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Complaining "a lot of promises were made and broken" by Dover officials, Jon Filosa announced his resignation as the town's fire chief Tuesday during a meeting of the Board of Aldermen.
"I am stepping down for a number of reasons," said Filosa, a 22-year volunteer who has served as chief for more than three years. "I have been put in a position where the officers and I have lost any opportunity to make improvements to the fire department."
Those promises included a new fire engine and the hiring of two new paid firefighters, Filosa said. "I cannot run a department that needs improvements without the ability to make those improvements," he told the board.
His comments seemed to be aimed directly at Administrator BettyLou DeCroce, the former District 26 state Assemblywoman hired in October by Mayor Carolyn Blackman.
Blackman will leave office at the end of the year after losing the Democratic primary to former Mayor James Dodd. Dodd is the heavy favorite to win the general election given Dover's strong Democratic majority.
"The administrator is more worried about the opinions of the winner of the primary election and taking financial advice from people that do not work for the town of Dover, or know the needs of the town," the former chief said.
DeCroce, speaking during a discussion at the meeting that followed Filosa's resignation, said there was no money in the 2023 budget for a new fire engine. The price tag for the engine had risen significantly since it was discussed last year, and now would top $1 million, the administrator said.
"The town can't afford it right now," DeCroce said. "It had to be taken out [of the budget]. We couldn't bond more than we were bonding."
Firefighter ranks dwindling
The town of more than 18,000 people operates a fire department with 14 paid (also called "career") firefighters and about seven active volunteers according to Filosa. They responded to more than 3,000 emergency calls in 2022, he said.
Like many towns in New Jersey and across the U.S., the department's volunteer ranks have been dwindling. At its peak, about 22 volunteers served in town, Filosa recalled. But those numbers began to decline about five years ago.
"Some towns, people can't wait to do it. Unfortunately, Dover is one of those towns where nobody's interested in volunteering for the fire department."
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DeCroce said the town recently hired a firefighter to replace another who moved out of town. But she said budget constraints, again, would prevent another hire.
"It's unfortunate that Chief Filosa had to resign," DeCroce said in an interview Wednesday. "The reasons he did aren't clear to me because since I've been administrator, I've done everything to try to work with him. But the people of Dover just could not afford a million-dollar fire truck this year. "
She also intimated the town might refuse a pending federal grant to hire another new firefighter. The Staffing For Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program, also known as SAFER, a long-term commitment to the hire, meaning the town would have to pay for salary and benefits even after the three-year grant period expired, DeCroce said.
Promises in dispute
Speaking to the Daily Record after the meeting, Filosa disputed that the SAFER grants would require a commitment. He said he DeCroce stated last year that if SAFER grants did not cover the hires in 2022, the town would budget for them in 2023.
"The one they hired doesn't count, because that was a replacement and there's money in the budget from that salary," Filosa said. "That's still leaving the career force short."
A similar debate occurred in Bergen County last November, when Hackensack turned down $2.4 million in SAFER grants that would have provided for a dozen new firefighters, despite pleas from firefighters and lawmakers to accept the money. Officials said that Hackensack had mistakenly applied for a larger grant than intended and that the cost of salaries and benefits for a dozen new firefighters would become a burden on local taxpayers after the federal funding ran out.
Hackensack later reapplied and was awarded $1 million in SAFER grants to fund five new firefighters.
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Back in Dover, Filosa also disputed the budgetary shortfalls preventing the town from purchasing a new engine. The vehicle is needed to shore up an aging fleet, he said.
"In 2021, they put money aside. In 2022, they put more aside and this year I was supposed to get more money and combine all the money and purchase the truck," he said. "But they took so long getting the budget together that the price of the truck skyrocketed. The money was supposed to be in the capital bond ordinance."
While DeCroce said the town doesn't have the money, Filosa said she was shortchanging the town to win the favor of Dodd, ahead of his expected victory in November.
"We had a meeting on Thursday and she made the comment that if she went through with this, she would have a bull's-eye on her back with Jimmy Dodd," Filosa said. "My issue is he's not the mayor. He'll most likely be the mayor come January 1, but right now, he's not."
"It saddens my heart this had to happen," Mayor Blackman said of Filosa's resignation. "I just wish that we could have worked out something better. I do hope somehow that we are able to get the fire department the equipment so they have what they need to run their day-to-day business of keeping us safe."
Former chief will stay as volunteer
The former chief said he will remain a volunteer firefighter and answer calls just as before, only not as the head of the department. Town officials did not discuss replacing him at the meeting.
"I can't walk away from it," he said. "The firehouse is my home away from home. I met my wife in the fire service because she was a firefighter until my daughter was born. I owe a lot to the fire service."
Filosa said he felt he had to resign to "get their attention" and highlight the department's needs.
"We need more firefighters, we need more career staff," he said. "I want to open people's eyes to what's happening and why it's happening, and at the end of the day, if people come to the next meeting and question it, I feel I've done my job."
William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.