AN OATH, AND A PLEA, FROM NEW RED BANK FIRE CHIEF

From left to right, Red Bank Fire Department Second Deputy Chief Brett MacDonald, First Deputy Chief Michael Welsh and Chief Frank Woods (from left to right) take the oath of office.   (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

It’s a manner of serving our neighbors that seems almost impossibly noble to those of us on the sidelines:  volunteering to help put out the fire when a blaze erupts in a home or business. And moments after he took oath of office yesterday, Red Bank’s Fire Chief Frank Woods issued a plea for more Red Bankers to volunteer to do it.

“This year, the department, we’re looking to push more volunteerism, we’re trying to get more members in the department,” Woods said.  “I’d like to have any residents, please, talk to your neighbors, clergy, please talk to your constituents. We need department members. We are in need of them. We really are in need of this.”

 Woods was sworn in for his second three-year term as chief of the all volunteer department during the Borough Council’s annual New Year’s Day reorganization meeting.

He takes over from outgoing Chief Bobby Holiday as part of a normal rotation of the role shared among the town’s fire companies. Woods last served as chief for a term that ended in 2003, marking a return to the role after a 22-year interim. 

Also sworn in amid the crowd of friends, family and fellow department members, were First Deputy Chief Michael Welsh and Second Deputy Chief Brett MacDonald. 

Second Deputy Chief Brett MacDonald gets a congratulatory hug after being sworn in. (photo by Brian Donohue)

The council also approved a resolution hiring Mary Moss (pictured at right) as the new Borough Clerk. Moss, the former clerk for Jackson Township, replaces Laura Reinertsen, who took a job in Kenilworth.

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at  [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.