Point Pleasant Borough Fire Officials Sworn In

Daniel Mulligan, who is also Ocean County Fire Marshal, was sworn in as Borough Fire Chief at Sunday's Borough Council reorganization meeting.

Other volunteer fire department officials were also sworn in, including Todd Sutphen and John Roe as deputy chiefs.

Mayor William Schroeder said he commended the two volunteer fire departments for merging into one department.

Mulligan, who has also been county Fire Marshal since 1986, said later that the two departments merged, effective Saturday, to create a more effective firefighting unit. There are about 65 active members.

"The merger facilitates better training," Mulligan said. "And instead of having two different departments respond to every call, only one department responds."

He said eventually there may also be some cost savings in the future since the merger is also designed to help eliminate duplication of equipment and apparatus.

The merger establishes the fire house on Memorial Drive, near the Route 88 bridge, as the primary fire house, with the Beaver Dam Road fire house designated as a sub-station.

He said the department just received a new $1 million aerial truck that replaces a 1982 truck. The department begins training with the new apparatus this week.

Mulligan has served as chief for about 10 of his 35 years with the borough fire department.

Other officials are: Captain William Knecht; Captain Charles Willever; Lt. Nicholas Kapelewski; Lt. Jonathan Miller; Lt. James Shrewsberry; Chief Engineer Drew Van Demark; Assistant Chief Engineer, Robert Hoffman; Boat Engineer, William Stevenson; Water Rescue, Chartwell Hilling; Assistant Water Rescue, Thomas Adams; Engineers: Thomas Adams; Kenneth Gahr; Robert Hoffman; Daniel Lokerson; Justin Poblete; Benjamin Springer; David Thergesen; Kevin Vavra; Jesse Waterson; Safety Officers: William Stevenson and Bruce Sutphen.