Top Bayville Firefighters Celebrated By Council

BERKELEY, NJ — Each year, the Bayville Volunteer Fire Department responds to about 550 to 600 calls for service. In 2022, that number was 534. And ten firefighters responded to 231 or more of those.

The 60 fully-trained firefighters in the department "dedicate countless hours" to response, training, community relations and firehouse work details, said Chief John McKay.

The Berkeley Township Council honored the department's top ten responders in 2022 at a recent meeting. Each was presented with a certificate and was recognized for going "above and beyond," as Mayor Carmen Amato said.

"To be a volunteer, especially in this day and age, is just very, very appreciated and we want to honor those individuals," Amato said.

One of those firefighters was the late Brian Letrent, who passed away recently. He had responded to 256 of the 534 calls in 2022.

"He was one of the best," McKay said.

Amato himself was also surprised with a gift from the department as a token of appreciation for all of his support, as he is running for State Senate and will not be seeking another term as mayor.

Here are the top ten firefighters for 2022 and how many calls out of 534 they responded to.

• CJ Delconte - 231 calls
• Lt. and ex-Chief John Anderson - 235 calls
• Brian Letrent - 256 calls
• Rich Straut - 277 calls
• Lt. and ex-Chief Ken Anderson - 371 calls
• Lt. Ian Saxer - 376 calls
• Asst. Chief Rich Jennings - 431 calls
• Jack Haughwout - 435 calls
• Cody Anderson - 436 calls
• Capt. James Sperber - 437 calls