Five Questions with Verona's Fire Chief

Verona Fire Chief Harvey Goodman grew up in North Caldwell before moving to Verona, where he joined the fire department in 1986.

Goodman was named fire chief for the first time in 2005 and served until 2006. He was one of the only chiefs in department history to serve for a second term.

Each time, he followed Chief Patrick McEvoy, who recently completed his second term at the end of December 2012.

“We made a perfect one, two,” said Goodman. “We both came up as lieutenant and captain together. He is a very good fellow to work with.”

What was your draw to the fire department?
“The appeal at that time was to join and become a part of the community and the appeal of the fire department presented some challenges and some interesting aspects and I thought I could persevere, do well and help protect my neighbors and my family.”

What do you enjoy about being a firefighter?
“I enjoy interacting with the other members and the townspeople. We always want to present a positive image and we are very pro-Verona. We aspire to always do better, protect better, learn better and train better.”

What are the other members of the department like?
“The Verona Fire Department will put up against anyone as far as ability, training level, intelligence and being able to act in a positive manner with each other and the people they are exposed to.”

How will you benefit the Township of Verona? What are your goals?
“We want to be proactive and offer the service and abilities that we have and aspire to. My goal is that if an emergency comes up that we handle it appropriately, correctly and do the best of our ability to mitigate the situation whatever it may be.”

“We work well with the Verona Police and Rescue Squad and the Office of Emergency Management, all are outstanding organizations. Blending in with them on an emergency basis is paramount to what we do. We are all in this to protect the visitors and residents of the town.”

What are some of the biggest challenges you have face?
“You have 56 plus members and sometimes you have 56 plus different opinions on a particular matter and working through it and making the correct decision that benefits the town. Sometimes the decisions are not so popular but they benefit the town and are sometimes they are what needs to be done.”

“Of course protecting our members against injury and the same with people in town.”