Richard Blohm will be sworn in as the city’s Fire Department Chief at a public ceremony to be held on Monday, July 13 at 4:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers on the first floor of City Hall, according to Mayor Peter Cammarano.
According to the city, Blohm has been serving as acting chief since the retirement of John Cassesa in 2007. “The appointment of Blohm, who scored the top spot in the most recent state Fire Chief test,” the city said in a release, “was authorized earlier this month by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.”
“Richard Blohm has been both an asset to the Fire Department and the community of Hoboken for over 30 years,” said Cammarano. “Rich personifies the values and traditions that have shaped the Hoboken Fire Department as one of the finest in the region.”
“I am truly honored by this appointment and owe this accomplishment to my family, friends and all the brave men and women I have worked with over the course of 32 years,” Blohm said in the release. “I look forward to serving Hoboken to the best of my ability and to ensure that Hoboken remains one of the safest and most prepared communities in the State of New Jersey.”
Blohm, a Hoboken native, joined the Hoboken Fire Department in 1977, and was promoted to deputy chief in 1992. He has served as a tour commander, Special Operations Officer, Chief of Hazmat Team and Chief of Training. He has also been appointed by the past three New Jersey Governors as a Fire Commissioner for the New Jersey Fire Safety Commission.
Blohm and his wife, Joyce, reside in Paramus. They have two sons.