August 5, 2015 • www.theobserver.com • Vol CXXVIII, No. 11 Visit our
BUSINESS DIRECT on
COVERING: BELLEVILLE • BLOOMFIELD
Finally, funding for firefighters By Ron Leir Observer Correspondent KEARNY – The fourth time was the charm for Kearny’s Bravest. It took a lot of persistence, and maybe some luck, but at long last, the Kearny Fire Department hit the jackpot, finally snagging a coveted federal SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant channeled through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In response to its 2014 application, the KFD was awarded $1,595,844 over two years to fill 12 new firefighter slots vacated by retirements. The grant is designed to give the town enough cash to pay full salaries and benefits of the recruits for 2016 and 2017, said Fire Chief Steven Dyl. Under the terms of the grant, it will be up to the town to take over the responsibility of making those payments as it fully absorbs the costs of keeping the dozen newbies on the payroll, Dyl said. News of the grant award was released by Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-9th District) in a July 29 press release which mentioned that Clifton was also pocketing a SAFER grant of $1.73 million to hire 11 firefighters “lost through attrition.” see GRANT page
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• EAST NEWARK • HARRISON • KEARNY • LYNDHURST • NORTH ARLINGTON • NUTLEY
Fire wrecks duplex, but garage is saved
Photo by Ron Leir
Fire officials quiz residents the day after 3-alarm fire struck Grant Ave. duplex, next to borough garage.
By Ron Leir Observer Correspondent
two-level duplex on Grant Ave. and scorched part of the East Newark municipal EAST NEWARK – garage last Tuesday night, ive adults and a dog authorities said. were left homeless after The N.J. State Fire Marshal a fire swept through a was called in to investigate
F
the cause of the blaze which took more than 50 firefighters from six communities about four hours to bring under control. Borough Police Chief Anthony Monteiro said that
2 rescued from burning building LYNDHURST – Public safety personnel executed a roof-top rescue of two township residents as a fire raged inside their Willow Ave. house early Saturday, police said. Lyndhurst Police Det. Capt.
201-460-8000 LYNDHURST OFFICE 761 Ridge Road, Lyndhurst, New Jersey C21Semiao@Century21.com
John Valente gave the following account: Township police and firefighters were sent to 518 Willow Ave. at about 3:51 a.m. after off-duty Officer Nick Abruscato, who happened to be driving by, saw smoke
coming from the one-family home and called headquarters. Police units arriving shortly afterward observed heavy fire and smoke at the residence which had prompted two occupants to climb out a second
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Mark Sadonis, the local construction code official, has deemed the duplex building at 246 Grant an “unsafe” structure. see FIRE page
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floor window and on to a lower roof, Valente said. Those occupants, a 45-yearold man and 35-year-old woman, warned the officers that the building’s owner, 64, see RESCUE page
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201-991-1300 KEARNY OFFICE
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