Newark Fire Department Welcomes 30 Recruits

Thirty diverse – and dapper – men traded their fire gear for suits and ties Monday morning when they were welcomed as the 41st fire recruit class in Newark.

The latest batch of prospective firefighters is already making history as the first class entirely comprised of military veterans. Fire officials said each of the seven branches of the armed forces is represented.

"When you first came to the Army or Navy or Marines, you gave an oath to serve. We're going to ask you to make that same oath," said Director Fateen Ziyad, who, along with Chief John Centanni, Mayor Cory Booker and others from the Newark Fire Department welcomed the recruits during a ceremony at the Orange Street training facility.

The all-male class also boasts diversity, with 11 Latino, five African-American and 14 white newcomers that will soon begin the nine-week fire academy. Should they graduate, the class will replenish the roughly 650-member department which anticipates losing a handful of firemen this year to retirements.

Lauding the bravery and commitment of Newark firemen last Friday , Booker underlined the sobering reality of the job at hand.

"It is the men and women of this department who are making the difference between life and death," said Booker. "That is the power of this position, that when the bell rings, you all answer. When others run, you all run too. When others duck for cover, you all stand tall. When others scream for help, you all are the answer."

The best candidates for firefighters are military personnel, said Ziyad, not only because of their training but because of their teamwork mentality.

Among the 30 new recruits is Newark native Henry Carr, who is continuing a family legacy of firefighting; his father is a retired veteran of the department while his brother serves as a firefighter.

"It was not something that I wanted to do," Carr admitted, but after handling aircraft as an ABH in the Navy and getting involved in aircraft firefighting, the 35-year-old considered a career change.

Meanwhile, becoming a firefighter for Edwin Lora, also of Newark, means job security and fulfilling a passion to help people.

"I'm surrounded by good people, people willing to work together," said Lora, 33, who served in the United States Navy for eight years. "Years down the line, I want to see myself make rank and be a director one day."

"I love to help people," he added. "If I can say one day that I saved a couple lives, I would feel great about that."