Volunteer Shortage Forces Kenilworth, New Jersey To Pay Three Firefighters
Kenilworth is about to hire firefighters for the first time in its 97-year history, and local officials say that necessity reflects the threat today's economic climate poses to the tradition of small- town volunteer fire departments.
Fire Chief Lewis Giordano had called the lack of available day-time volunteers in the borough potentially life-threatening before the municipal council this month approved a three-person contingency trial force during business hours.
The chief said that on several recent occasions, only a single volunteer responded to fire calls during the 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift, adding that Kenilworth has over-relied on firefighting assistance from outside the borough.
For the rest of the story, click below: