The Livingston Fire Department held its annual inspection and dinner earlier this month at the Crystal Plaza in Livingston. It was the department’s first in-person inspection dinner since 2018. The 2019 inspection dinner was cancelled due to snow, and the event was not held in person in 2020,2022, and 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Francione and Deputy Fire Chiefs Ralph Rea, Tracey Bent, and Joshua Lewis inspected the turnout gear and safety equipment for each member of the department, after which Fire Chief Christopher Mullin gave a full report of the past year. Francione has completed his 20th year as Assistant Chief. Rea has completed his 37th year as a Deputy Chief. Bent has been a Deputy Chief for four years and Lewis, for six years.
Remembering Frank Leek
At the beginning of the evening, a moment of silence was held for Franklin T. Leek, the LFD’s longestserving firefighter, who died last October after many months of battling cancer. Leek joined the Livingston Fire Department as a Civil Defense fireman in August 1959 at the age of 17. He remained active with the department until his death on October 18, 2023. He was a member of Rescue Co. 1 at the Northfield firehouse, and held many ranks, including firefighter, lieutenant, and captain of the Rescue Company. He was also a Department Deputy Fire Chief from 1997 to 2000. Thanking Leek for his 64 years of service to the Fire Department, Chief Christopher Mullin noted, “Rest in peace Frank, you were a true inspiration... Your legacy will live on within the LFD.”
Over 1,000 Calls
In all, the 52 members of the Livingston Fire Department responded to 1,056 calls, down from 1,161 in 2022,aswellas35 department drills. The 2023 calls encompassed 1,028 “still alarms” and 28 general alarms, including five structure fires and five car fires. Among the structure fires was a fire with heavy smoke at the Cooperman Barnabas Breast Center, and house fires at 36 Crestview Hill Road, 19 Northfield Court, 38 Amherst Place, and 161 Walnut Street.
In total, 53 percent of the LFD’s calls were false alarms. Carbon monoxide alarms accounted for ten percent of the department’s calls, while gas leaks and possible gas leaks made up seven percent of the calls. Elevator emergencies made up three percent of the LFD’s calls, while brush fires, motor vehicle accident responses, and water emergencies each made up two percent of the calls.
Additionally, the Livingston First Aid Squad’s 22 volunteer members responded to 924 calls last year. Of these, 627 were ambulance calls.
Among the Fire Department’s accomplishments of 2023, Chief Mullin reported, was the renovation of the flat roof at the LFD Headquarters Station.
Fleet Improvements
The department placed into service two large SUVs, assigned to Chief Mullin and Assistant Chief Francione. These vehicles serve as emergency response/command vehicles, and are outfitted with equipment boxes, emergency response lights and sirens, and general firefighting equipment.
In addition, the department placed into service a walk-around, eightperson rescue truck, which replaces a 1986 vehicle; and an emergency response, four door pickup truck with a snow plow. The latter will be used to transport items and plow the three fire stations during snowstorms.
In his summary of the year, Mullin once again made note of the new housing developments being built in Livingston. These projects, he said, “continue to add to our ever-increasing responsibilities of protecting additional lives and property. The department will continue to meet the challenges we are faced with as we have done for the past 102 years.”
Mullin personally thanked his family, along with the families of all members. “To all the wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, and other family members, we could not carry out our responsibilities and commitments without your ongoing support and understanding,” Mullin said. “We have all missed hot meals, family gatherings, birthday parties, just to name a few, due to our responsibility to our community. For this sacrifice, I say ‘thank you,’” he said. He also gave “a special ‘thank you’ to my staff – Kevin [Francione], Craig [Dufford], Bill [Mollineaux], Josh [Lewis], and especially Rossanna [Mattia] – for your professionalism and cooperation, and for keeping the office running on a daily basis. It is truly appreciated.”
