As Hackensack fire trucks head out to fight fires, some firefighters are dealing with another fight.
Some lawmakers are fired up over a grant to help Hackensack bolster its fire department, one that they learned City Council is turning down.
“It’s very hard to win these competitive grants to hire firefighters,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, “and now they’re deciding they actually want to turn it down.”
Flanked by firefighters from Hackensack and surrounding communities, Gottheimer and Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco called out City Council to urge them to accept a nearly $2.4 million SAFER grant to pay for a dozen new firefighters for three years. The city only has a few more days to accept the grant.