Author Topic: Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Canzanella  (Read 5517 times)

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Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Canzanella
« on: June 13, 2007, 08:46:28 AM »
Hackensack fire officer Thomas Canzanella dies at 50

From today's Record:

By JAY LEVIN
STAFF WRITER

Thomas Canzanella, a Hackensack deputy fire chief and a firefighters union leader, died Tuesday at Overlook Hospital in Summit. He was 50.

The cause was cardiac arrest, according to the Web site of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Mr. Canzanella, of Hazlet, joined his hometown Hackensack Fire Department in 1981. He was president of the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey and the Hackensack Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 3172.

"His leadership and dedication to duty has led to the improvement of working conditions and benefits for all professional firefighters in New Jersey," IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger said in a statement posted on the organization's Web site.

Hackensack Fire Chief Joel Thornton called Mr. Canzanella, who commanded the department's fourth platoon, "a distinguished fire officer on and off the fire ground" and a leader with "tremendous interpersonal and communication skills."

Through the IAFF, Mr. Canzanella traveled the nation, giving training classes in dealing with hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction.

As a new union representative, he was instrumental in the safety upgrades put in place after the Hackensack Ford blaze and building collapse on July 1, 1988, in which five firefighters died, Thornton said.

Mr. Canzanella, who at the time of the dealership fire was president of Local 2081, was vocal in his demand for answers and changes in department procedure.

In a letter to The Record in April 1989, he criticized that year's municipal budget as it pertained to the Fire Department.

"In the wake of one of the single worst firefighter fatalities in this country ... [Hackensack leaders] have succeeded in doing nothing significant, thereby proving that on the ledger, it is far more cost-effective to bury firefighters than to give them a fighting chance to do their job," he wrote.

More recently, Mr. Canzanella -- who spent several weeks at the World Trade Center site after 9/11 -- pushed for medical coverage for firefighters who worked at Ground Zero.

Mr. Canzanella is survived by his wife, Diane; children Thomas and Allison Canzanella, both of Hazlet; and his parents, Vincent and Priscilla Canzanella of Hackensack.

The visitation will be Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at G. Thomas Gentile Funeral Service in Hackensack. The funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Holy Trinity Church in Hackensack, followed by cremation.


_______________________________
From the IAFF Site:

Thomas P. Canzanella
Local Number: L3172
City, State: Hackensack, NJ

It is with deepest regret and sorrow to report the line-of-duty death of Deputy Chief Thomas P. Canzanella, President of IAFF Local 3172 - Hackensack, New Jersey. Brother Canzanella, 50, died this morning of cardiac arrest. Brother Canzanella was also the President of the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey as well as a District Field Service Representative for the IAFF in the first district and a HazMat/WMD Instructor.

The viewing will be held on Friday, June 15, 2007 from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the G. Thomas Gentile Funeral Home, 397 Union Street, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601, (201) 487-1010. The funeral will be held on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. at the Holy Trinity Church, 34 Maple Avenue, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601, (201) 343-5170.

Condolences and expressions of sympathy can be sent to IAFF Local 3172 at 205 State Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601-5506 and Professional Fire Fighters Association of New Jersey at 24 West Lafayette Street, Trenton, NJ 08608-2002.

Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
« Last Edit: June 13, 2007, 10:08:42 AM by Editor »



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Re: Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Canzanella
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2007, 10:40:17 AM »