Ridgewood swears in new firefighter, promotes lieutenant and proclaims January Radon Action Month

The Ridgewood Village Council used part of its Dec. 10 meeting for ceremonial items, swearing in and recognizing public‑safety staff and proclaiming January 2026 as Radon Action Month.

John Judge, chief of the Ridgewood Fire Department, introduced and administered the oath to new career firefighter Connor McGuire and swore in Ryan Romero as a lieutenant. Chief Judge noted McGuire is a lifelong Ridgewood resident who completed mandatory Firefighter I and II training and recently passed the national EMT exam; Romero’s promotion to lieutenant was described as effective earlier in April and credited to nearly two decades of service.

"We are honored to have you join the ranks of this brotherhood to protect our community," Mayor Badriani said during the swearing in, and family and colleagues joined for photos after the oath.

Earlier, Councilmember Siobhan read a proclamation declaring January 2026 as Radon Action Month in Ridgewood and urging residents to test their homes; the proclamation described radon as "the second leading cause of lung cancer" and noted the village has test kits available through the Department of Health. The proclamation as read referenced collaboration among state and federal environmental and health agencies to promote testing and mitigation.

The council did not take formal votes on the ceremonial items, which were presented as recognitions and proclamations. Village staff encouraged residents to request free test kits from village health services and to consider mitigation if tests show elevated radon levels.

Next steps: Fire Department personnel join village operations; residents can seek radon test kits at the village Department of Health as publicized by the council.