BENEFIT FOR EX-CHIEF
OF UNION BEACH FIRE DEPARTMENT HELD AT NORTH CENTERVILLE FIRE COMPANY STORY SuSAN MuRPHy
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nion Beach Fire Department and the Bayshore Active Fire Chiefs rallied together to hold a benefit pasta dinner for Ronald Burkhardt, Sr., 42year member and ex-chief of the Union Beach Fire Department on September 9. At least 500 people attended the event which was held at North Centerville Fire Company, Middle Road, Hazlet. Union Hose Fire Co#1 cooked and served the dinner. Boy Scout Troop#134 assisted in serving and cleaning tables. Gift baskets for the silent auction were donated by members of the Union Beach Fire Department. Members of Old Village Fire Company of Middletown Township and Matawan Borough Fire Department attended to show their support. Matawan Fire Chief Peter Berliner shared the reason members attended the benefit. “This is what we do; we support one another as a family.” Acting President of Union Beach Fire Company Michael Murray noted that social media was used to pass on the details of the dinner. Everyone came together to make this a success, he said, and he thanked North Centerville Fire Company for donating the use of their banquet hall for the dinner. Union Beach Fire Department Chief Robert LaBerta, who is also the National President and founder of Knights of the Inferno, a motorcycle club whose members are firefighters, said the turnout was great. Members of the Bayshore and North Ocean County Chapter of the club attended the dinner. Ronald Burkhardt, Sr., is an active member of Union Beach EMS, a First Responder, and active with Union Beach Fire Company. His son, Ronald Burkhardt, Jr. is Deputy Chief of Union Beach Fire Company and will serve as Fire Chief in two years. Ronald Sr., who is battling cancer, was overwhelmed by the community’s support. “I just can’t believe this. It shows people care. You are a firefighter for so long and you don’t expect all this. My dad was a fireman and then I became one; now my son is a fireman. I love it. It’s the best thing in the world. I have never regretted being a firefighter. It has been very rewarding.”
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Community Magazine
Members of the Union Beach Fire Department gather for a group picture with (center) Helen and Ronald Burkhardt, Sr.
Members of the Union Hose Fire Company#1 of Union Beach were the chefs and servers of the benefit pasta dinner held at North Centerville Fire Company Banquet Hall, Hazlet.
Left to right: Ex-chief of Union Beach Fire Company Ronald Burkhardt, Sr., talks for a few minutes with Matawan Borough Fire Chief Peter Berliner.