Matthew Caliente
North Hudson Fire Department
North Hudson, NJ
Matthew Caliente was nominated by Lewis Morrell and Kevin Zebrowski of Protection Red.
Capt. Caliente is a tireless, hard worker with one goal: improving his members' quality of life. He is 39 years old and has been with the North Hudson Fire Department for 20 years. Capt. Caliente currently sits as the active Captain for North Hudson FD. For the past seven years, he has also served on the board as active treasurer for the PFANJ (Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey ), and this year, he was named President of the board.
Capt. Caliente has a genuine love and passion for what he does.
As treasurer of the largest state firefighters Union, Capt. Caliente played an intricate part in leading the way in securing funding for the PFANJ by the Firefighter Investments to Recognize Exposure to Cancer Act (FIRE Cancer Act), which provides federal funding so that all firefighters across America can access multi-cancer early detection tests and other preventative tests at no out-of-pocket cost — no matter if they're volunteer or professional firefighters.
Multi-cancer early detection has been and remains a priority of the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ)—the health and safety of Capt. Caliente's members are always paramount. Over the past 20 years, cancer caused 66 percent of the career firefighter line-of-duty deaths. Data has proven that firefighters have a higher risk of being diagnosed and dying from cancer than the general U.S. population. Through the funding Capt. Caliente championed, firefighters are much more likely to detect cancer at earlier stages, leading to a much greater success and remission rate.
It doesn't stop there; Capt. Caliente is also an accountant who helps many members handle taxation issues and steers them to financial success and retirement. Capt. Caliente also brought in Protection Red, a company dedicated to assisting all firefighters with their financial well-being and retirement future at no cost to the membership. This practice aligns with his values: to make a difference in one's life in any way he can.
Capt. Caliente views life by putting himself in another person's shoes. Currently, he is in the process of pushing legislation through NJ to help members who struggle with PTSD. This new legislation will ensure that members who are dealing with such circumstances will never have the fear of losing their jobs.
This October, Capt. Caliente will be receiving the Christopher J. Jackman Unionism Award at the Valor Awards, celebrating all he has done to bring opportunity to the table for all the members of the state of NJ.
In 2021, Capt. Caliente partnered with John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls to launch a no-cost concert to help raise money for the PFANJ. This event raised over $80,000, all of which was donated. Some of the money raised also went towards the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation. This foundation promotes children's safety, well-being, and hope for their future by providing healing services and education to end the cycle of violence and save lives.
Just this past August 2023, Capt. Caliente organized a group of volunteers to help raise money at another Goo Goo Dolls event by having firefighters walk around the parking lot and ask for donations. They raised $10,000, all donated to The Joe Torre Foundation.
"From the first time we met Matt Caliente, we fell in love with his energy, passion, commitment to his membership, and love for all those he represents. We couldn't think of anyone more deserving than Matt Caliente as our Do Good Hero," said Morrell and Zebrowski.
