Four firefighters from North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue were promoted to captain at a ceremony held July 22 in the department’s headquarters, near Port Imperial in West New York. NHRFR is a regional department serving North Bergen, Guttenberg, Union City, Weehawken, and West New York. The towns’ fire departments merged in the early 1990s.
Vacancies occurred due to rapid expansion of personnel serving all of North Hudson. About four months ago, 44 new firefighters were brought onto the force in the largest recruitment ceremony in the department’s history. They’re fresh out of the nine-week academy training program, begun in March. The four new captains will provide the necessary leadership for the huge infusion of new firefighters.
Captains Christopher Larkin, Alain Amaro, Joseph MacLauchlan, and Alexander Gonzalez were sworn in by NHRFR Chief Frank Montagne.
First line of command
Dignitaries included Weehawken Mayor/NHRFR Chair Richard Turner; West New York Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez; North Bergen Town Administrator Christopher Pianese; NHRFR Director Michael DeOrio; NHRFR Executive Director Jeff Welz; and several commanders. They sang the praises of the new captains.
“Our commitment is to ensure that since we have so many new firefighters, we have the right amount of superiors,” Turner said. “Our captains are the first line of command, working directly with battalion chiefs and deputy chiefs to make sure that fires and rescues are under absolute control.”
Rodriguez gave a shout out to the families of the new captains.
“I’m happy to be here because this is an outstanding organization that protects us, and because we’re promoting people who are proud products of this community,” he said. “They chose to stay in the community that they were raised and educated in, and it’s a true testament to community service. You guys are first responders, and it takes a lot from both you and your families. It’s something that has to be applauded and fully respected.”
Montagne ran through a playbook of useful tips he’d learned on his own climb up the ranks.
“Your work has just begun,” he said. “You’ll need to lead by example. You’ll need to be a problem solver in training and in emergencies. You’ll have to be a mentor to your subordinates. Hold high expectations of yourselves and your crew. You’ll have to take conflict head on and fix it. Don’t try to be liked by everyone, go for credibility. Use the experience of your tremendous staff of superior officers, because I got to where I am by asking for help and assistance from my superiors.”
The firehouse was packed with fellow firefighters and other first responders, along with friends and family of the new captains. After the ceremony, the the group headed over to the Waterside Restaurant to celebrate.
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