Irvington swears in Antonio Gary as first African-American fire chief

History was made in Irvington Wednesday as the city swore in its first African-American fire chief. Antonio Gary was named chief during a police and fire department promotional ceremony at Christian

News 12 Staff

Jul 28, 2016, 5:17 AM

Updated 2,964 days ago

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History was made in Irvington Wednesday as the city swore in its first African-American fire chief.
Antonio Gary was named chief during a police and fire department promotional ceremony at Christian Pentecostal Church.
Gary has been with the fire department for nearly 20 years and says that he is proud to be a role model for the city's children.
"It's hard for young people to find a good positive role model," Gary says. "For me to be the highest-ranking uniformed African-American in the township, it sets the tone that they too can achieve what I have achieved."
Gary says that his short-term goal will be to recruit more firefighters for the city. He says that he also plans to replace the city's aging fire apparatuses.