MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Rich Kosmoski is president of the New Jersey Volunteer Fire Chiefs Association. Sayreville firefighter to lead N.J. chiefs’ group
Lifelong volunteer thrives on spontaneity,
occasional thanks
BY JOLENE HART
Staff Writer
The job promises interrupted sleep, reheated dinners and hours of missed family time, but after 30 years Richard Kosmoski wouldn’t have it any other way.
As a volunteer firefighter in Sayreville since 1974, Kosmoski, a Parlin resident, said he thrives on the action and spontaneity that the job demands, even though he is on call 24/7.
"You never know when the whistle is going to blow," Kosmoski said.
Kosmoski served as chief of the President Park Independent Fire Company in 1982, and as commander and vice commander from 1991 to 2001. He will take the title of lieutenant in 2004.
After becoming chief, Kosmoski said his duties shifted from plunging head-first into a situation to taking organizational responsibility for the other volunteers.
"As chief, you’re responsible for the people of the town, as well as the firefighters."
Every time he drives the fire truck, he is watching out for drivers on the road, as well as concentrating on getting to the scene of the fire, he said.
Kosmoski was recently re-elected to serve as president of the New Jersey Volunteer Fire Chiefs Association, an organization that represents former chiefs, assistant chiefs, captains and lieutenants who have served as volunteers in state fire departments. Kosmoski has already served seven years in the position.
Kosmoski also works full time at Rutgers University as the assistant manager of operations for housing at the College Avenue campus.
Born and raised in Sayreville, Kosmoski, his wife and son still live in the area, just up the street from the President Park Fire Company, where he spends a great deal of his time.
According to Kosmoski, the hours he logs in as a volunteer firefighter vary greatly from week to week, averaging at least 12.
The only thing that appears to take up more time in his day is the work he puts in as a representative of the American Legion. One must have something to do when the fire alarm isn’t ringing, it seems.
In his work with the legion, Kosmoski was involved in the project to build a memorial walk using concrete pavers that bear the name of deceased local veterans. The project, completed in collaboration with members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars, was such a success that members of the fire department requested that Kosmoski spearhead a similar project for deceased firefighters."They said, ‘You did such a good job, we want you to do it again,’ " he said.
The memorial walk, containing the names of 272 deceased volunteer firefighters, was built at the firefighters’ memorial on the corner of MacArthur Avenue and Main Street and was dedicated in September.
For three months every year, Kosmoski is responsible for detail in the station, spending his Sunday afternoon cleaning the fire truck, checking equipment and ensuring that everything is ready to go at a moment’s notice.
After completing detail last week, he returned home and spent an uneventful evening, only to be awakened by a fire alarm 10 minutes after falling asleep. "It’s always at the most inappropriate times," Kosmoski said with a laugh, but not the slightest hint of annoyance.
Despite being on call while near home, Kosmoski said some of his most memorable firefighting experiences have taken place while responding to emergencies outside of Sayreville.
While at a summer meeting of the New Jersey Volunteer Fire Chiefs in Wildwood, Kosmoski observed a fire in an apartment and rushed to search the smoke-filled rooms for residents, wearing no protective fire gear. Finding the apartment empty, he evacuated neighbors until the fire was put under control.
"When you see something happening, you gotta go," Kosmoski said.
Though conscious of the dangers of the job, Kosmoski said good training and superior equipment have made vast improvements to firefighting safety since he began.
"My fire uniform is now my Superman suit — but you still know your limitations," he said.
As Kosmoski rushed around the station, pulling out his cumbersome fire suit and gear, and bounded up into the truck to demonstrate the hefty new air tanks, his physical condition was far from questionable. "I run three times every week to keep in shape and to clear my thoughts," he said.
The President Park Fire Company now has 100 volunteer firemen, but as Kosmoski stressed, "There are never enough volunteers."
Kosmoski and the other firefighters volunteer without want of credit or compensation for their time and dedication. "But when someone says thanks, that [means] everything," said Kosmoski. "Since 9/11, we’ve seen a lot more of that.
"You very seldom, if ever, see firefighters pat themselves on the back for the job they do," Kosmoski said. "It’s our job, we do it, it’s over."