Firefighter union president dies at age 61

The Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey is mourning the death of its longtime president Dominick Marino.

Marino was a firefighter with the North Bergen Fire Department and North Hudson Regional Fire Rescue and retired in 2011, and held many leadership positions in the unions for both departments. He became president of the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey in 2008. He was also a member of the New Jersey AFL-CIO executive board.

Marino died of a heart attack at his home on Tuesday afternoon, according to the New Jersey Globe.

"Dominick Marino didn’t just run into burning buildings. He knocked down walls to protect his fellow firefighters. He put his heart and soul into everything he did for his members, and in doing so he exemplified everything you ever could want from a leader," Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.

"I was proud to work with Dominick to develop and pass the Firefighter Cancer Registry, extend lifetime benefits for our 9/11 heroes, and increase federal investments to ensure our firehouses have the staffing and equipment they need to protect our communities," Sen. Robert Menendez said in a statement.

Ed Donnelly, president of the New Jersey Firefighters Mututal Benevolent Association said he was sad about Marino's death.

"On behalf of the over 5,000 members we send our sincerest condolences to our brothers and sisters of the PFANJ and the Marino family," Donnelly said.

Marino was also coach of the freshman Brick Township High School football team and a varsity assistant. He had been with the program since 1992 and started under legendary coach Warren Wolf, a member of the the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame. Wolf died in November.

Brick head coach Len Zdanowicz on his Facebook page said Marino "meant so much to this program for almost 30 years. A great man, coach and father figure to all our boys.”

"This is a true loss for the Dragon Football Family, but we know that Coach Marino will live on through the many players he mentored and coached and the lives of so many that he touched within the Brick community. Our sincere and deepest condolences go out to the entire Marino Family and they are in our thoughts and prayers," Brick superintendent Thomas Farrell said in a statement.

Funeral arrangements for Marino have not yet been announced.

Kevin Williams contributed to this report

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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