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Rochelle Park officials authorize interviews for part‑time fire inspector after inspection backlog briefing
Summary
After the township’s fire official detailed 2024 inspections and staffing shortfalls, the committee authorized interviews to fill a vacant part‑time fire inspector position advertised at $20–$25 hourly and discussed modest fee increases to offset costs.
The Rochelle Park Township Committee authorized interviews for candidates to fill a part‑time fire inspector position at its Feb. 12 meeting after receiving a detailed presentation on inspection workload and fee revenue.
Sean, the town’s fire‑prevention official as recorded, presented his 2024 work summary: 298 periodic inspections, 223 re‑inspections and 136 change‑of‑sale occupancies, totaling 657 inspection points. He said the office’s registrations and fees yielded roughly $27,400 in registration receipts in 2024 and that staffing levels—two part‑time inspectors plus administrative duties—left about 180 properties untended since 2020. “It’s administratively intense … I need another staff member to offset the workload,” Sean said.
Committee members questioned how fees, penalties and state reimbursements are applied. The record shows Sean explained registration and permit fees go into a fire‑prevention trust and that penalties are split between the fire prevention bureau and the fire department; he said fines cannot be used for salaries and wages but can be used for capital purchases and training.
Mr Pinto and committee members discussed advertising the vacancy at $20–$25 per hour depending on experience and proposed several options for minimum weekly hours (eight to 12–16 hours) so the hire could offset the current workload. Sean also offered to prepare a draft ordinance to update fee schedules that have not been revised in about 10 years; he said a typical bump would increase most fees by about $15 to better align with neighboring towns.
Motion and vote: the committee moved and passed a motion to authorize interviews for the advertised fire‑inspector position (roll call: Committee woman Ora yes; Deputy Mayor Miller yes; Committee man trinsky yes; Mayor Judge Cella yes). No candidate was approved at the Feb. 12 meeting; the motion authorized the interview process only.
What’s next: staff will proceed with interviews and return to the committee with candidates and any recommended fee‑schedule ordinance for further review and possible adoption.
