Skip to content

Newark’s 41st recruits are all military veterans

3 comments

SAFER grant funding recruit hires

The thirty recruits that started last week in Newark are all military veterans.

Eunice Lee, reporting for the Star-Ledger, provide details:

Last week, (Marine Lance Cpl. Jason) Crowell found his new line of work as part of the Newark Fire Department. He is one of 30 recruits — all military veterans.

Among them are four other Marines who were stationed with Crowell at Camp Fallujah in Iraq, about 40 miles west of Baghdad. The Marines have "always been one family. I’m sure the fire department’s going to continue (that)," said Crowell.

Not since after World War II has Newark’s fire department hired an all-veteran class, said fire director Fateen Ziyad.

…

The fire department is replenishing its ranks after major cutbacks in 2010 when budget cuts resulted in more than 70 retirements.

This latest group of recruits exhausted a $7.1 million federal grant awarded last April that, overall, has helped hire about 45 firefighters since the cutbacks, according to fire chief John Centanni.

The department worked with Veterans Affairs officials to select the 30 men, he said.

Newark fire department inducts all-military class

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Also on FireGeezer…

Posted by on August 1, 2012 • Filed under: Fire Rescue Topics, Funding & Staffing, News, Urban Commander • Tagged: , , , , ,
  • Dal90

    I don’t know if it impacted SAFER or however Newark funded this hiring, since many cities and civil service systems already gave bonus points for being a veteran, but the latest version of COPS mandates officers hired with federal money be veterans.  

    (I believe there is some wiggle room, as I recall reading the official law is something like 86% of hires must be veterans; but given how it’s written up on DOJ’s site saying new hires must be veterans, I’m suspicious that 14% non-veteran is quietly being reserved for larger cities that have court-ordered quotas to fill for woman and minority hiring.)

  • Grifter590

    As far as I know that was not part of the terms of our original SAFER grant Dal90. From what I understand, and i’m not privy to the paperwork, the Safer grant allowed us to hire back a total of 75 firefighters. Wether there status was veteran or non veteran was not a factor. But due to New Jersey civil Service, veterans score at the top of the list. So they would be hired first. Veteran score of 99.9%-70% are at the top of the list followed by 99.9%-70% non veteran after the veteran list has been exhausted. I hope that helps you out a litlle.

  • http://www.firegeezer.com/ Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

     Thanks for the post Grifter590