By Charley Falkenburg, Special to the Packet
MONTGOMERY — They left their children and spouses, braved 85 mph winds and worked tirelessly to help others while trees crashed down all around them.
Almost 100 volunteer first responders lived up to their name by jumping into action to help their neighbors as Hurricane Sandy tore through town.
In appreciation for their work, on Dec. 20 the Township Committee passed a proclamation honoring both Montgomery Fire Co. 1 and 2 and the Emergency Medical Services squad (EMS).
”They are always here to protect our families and businesses and went above and beyond during this time of need,” said Mayor Ed Trzaska. “This is just a small token of appreciation, but it’s important to always recognize their selfless service to the community.”
In an intimate ceremony, Mayor Trzaska presented a plaque to Chief Bill Ballinger of Fire. Co. 2, Chief Jeff Huxley of Fire Co. 1, and John Connacher, the president of the EMS.
The recognition and accolades meant a lot to the three officials, but to them it was only an extra reward in the larger picture of their volunteer work.
”That’s not why we line up and jump out on the fire trucks and go out in these kinds of conditions, but it means an awful lot,” said Chief Ballinger, before thanking the township and police department. “They make our job easier and safer and that’s why we get through these storms so well.”
The mayor will be attending the January meeting for all three organizations to personally present copies of the proclamation to all the members.
The honors didn’t end there that evening. After the first ceremony, the committee passed another resolution recognizing the hard work of its town employees during the Oct. 29 storm.
As the town struggled without heat or power, town employees were manning warming centers and constantly relaying updates on power outages, voting poll locations, available shelter and road closings.
”It was an effort put forth by a number of people working 16, 18, 20-hour days,” said Township Administrator Donato Nieman. “This is a testimony to the people who work and volunteer for this township — they truly care about this township.”
The last proclamation of the night went to Kristina P. Hadinger, honoring her 20 years of dedicated service as the township’s attorney. Ms. Hadiner also represents the town on the Board of Health, the Sewer Committee and the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Team.
In previous years she served as the town’s prosecuting attorney and represented Montgomery on the Cable Television Committee, the Open Space Acquisition Team, the Sewer Service Fee Review Committee and the NPDC Working Group.
The committee applauded Ms. Hadinger for the numerous awards she has won throughout the years, congratulating on her most recent accomplishment: nabbing the prestigious 2012 Fred G. Stickel award, which recognizes those who excel in local government law.
With her two children and husband in attendance, Ms. Hadinger was all smiles as the committee presented her a special plaque in its appreciation for her time and commitment.
However for Ms. Hadinger, the pleasure was all hers.
”I really do love Montgomery Township,” she said. “It’s a part of me and I’m truly honored to serve the township.”
Montgomery EMS (Squad 47) Members: Abraham Khan, Ashish Patel, Barbara Vaning, Bev Glockler, Bill Forbes, Bill Greenhalgh, Casey Hamilton, Choiwah Chow, Darshan Patel, Doug Herring, Fred Larcombe, Jillian Kelly, Joe Fazio, John Connacher, Jurij Mykolajtchuk, Kathryn Riman, Lisa Kent, Lisa Nanney, Maureen Halpin, Mitchell Ng, Neelam Davis, Noemie Gershel, Patricia Camp, Patrick Halpin, Peggy Gladstone, Priyal Parikh, Raj Singh, Randy Sherman, Ritu Vadodaria, Rob Giguere, Sarala Ramesh, Shruti Patel, Steve Weber, Suhani Gokhru, Tony Glockler.
Montgomery Fire Co. 1 (Station 45) members: Craig Moorhead, Rich Karsay, Alan Clark, Joe Novak, Rich Kocsis, Tom Karsay, Ryan Giordano, Vincent Urso, Michael Durik, Stephen Seeley, Dan Pullen, Kurt Ewans, Andrew Savadelis, Michael Parise, Matthew Fedun, Bill R. Spohn, Richard F. Kennedy, Jeff Huxley, Jonathan Kessler, Dan Kalpin, Scott Sullivan, Dave Romino, Rob Jensen, Robert King, Kevin Schroeck, Matthew Van Den Steiner, Tom Schweitzer, Daniel Kozaryn, Tim Halpin, Pat Halpin, Bruce Zydel, Stephen Karsay, Luis Figueroa, Gail Ernst, Andrew Chin, Noah Fedun, Kimberly N. Cranmer, Nikhil NelsonMontgomery Fire Co. 2 (Station 46) Members: Phil Adams, Toby Laughlin, Bill Ballinger, Claude Lewis, Kyle Ballinger, Laurin Long, Linda Ballinger, Art Parsell, Kendra Berry, Eric Perkins, Rob Buhl, John Bolen Steven Santangelo, Pat Bolen, Joe Sartorio, Jon Chrzan, Andy Seitz, Devin Davis, Ben Shipman, Shelley Elwood, Don Sigler, John Ernst, Dan Ungar, George Gurzo, David B. Van Doren, Justin Kabis, David J. Van Doren, Mike Kaufman, Dan Wartenburg, Gene Keller Jr., Steve Weingart Jr., Steve Weingart III.

