Cranford committee accepts resignations, appoints two probationary firefighters and one full-time EMT

The Township Committee of the Township of Cranford on May 20 accepted two resignations from the public safety ranks and unanimously approved three personnel appointments for the Cranford Fire Department.

The committee accepted the resignations of Chapin Taggart, a communications officer in the Cranford Police Department, and Paul Richardson, a full‑time emergency medical technician, both effective May 31, 2025, by resolution. The committee then appointed Chapin Taggart and Paul Richardson as probationary firefighters effective June 1, 2025, and appointed Kayla Raycivic as a full‑time emergency medical technician effective June 15, 2025. The resolutions cited in the meeting record include 2025‑204, 2025‑205, 2025‑206, 2025‑207 and 2025‑208; each passed on roll call with all members voting yes (Commissioner Black; Commissioner Andrews; Commissioner Miller Prunty; Deputy Mayor Gallo; Mayor Terrence Curran).

Commissioner Mila Prunty described the evening as “historic” because the appointments expand department ranks and include Chapin Taggart as the first female firefighter in the Cranford Fire Department’s history. Business Administrator Patterson and other committee members offered congratulatory remarks and emphasized the importance of the hires for public safety staffing.

Discussion at the meeting noted the competitive hiring process for the new appointees and the department’s training demands; no amendments to the appointments were proposed. The clerk presented the written resolutions and the committee acted on them by recorded vote. No additional directive or follow‑up assignment was recorded regarding these hires.

The committee’s actions were catalogued in the meeting resolutions and are effective on the dates stated in the adopted resolutions. Copies of the certified resolutions will be filed with the township clerk.