Mayor hopes to save jobs of two paid firefighters

MONROE — Mayor Richard Pucci is hopeful that two recently laid-off paid firefighters could be reinstated.

Pucci met with the chairman of the District 1 Board of Fire Commissioners recently to discuss the possibility of retaining the firemen’s jobs, perhaps through shared agreements for paid firefighters in the township’s other two fire districts.

“I want to meet personally with the union head to get a handle on things,” the mayor said. “Hopefully, something might be straightened out in the next month.”

The District 1 commissioners voted 4-1 on Feb. 17 to terminate firefighters Michael Mangeri and David Shapter, who were the only paid members of the otherwise all-volunteer district, effective March 5. Both men worked the 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. shift.

In January, residents attended a fire district meeting and asked if a work-force reduction was reflected in the 2010 budget. Board Chairman Charles DiPierro said there was not, according to the meeting minutes.

“What I would like to see in the best of all worlds [is that] the volunteer force remains strong and gets even stronger,” Pucci said. “At the same time, we’d have an additional level of comfort knowing you have some paid men during some of those hours to complement the system.

“I’m confident in the end it will work out,” he added. “I don’t have the authority. I can use the office of mayor, but I can’t set a policy.”

Union President James Grande and newly elected Fire Commissioner Scott Kivet have said the layoffs will compromise response times during the daytime, when fewer volunteers are available to answer calls.

Kivet was elected as a District 1 fire commissioner in February, shortly after Monroe Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 Chief Lonnie Pipero suspended him from his volunteer firefighting duties because he circulated a petition demanding the two paid positions be kept.

“It doesn’t make sense to have the union negotiating for two or three employees,” Pucci said. “If there is some way they can package them in with District 3, it would kind of work out. You don’t have to negotiate a separate agreement.”

Pucci added that he also wants to encouragemore volunteer firefighters to join the various fire companies.