41-Year Fair Lawn Firefighter Richard Bente Dies

FAIR LAWN, NJ — Former Fire Chief Richard "Dick" Bente died recently, Fire Co. 3 announced Thursday.

Bente was a Fair Lawn firefighter for 41 years, from 1954 to 1995. He was Co. 3 captain for four years in the 1960s and president twice.

He was named chief of the Fair Lawn Fire Department in 1970.

Bente was named the borough's first fire marshal, a position he held for many years, both for Fair Lawn and Elmwood Park.

Bente was fond of teaching kids how to prevent fires. He put on a fire safety puppet show at Co. 3's annual open house.

"[He] will live on in the memories of those lives he touched and the fires he likely prevented," fire personnel said in a Facebook post Thursday.

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Photo: A plaque commemorating former Fair Lawn Fire Co. 3 Chief Richard "Dick" Bente./Fair Lawn Fire Co. 3