He’s always been there to answer Hillsdale’s call;
40 years of responding to emergencies
Copyright 2005 North Jersey Media Group Inc., All Rights Reserved
By DEENA YELLIN
Staff Writer
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
HILLSDALE - Where there’s smoke in the borough, there’s usually Ed Charney.
For 40 years, Charney has dashed to fires and other emergencies at all hours of the day and night. Fire calls have pulled him from bed, snatched him from parties and yanked him from dinners with his wife.
Fire Chief Max Arnowitz estimates that Charney has responded to more than 5,000 calls during his tenure as a volunteer firefighter.
It’s a job Charney does eagerly, although there is no chance of a paycheck.
That’s lucky for the borough. Arnowitz calculated that, based on today’s wages, Charney’s volunteerism over the past 40 years would be worth nearly $2 million.
Charney also has “supported the department in other ways, like with fund raising and putting the chaplain program together,” Arnowitz said.
Hillsdale recently honored Charney for his contributions at a dinner where he was presented with a plaque.
Mayor Dennis Deutsch said he wishes there were more public servants like Charney, who has responded to more than 50 percent of the fire calls each year. “The town owes him a great debt of gratitude, and we look forward to his continued service for many years to come,” Deutsch said.
This is not the first time Charney earned recognition. In 1997, he was named Hillsdale’s Firefighter of the Year. After Tropical Storm Floyd in 1999, he earned accolades from the borough and county for taking care of evacuated residents and working the communications room for many hours.
At 74, Charney has no desire to turn in his helmet. He hopes to continue working as a radio operator in the department’s communications room, which he has done since 1995.
In addition, he directs traffic at emergency scenes and serves as a chaplain.
Charney also has taken upon himself the role of department historian, collecting photos and newspaper clippings of rescues. He instituted the tradition of taking pictures at calls to distribute to newspapers and to use as an aid for determining the fire’s cause.
He recently launched a collection for soldiers fighting in Iraq and sent more than 600 pounds of supplies to the front lines.
Charney, who still works in advertising, creating promotional products, spent much of his childhood dreaming of being a firefighter. When he was 5, he pulled a fire alarm as a lark and got in trouble. But he never outgrew his fascination with fire engines.
After serving in the Army from 1952-54, he joined the Teaneck Fire Department as an auxiliary fireman, then joined the Hillsdale department in 1965.
“It was a way to give back to Hillsdale. People should pay back when they live in a town,” he said.
“My parents taught me how important volunteerism is. It feels so good to help someone. You can’t get the same satisfaction from work.”
At one house fire, he saw the family standing outside in shock and tried to comfort them. “I attached myself to them and reassured them that we’d do the best we could to put it out and save their house.”
He got special permission to enter the house and retrieve some of the family’s belongings.
They were so grateful, they wrote a thank-you note.
“It’s such a high when you feel you’ve saved lives and saved property,” Charney said.
Joining the ranks of the Fire Department enabled him to make lifelong friends with people from all walks of life. “The Fire Department is like one big fraternity,” Charney said.
When he travels the world with his wife, Lynn, they visit fire departments. Charney takes photos with his “colleagues” and collects fire rescue memorabilia. Firefighters in other countries are shocked when he tells them that he serves for free.