Spotswood honors
former firefighter
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer
Robert Dougherty
SPOTSWOOD — For Robert Dougherty, it was just another day of service. Yet it is one day the former firefighter will never forget.
"There was a boy, about 7 or 8 years old, who left his bedroom, and his house was fully on fire," Dougherty recalled. "We found him on a couch downstairs and got him out."
The boy, whose name Dougherty does not recall, would not have escaped on his own because the house was fully engulfed, he said.
"We got a nice letter from his family for that," Dougherty recalls, more than satisfied with the reward for serving his community.
Having spent 30 years with the borough’s Fire Prevention Bureau and 14 years as an active Spotswood firefighter, Dougherty was honored by the mayor and council May 19.
The governing body recognized his efforts and volunteerism with a resolution in his honor. Dougherty, who now lives in Monroe Township, was in attendance along with his wife.
"Your dedicated interest and loyal devotion to your duties have had a valuable effect on the Fire Inspection Bureau and made our fine borough a safer place to live," the resolution states.
Dougherty, who retired in March as Spotswood’s fire inspector, joined the borough’s fire department in 1973.
In 1985 Dougherty was appointed fire inspector for not only Spotswood, but for the entire state.
"I’ve known Bob for many, many years, and he is one of those people who was always concerned with other people through fire prevention and doing those things to keep people safe," Mayor Barry Zagnit said. "He wore a lot of hats; he did inspections, answered fire calls and was an active firefighter."
As deputy chief of the bureau, Dougherty supervised the four other members, all of whom did fire inspections in town, he said. He was also in charge of keeping records of the inspections.
As fire inspector, he was in charge of investigating the causes of suspicious fires and making sure that buildings in town met the fire codes.
He also conducted inspections of fire alarms in private homes, he said.
Dougherty was an active member of the fire department from 1973 through 1987, he said. He stayed on the department after that but was inactive.
He said he joined the department when he was 35 years old — a bit older than most volunteers who join. However, he had just moved into town and wanted to give something back to the community.
"I lived in the town, and Spotswood is a great town," he said. "I just wanted to do something for the community that was volunteer. I just think that all the guys are very lucky to have time to devote to the borough."
All that time as a volunteer meant he saw plenty of fires that were, as he put it, "really bad news," including some where he found people burned to death. But the incident where he saved the young boy’s life stands out in his mind as an example of why he joined the department.
Zagnit, who used to be Spotswood’s police chief, knew Dougherty particularly well, he said.
"His work on the fire department was volunteer, but I’m not sure if he got paid as a fire inspector," Zagnit said. "That’s the type of job people do more out of a feeling of trying to help and keep people safe than for money."
The borough is in desperate need of volunteer firefighters as well as first aiders, Zagnit said. The town refrains from using paid positions because of the cost, he added.
"Forever, we’ve relied on volunteers to come out to these groups," he said. "They get trained and they get sent out to active duty."
Spotswood is one of many towns facing the same problem when it comes to volunteerism — people are just too busy, Zagnit said.
"In today’s society, many times people are working two jobs and long hours, so it makes it tough to find time to volunteer when you have to pay bills and spend time with your family," he said.The mayor said training requirements for the volunteer positions have also increased. Firefighters need at least 160 hours of training before they can respond to a call, while first aiders need EMT certification, which takes three to four months.
"The banks of volunteers are really dwindling," Zagnit said. "We look for people in town who might have time and the ability to serve."
Someone like Dougherty.
"You will be missed both professionally and as a friend," the resolution honoring Dougherty says. "We extend our very best wishes for continued success in your life’s pursuits, and sincere gratitude for your concerns for the safety of our residents."
"We’re going to miss him," Zagnit said.

