On April 2, 2015, the Cherry Hill Fire Department held a Promotional Ceremony and Oath of Office for Officers and Fire Commissioner.
In attendance were family and friends of all four members, along with fellow firefighters and fire officers of the Cherry Hill Fire Department. The evening began with opening remarks from Fire Chief Tom Kolbe who welcomed family and friends to the ceremony. Chief Kolbe spoke about the process, the achievements and opportunities that lie ahead for the newly promoted officers. Following this, each officer was asked to stand and take the oath of office before having their badge pinned on by a loved one.
In addition to the officers taking the Oath of Office, William Kelly also took the Oath of Office for the position of Fire Commissioner for another 3 year term.
The Office of the Fire Chief and the Cherry Hill Board of Fire Commissioners congratulates these Officers and wish them well in their new positions.
Assistant Fire Chief Christopher M. Callan
Prior to joining the Cherry Hill Fire Department, Chris was in the US Navy from 1993-1997 working in the areas of intelligence and communications. Upon graduating from the CHFD Academy, Chris was assigned to Ladder 2 A Group. He was transferred to Engine 3/Rescue 3 C Group in 2002 and promoted to Lieutenant assigned to FCO in 2006. In 2007, Chris joined the Recruit Academy Staff as the Senior Drill Instructor. In 2008, he was assigned as the Officer of 1322 C Group. In 2009, Chris was assigned to the Cherry Hill Fire Academy Class as the Officer in Charge and in 2011 he was assigned to Training and Safety Command as the Training Officer. In February 2012, Chris was promoted to Captain and in September 2013, he was promoted to Battalion Chief and served as the Shift Commander for “A” Platoon. Chris earned his Bachelor Degree in Fire Science from the University of Cincinnati and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
Provisional Battalion Chief Salvatore J. Paolini, Jr.
Sal is a second generation firefighter, son of the late Salvatore Paolini, Sr. who retired in 1994 from the Cherry Hill Fire Department. Sal started his career in 1988 with the former Cherry Hill Fire District 134. In 2002, he was promoted to Lieutenant and was assigned to Squad 13. PBC Paolini was promoted to Captain in 2008 assigned to Station 22. He was later transferred to Ladder 34, Rescue 13 where he continued until his promotion to Provisional Battalion Chief. Sal resides in Cherry Hill with his wife, Deneen, and daughters Denni, Kirsti, and Kolbi.
Captain Daniel V. DiRenzo, III
Dan is a second generation Cherry Hill Fire Fighter following behind his father, Daniel DiRenzo, Jr. who retired from the CHFD in 2009. Dan was born and raised in Cherry Hill and started as a member of the Erlton Fire Company in 1996. Prior to working for the CHFD, DiRenzo worked for Wildwood and Mt. Laurel Fire Departments and CHT EMS. Dan currently serves as a Lieutenant with the Bellmawr Fire Department, Rescue Specialist with NJUSAR Task Force 1 and is the Managing Member of Safety & Survival Training, LLC. He has earned a degree in Fire Administration and has completed work for Fire Engineering magazine. As a firefighter, DiRenzo was assigned to Engine 52 until being promoted to Lieutenant. He was then assigned to FCO and later transferred to Squad 13. DiRenzo will return to what is now Squrt 51 as the Station Commander. He is joined tonight by his immediate family Debra, Corey and Celeste as well as his parents.
Lieutenant William J. Riess
Bill became a member of the Cherry Hill Fire Department in 2002. His first assignment was on Ladder 44 at Station 4. He worked in the Field Command Office for two years and returned to Ladder 44 in 2009. Bill was transferred to Station 3 Squrt 1331/Rescue 13 until the Squrt was reassigned to Station 4. Lt. Riess completed the Fire Officer Apprentice Program in 2009 and worked as an Acting Company Officer since that time. He holds an Associate Degree in Fire Science Administration. Bill is looking forward to his new role within the Department and is honored to be joined tonight by family and friends. Bill is a proud resident of Cherry Hill where he lives with his wife, Dawn, and daughters, Lauren, Alyssa, and Hailey.
Fire Commissioner William P. Kelly
Bill and his wife Ida have been residents of Cherry Hill for 33 years. They have two children, Marian and Stephen (Christy) and two grandchildren, Ryan and Kaitlyn. Bill spent over 40 years as a senior finance executive with a major telecommunications equipment manufacturer. Bill was an award winning senior executive for both Innovation and Teamwork. He has been a member of the CHFD for 30 years and a Trustee for 20 years at Deer Park Fire Company.
EMT John Busch, Jr. and EMT Andrew Bittner
EMS Chief Randy McCargar also congratulated and welcomed the CHFD's two new career EMT's. EMT John Busch, Jr. and EMT Andrew Bittner who began their orientation on March 18th.
