• Role: Fire Chief of the consolidated South Essex Fire Department, serving Maplewood & South Orange (since 2022).
• Key Achievements:
• Led merger of South Orange & Maplewood departments into SEFD (effective July 1, 2022), integrating personnel and policies seamlessly
• As co-chief, maintained high training standards and operational readiness post-merger .
Maplewood Fire Department (NJ)
• Prior position: Long-serving Captain with Maplewood Fire Department’s Engine Co. 32
• Promotion: Elevated to Chief of Maplewood Fire Department in December 2021 after 30 years in service
Wyckoff Volunteer Fire Department (NJ)
• Position: Fire Chief in Wyckoff; elected by department members
• Leadership roles: Elected Assistant Chief (2022) and held the title of Chief at another time .
Instructor & Author
• Instructor credentials:
• NJ-certified Level 2 Fire Instructor; teaches at Bergen County Fire Academy
• HOT Instructor at FDIC International since 1998 .
• NJ State Fire Official; member of the state Arson Task Force .
• Authorship:
• Co-author of the “Search” chapter in Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I & II.
• Produced training videos, including “Bread-and‑Butter” Ventilation and other practical training modules.
Specialized Roles
• Technical Rescue & USAR:
• Spearheaded technical rescue team training for Essex County.
• Member of NJ-TF1 Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) team.
• Recognition:
• Acknowledged in 2015 for valor during a building collapse rescue as a Maplewood firefighter.
Chief Alvarez is a very well intentioned Fire Chief. However, he skipped the rank of Deputy Chief and his lack of management experience is evident. He often makes snaps decisions with little to no input. While he tries to help firefighters as much as possible his choices often result in the situation worsen. His poor administration skills coupled with a lack of support from elected officials make morale nonexistent.
Rating Breakdown
1/5
1/5
1/5
1/5
1 Reviews on “Joseph Alvarez”
Chief Alvarez is a very well intentioned Fire Chief. However, he skipped the rank of Deputy Chief and his lack of management experience is evident. He often makes snaps decisions with little to no input. While he tries to help firefighters as much as possible his choices often result in the situation worsen. His poor administration skills coupled with a lack of support from elected officials make morale nonexistent.