Planning Board meeting cancelled

The regular meeting of the Weehawken Planning Board scheduled for Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. has been cancelled by orders of the board. For more information, please call (201) 319-6005.

WVFAS award recipients


Two weeks ago, the Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Squad (WVFAS) held their annual Squad Installation of Officers and Membership Awards Ceremony.

The WVFAS is a volunteer agency and will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this May.

“We’ve been around for 40 years and our small town volunteer ambulance squad has been involved in three of the biggest events in the tri-state area,” said Jeff Welz, agency president and Weehawken Director of Public Safety.

As the Squad prepares to celebrate its 40 years of service, nine people were sworn in by Mayor Richard Turner as officers.

Among the honorees were President Jeff Welz (29th consecutive term), Vice President Thomas Cheplic (9th consecutive term), Captain Giovanni Ahmad (3rd consecutive term), 1st Lieutenant Julian Brian Mera (6th consecutive term), 2nd Lieutenant Numargo Vasquez (3rd consecutive term), 2nd Lieutenant Robert Hennigar (2nd consecutive term), Treasurer Lauren Piech (1st term), Secretary Angelo Petruzzella (3rd consecutive term), and Assistant Secretary Yves Saad (6th consecutive term).

Assisted by members of the Township Council, Mayor Turner then presented plaques and awards to recognize personal milestones over the past year.

“When you get your first 100 calls [you receive an award], and then they come in 150 increments,” said Welz.

Emily Barrett, Dalia Castro, and Sandra Cziko received awards for 100 Lifetime Calls; Bedri Koraman and Evelyn Murillo received awards for 250 Lifetime Calls; Sean King and Alex Robayo received awards for 500 Lifetime Calls; Yves Saad for 1000 Lifetime Calls; Numargo Vasquez for 1250 Lifetime Calls; and Wayne Lavoie for 4000 Lifetime Calls.

“One of our members [Wayne Lavoie] this year was awarded for answering a total of 4,000 calls,” said Welz. “When I was riding I did about 1200 to 1500 calls. He keeps breaking records year after year, and is a veteran of over 30 years.”

Wayne Lavoie’s achievement of 4000 Lifetime Calls is unprecedented in the history of the Squad. Wayne’s father Joe, who passed away in October of 2007, was one of the original founding members back in 1969 and a former Squad President. Wayne’s sister Donna is also a “Life Member” of the Squad.

The final award of the evening was the Lt. Robert D. Cirri Memorial Award, presented to the volunteer who responds to the most calls in a calendar year. This year’s recipient, for the second year in a row, was Sean King, for answering 340 calls in 2008. The award is named after Bob Cirri, a Port Authority Police Officer, paramedic, and former Weehawken Squad member who perished in the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001 while attempting to evacuate injured victims. On hand to help present the award to Sean was Judy Cirri-Gaffey, former wife of Bob and a Squad member herself. – Jessica Rosero