Wayne Mayor Vergano Announces High-Tech Maintenance Deal for Wayne’s 20-Vehicle Fire Fleet
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, If you see a Wayne fire truck cruising east on Interstate 80 this week, don’t worry—the driver isn’t lost. They are heading to a high-tech “check-up.”
In a move designed to save taxpayers money and keep first responders safe, Wayne Township has officially signed a landmark shared service agreement with the Borough of Paramus for fire apparatus maintenance and repairs. Starting January 1, 2026, Wayne’s entire fleet of emergency vehicles will be serviced at Paramus’s massive municipal garage on Carlough Drive.
The Deal: Streamlining Safety and Savings
Before this agreement, maintaining Wayne’s fleet was a decentralized—and sometimes inefficient—process. Each of the township’s five volunteer fire companies managed its own repairs up to a $3,000 threshold. For major repairs, the township had to go through a lengthy public bidding process.
By the Numbers:
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$150 per hour: The flat rate Wayne will pay for expert mechanical services.
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$100,000: What Wayne spent on fire vehicle maintenance in 2025 alone.
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20+ Vehicles: The fleet includes 12 pumpers, four ladder trucks, and a rescue truck (the oldest is a 21-year-old pumper at Pompton Falls Fire Co. 3).
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60 Municipalities: Paramus now provides these services to over five dozen towns, including Bloomfield and West New York.
“By going through Paramus, we know that we’re paying a reasonable price,” says Mayor Christopher Vergano. “Our volunteers will be relieved of having to coordinate vehicle repairs, allowing them to focus on what they do best—saving lives.”
Why Paramus? The “Super-Garage” Advantage
Paramus has become the unofficial “fleet headquarters” for North Jersey. Their public works facility is equipped with heavy-duty lifts capable of hoisting ambulances, garbage trucks, and massive ladder trucks.
With a dedicated crew of 12 expert mechanics working multiple shifts, Paramus can turn around repairs faster and more affordably than private shops. As Paramus Borough Administrator Hector Olmo puts it, the deal allows the borough to turn a profit while saving other towns money—a “true shared service.”
How It Works for Wayne Residents
You won’t notice a change in emergency response times. Paramus public works employees will travel to Wayne to pick up the vehicles, ensuring a seamless rotation so that the township always has adequate fire coverage.
This partnership is part of a larger trend in New Jersey to reduce the property tax burden by eliminating duplicated services between neighboring towns.
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Be careful, the deal sounds good time will tell
I remember in the past, the village was sending vehicles to Paramus, it didn’t work out so well.
Small potatoes as far as “Shared Services” go. How about sharing these very same resources, the trucks themselves, and the personnel, between towns? Do Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Midland Park, Allendale, and HoHoKus need all the equipment each owns, IF they were able to SHARE it? Does each need a fire chief and the other expensive officers? They would not, saving HUGE sums of money. THAT’S SHARED SERVICES. Regionalize these services, including DPW, Police, and more, and REALLY SAVE US SOME TAX DOLLARS.