NJ city rehires 29 of 30 laid-off firefighters

By Lynda Cohen
Press of Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The city is set to return its laid-off firefighters to work next week under a federal grant.

All but one of the 30 firefighters who lost their jobs Sept. 30 are set to be sworn in Tuesday, Fire Chief Dennis Brooks confirmed Friday. The remaining firefighter has already taken a job in another state.

Brooks said Public Safety Director Christine Petersen told him that the 29 would appear in City Council chambers at 10 a.m. Tuesday to officially be brought back on the job. Petersen could not be immediately reached for comment.

The city in February was awarded a $9.7 million federal grant as part of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program.

The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and is meant to help keep fire departments at safe personnel levels.

City Council accepted the grant March 9. On April 4, the laid-off firefighters began the paperwork necessary to return.

Even before losing the 30 firefighters last year, the city was regularly closing at least one or more fire companies per shift.

Since the loss — which reduced the ranks by seven or eight firefighters per shift — as many as six companies have been closed in a 24-hour period, Brooks has said.

Business Administrator Michael Scott said earlier this month that the mayor would like to see the department at 245 firefighters. It is currently at 210.

The grant also allows for the hiring of 21 new firefighters, which will likely rise to 22 due to the firefighter who is not returning.

The city is still awaiting state approval of that list of hires.

Ten firefighters are set to be promoted to captain under the grant, but when that will happen has not been determined.

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