Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation from the International Association of Fire Chiefs and received certification as a Public Manager from the State of New Jersey. In addition, he currently maintains a position as one of 27 Deputy Fire Coordinators in Bergen County and is a Mutual Aid Coordinator in the East Bergen Mutual Aid Association. Deputy Chief Marion has continued his affiliation with the Bergen County EMS Center as a Hazardous Material Instructor and remains the Vice President of the Mid Bergen Mutual Aid Association. During 2008 he continued to serve in the position of Mutual Aid Coordinator in the Mid Bergen Mutual Aid Association. This is in addition to his 2009 involvement in the city’s Planning Board and Environmental Commission. He is currently enrolled in a program that will lead to the attainment of his Bachelor Degree.
We are extremely proud of the many goals accomplished by our members during the year. Meeting these objectives was made possible through the hard work and dedication of our employees along with expert supervision from our mid level and upper management teams. Some of the goals we accomplished during 2009 included: hosted our sixth annual Summer Youth Camp, provided fireground command training for all first line supervisors, initiated the position of Tour Commanders on each platoon, assumed control of the daytime emergency medical operations, implemented a residential lightweight building component identification system, and received a $35,000 grant from the Bergen County 200 Club for the shared service purchase of a mobile fire safety education trailer.
Our mission statement has and will continue to be the foundation for our consistent high level of performance. It has provided the department with a sense of purpose and is a significant factor in our efforts to improve our efficiency and increase the services we offer to the residents of our city. This proclamation will continue to be the benchmark for our future goals as we move into 2010 and beyond.
Our administration has set several goals for 2010. Most importantly will be the construction of our new Fire Headquarters. This lingering, long overdue project will require a large commitment of time and effort from our members. We look forward to embracing this task and stand committed to constructing an economical, state of the art facility capable of providing many years of service to the community. Other goals for 2010 include the purchase of one pumper apparatus, increasing our current suppression staff by hiring (4) firefighters, the hiring of an additional fire inspector, the initiation of a citywide AED placement program, and the execution the shared service dispatch center project. Completing these endeavors will allow us to increase the high level of professional and effective services we currently offer our residents and significantly improve the capabilities and safety of our city’s first responder staff.
All of our members are committed to achieving these objectives in 2010. These goals are important to the future of our department, the services we deliver, and the residents we protect. However, meeting these goals and objectives will not be possible without a well developed foundation of monetary and administrative support from our Mayor, Council, and City Manager. As in past years the core of our mission will be to broaden the efficiency and effectiveness of the department through economical, cost effective methods designed to limit the tax burden on our residents in these difficult economic times. As always, we will continue to remain the most valuable and significant community service based asset within our city.