West Orange’s New Fire Chief: 3 Things To Know

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Anthony Vecchio is a familiar face at the West Orange Fire Department. And now he’s officially in the driver’s seat.

Mayor Robert Parisi recently appointed Vecchio, acting chief for the West Orange Fire Department, as the new fire chief for the township. Town officials provided the following three factoids about West Orange’s new fire chief. Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page here.

He has a long history with the department: “Vecchio joined the department in 2001 and has served a number of roles. Among other certifications, he is an arson investigator, an emergency medical technician, a fire official and a fire instructor. He was promoted to captain in 2010 and deputy chief in 2013.”

He’s involved big in the community: “Vecchio has been prevalent in the community and has served many years as an officer and member of the Orange/West Orange Chapter of UNICO National, an officer and member of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, a member of the West Orange Zoning Board of Adjustments and a volunteer youth baseball and soccer coach. He is also an alumni member of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity of Engineered Leadership.”

He's a West Orange guy: “Vecchio grew up in the township and graduated from West Orange High School in 1984. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the University of Maryland, College Park and studied Fire Science at New Jersey City University. He received his Certified Public Manager designation from Rutgers University, where his capstone project was nominated for the George C. Askew Award. He’s been married 25 years to his wife, Anita, and has three children, Alexandra, Anthony Jr. and Austin.”

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Photo: West Orange Township