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Montclair fire captain warns of 'critical breaking point' as multiple firefighters plan to leave

Montclair City Council · April 8, 2026

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Summary

A Montclair Fire Department captain told the city council that nine firefighters have accepted offers with neighboring agencies and that the department has lost 39 full-time firefighters over the past decade, leaving the city at risk of understaffing, overtime spikes and reduced emergency response capability.

A Montclair Fire Department captain told the City Council that the department is facing an urgent staffing crisis that could jeopardize public safety if it is not addressed.

"At this moment, 9 firefighters from our department have accepted conditional offers of employment with neighboring agencies," Fire Captain Dominic Mistretta said during public comment, explaining that the departures include engineers and a captain and that two staff had already resigned. "For a department of our size, that level of loss is significant and will leave our department dangerously understaffed and leave the citizens of Montclair an immediate public safety risk."

Mistretta, speaking for the Montclair Professional Fire Fighters Local 935, said the agency has lost 39 full-time professional firefighters in the last 10 years and warned of potential "brownouts" (temporary reductions in service), increased on-duty injuries and unsustainable overtime commitments if the trend continues.

The union asked the council to "recognize the seriousness of this moment and begin taking steps now to secure the future of fire protection in Montclair." Council members and some commenters acknowledged the public-safety concerns; a resident and business owner, Cassie Francis Mora, said she supported firefighters and urged the council to prioritize public-safety staffing and resources.

City staff did not present a personnel plan during the public-comment period; the council has not taken a formal staffing vote at this meeting. The union's testimony established the issue as a near-term operational concern for staff and elected leaders to address in follow-up sessions.