Borough signs with Montclair for fire services

By Raquel George, Correspondent
In a ceremony at the Montclair Fire Department’s Pine Street headquarters on Friday, mayors of Glen Ridge and Montclair signed a fire services contract that will be in effect for the next 10 years.
Montclair has been providing firefighting services to Glen Ridge for the past 20 years, but this year the township faced competition for the contract. After reviewing bids from both Montclair and Bloomfield, Glen Ridge officially announced its decision to accept Montclair’s offer Monday.
“We were concerned, of course,” said Montclair Fire Chief Kevin Allen, “when asked about Bloomfield’s bid, but we are proud of the services we provide to Glen Ridge, and we’re happy to see that they’re satisfied.”
The new contract marks the beginning of another 10 years of cooperation between Montclair and Glen Ridge. Both towns developed the agreement when Glen Ridge had difficulty recruiting volunteer firefighters in the late 1980s.
The first contract between the borough and Montclair was signed in 1990, and it has now been renewed three times.
According to Allen, the only change in the new agreement is in the amount of money Glen Ridge will pay to Montclair for the life of the contract; the services Montclair provides will remain the same.
In his speech at the ceremony, Mayor Jerry Fried of Montclair praised both towns for committing to “teamwork” and “efficiency” in coming to the new agreement.
“I am pleased that we are continuing this relationship, to the benefit of both communities,” he said.
Glen Ridge Mayor Peter Hughes was equally satisfied with the terms of the contract.
“This really is an example of government that works,” he declared. “We can lower the costs but maintain the services.”
Montclair firefighters consider these services important not only for the two communities, but for the fire department itself. In a state plagued by economic concerns, some fire departments have been forced to cut staff and close down companies due to budget shortfalls. The contract with Glen Ridge, however, has allowed Montclair to maintain its numbers.
“It keeps young guys on the job,” one firefighter said. “We’re responsible for the safety of two communities, so we need enough manpower.”
Another firefighter agreed. “Departments in other towns are closing companies daily, but we’re able to keep our guys working.”
Allen said that the MFD has maintained consistent manpower since it signed the first contract with Glen Ridge.
“Over the past 20 years, we’ve maintained a staff of 81 to 91 people,” Allen said.
Those numbers, explained the firefighters, are crucial to keeping both communities safe.
Having enough firefighters at any incident lowers the chance of injury to firefighters and allows them to better provide for residents’ safety. In addition, the speed with which firefighters are able to reach the scene of a fire depends upon the locations of the firehouses; closing companies leads to a longer response time.
“When you’re battling a fire, you have to make sure you have adequate manpower,” said one firefighter. “Montclair has always had that. This contract allows us to maintain the numbers — and that’s critical to keeping everyone safe.”
“We have a long history of working in Glen Ridge, and it meant a lot to the guys to renew the contract,” said firefighter.