West Paterson firefighters mourned the loss of former Chief of the department George Moussab. He passed away at the age of 89. A dedicated member of the volunteer department for 69 years. He also served as Superintendent of Water Pollution Control for the Borough of West Paterson for twenty-five years, retiring in 1980. George was also a veteran and served during World War II in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945. He served as an Instructor in the Fire Training School at Pearl Harbor, then went on to serve on the USS Munsee (ATF 107) a firefighting and salvage ship where he received several Navy Citations for Excellent Service, Courage, and Devotion to Duty for fighting fires on ships in extremely hazardous conditions. He then continued as a professional firefighter for five years at the Veterans Administration in New Jersey. During his work as superintendent for West Paterson he was charged with implementing and maintaining the one-million gallon water tank atop Garret Mountain. Over the years, George also belonged to the American Legion, the VFW, the N.J. Water Environment Assn., the Civil Defense and Disaster Council, and numerous fire department organizations, including the International Assn. of Fire Chiefs, the N.J. Fire Chief’s Assn. and the W.P. Exempt Fireman’s Association.
George became a volunteer member of the West Paterson Fire Department in 1938 at the age of 21, advancing through the ranks of Captain in 1942, to 1st Assistant Chief in 1943, and then from 1946 to 1952, and election to Department Chief from 1953 through 1971. During his tenure and leadership, Chief Moussab designed and implemented most of the infrastructure and training that exists in the West Paterson Fire Department. Chief Moussab was a lifetime member of Engine Co. 1 (West Park Hose Company 1). In 1988 he was honored for 50 years of service to the department and was still an active member till his passing.