Whippany Fire Department Fire Commissioners Election & Budget Approval | Saturday, Feb 21 @ Whippany Fire House

Randy Polo is a lifelong resident of Whippany.  A 1989 Whippany Park graduate, Randy went on to Penn State University where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Restaurant Management.  After graduation he began his career with the PepsiCo Corporation before accepting the position of Director of Catering at the Park Avenue Club where he spent the next fifteen years.  In 2010 Randy became the General Manager of the Smoke Rise Village Inn which is located in Kinnelon.  He and his wife Jennifer (Burkhardt) have two children, Anna 15 and Erin 12.

Randy’s service to the Whippany Fire Company dates back to 1987 when he joined as a Junior Member at the age of 16.  Having an uncle in the fire service, Randy was around firehouses all of his childhood and knew he wanted to follow in those footsteps when he was old enough to do so.  In 1989 just before graduating High School Randy became a Regular Member of the Fire Company and stayed active throughout his college years.  In 2003 he was given the distinguished honor of being named Firemen of the Year.  Randy was appointed by the Fire Company in 2003 to the position of 3rd Lieutenant and over the years progressed through the ranks of 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant and Captain.  In 2009 he was appointed by the Board of Fire Commissioner’s to the position of Assistant Chief followed by Deputy Chief of the department which he held until January 1st 2013.  Randy currently holds the position of 3rd Lieutenant. For more info, please visit www.poloshearer.com.

Derrick Shearer has been a resident of Whippany for 6 years and also has deep roots in the town.  His mother Carolyn grew up in town with her parents and grandparents on farmland on Jefferson Road. Derrick frequently visited his grandparents (they had moved to Cedar Knolls) as a child, and as a teenager came down weekly to help with yard and housework. Derrick and his wife, Jessica, moved to Whippany in 2009 when they purchased the house of Derrick’s great-uncle, Charlie Coughlan, a member of the Whippany Fire Company since 1940. In order to honor his great-uncle’s legacy and to serve the community he had adopted as his own, Derrick decided to become a member as well.

In January of 2010, Derrick officially joined the Whippany Fire Company and quickly became a very active member, responding to calls,  participating in multiple all-night storm details, and taking the initiative to complete specialized classes in a variety of topics such as vehicle rescue, swift-water rescue, ice rescue, and leadership. He was promoted to 3rd Lieutenant in the fall of 2012, and in 2013 he was awarded Fireman of the Year by the Whippany Fire Company  .

Derrick received his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University and has been working in the nonprofit industry for the past 10 years.  He is currently employed as the Senior Business Analyst at AJC in New York City and was the recipient of the 2013 Staff Excellence Award. For more info, please visit www.poloshearer.com.