ALLENTOWN – Borough Council members have approved the full-time employment of two men as firefighters/drivers with Hope Fire Company No. 1.
The fire company has its headquarters on Route 526 in Upper Freehold Township and serves Allentown and Upper Freehold Township.
The individuals who were hired as firefighters/drivers are Kevin Hrudowsky and Patrick Donoher. Both men have experience with the fire company.
In addition to being approved by the Allentown council, the hirings were approved by the Township Committee in Upper Freehold Township.
In a resolution, officials said the employment of Hrudowsky and Donoher “would be in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare” of the residents of both communities.
Hrudowsky was hired as a per diem firefighter on July 6, 2017. He was recommended by the Upper Freehold municipal administrator and the acting supervisor of the fire department as a full-time firefighter/driver. He was appointed to the full-time job on a probationary basis of at least three months. The salary for the position is $34,918, according to the resolution.
Donoher was hired on a probationary basis on March 2, 2015 and reclassified as a permanent employee on June 3, 2015. He resigned from his full-time position as a firefighter/driver on June 28, 2017.
The open position was not filled and Donoher asked to be hired. He was appointed to the full-time position on a probationary basis of at least three months. The salary for the job is $34,918, according to the resolution.
In other business at the Allentown council’s Oct. 24 meeting, officials said the borough earned $2,600 through the sale of surplus equipment in a recent auction. Items sold included a police car, a lawn mower, velvet ropes, bricks and fax machines, among other items.
And, officials reported that the borough’s annual Fall Festival drew thousands of visitors to Allentown each day during its two-day run on Oct. 14-15.
Mayor Greg Westfall issued a proclamation of appreciation to the Allentown Business Community Association, the Allentown First Aid Squad, the Allentown Lions Club, the Allentown Police Department, the Hope Fire Company and various volunteers for their work on the event.
The proclamation states that those organizations and volunteers “ensure the success of this event so that so many visitors to our community can enjoy themselves during the two-day festival.”
Finally, council members invited residents of all communities to visit Allentown on Nov. 25, which has been designated as Small Business Saturday. The goal of the annual event is to focus shoppers’ attention on independent businesses.