Meet the Carroll Family

RESIDENT FEATURE

By Stacey McEvoy

Photos by Oijoy Photography and courtesy of the Carroll family

Every Tuesday and Thursday night, the ground floor of the Chatham Borough firehouse is abuzz with activity. And it’s not with social activity. It’s with kettlebells, TRX training equipment, fire hoses and staircases. The lady leading the way? It’s the Chatham Borough Fire Department’s official trainer Stephanie Carroll.

It all began four years ago when Steph, a certified trainer, was asked by a volunteer Chatham Borough firefighter to put together a cardio program for the members. “Firefighters are athletes,” says Steph. “When they’re going into a fire, they’re sprinting, opening up building roofs with pick axes, crawling, carrying heavy items, pushing, pulling and dragging things. In order to do these anaerobic activities, they have to be conditioned—to have mobility, flexibility and strength. If they don’t properly train, they won’t perform as well and they can get injured.”

Steph also works on control breathing with the firefighters. She explains that a 30-minute SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) tank could last less than 10 minutes, depending on conditions and circumstances. “With their equipment that could be 60-70lbs in addition to the activity required to fight a fire, the tank could run out quickly if their bodies are dehydrated or not properly conditioned,” she says, adding that she feels privileged to serve in this role. “There’s a tremendous sense of community in the firehouse and a feeling of entrenchment in the town. I really feel like I’m part of it all by working with them.”

On Fri., Oct. 19, the Chatham Borough Fire Department community is inviting the Chatham community to come out and support them at a Dodgeball Tournament they are hosting from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The firefighters will compete in their gear and “on air” (using SCBA tanks) against local fire departments to raise money for The Burn Center at St. Barnabas at the Annex— which happens to be a favorite Chatham community for Steph too. She’s been working out at the Annex for three and a half years “with a group of very fun and very strong women and men from Chatham and the surrounding area. It’s my happy place,” she says.

Steph and her husband Bob moved to Chatham in 2003. Steph from Darien, CT, and Bob from Springfield, NJ, met Memorial Day weekend 2001 “down the shore” at The Parker House in Sea Girt. After marrying, they lived in Summit for a year before settling in the borough.

Thirteen years ago, their daughter Baker was born. A Chatham Middle School 8th grader, Baker plays field hockey, is a member of the competitive dance team at Inner Grace and completed her fourth summer at Broadway Bootcamp.

She is also a swim team member at Chatham Fish & Game where she completed the Counselor in Training program this past summer.

Rounding out the family is a 2-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever Alfred— named after Batman’s butler.

Before training firefighters, Steph graduated from The College of William & Mary, earned an MBA at Farleigh Dickinson University and worked in the fragrance and flavor manufacturing industry in sales for 15 years. Her clients included The Procter & Gamble Company, Yankee Candle and Carter-Wallace. After leaving the corporate world, Steph, a health and wellness enthusiast, became certified to teach group exercise and do personal training. “I knew I wanted to help people reach their fitness goals but without injury,” she says. Steph has been teaching exercise classes and doing personal training for clients at The Summit Area YMCA for 10 years. She also does personal training for clients at their homes through her company SLC Training, LLC.

Sixteen years ago, Bob opened John Hyatt, a premier men’s sportwear store in Summit. He named the store in honor of his father John Hyatt Carroll, a POW in World War II, who passed away in 1997. Prior to opening the business, he worked for 20 years in retail sales, merchandising and marketing at Ralph Lauren, Roots, Timberland and Joseph A. Bank.

“We absolutely love this town. We love that we can walk everywhere,” says Steph. “There are weekends that our car never leaves the driveway because we are within walking distance to everything we want to do. We chose our house because we loved that it was across the street from an entrance to Memorial park and the town’s library. We actually negotiated the purchase of our house sitting on one of the park’s benches across the street,” she says with a laugh.

The Carroll family enjoys the friendly and small-town community feel of Chatham and have a few favorite spots downtown they visit including Charlie’s Aunt for a great burger and beer, TM Ward Coffee for a delicious cup of brew and the Chatham Sandwich Shop for an excellent sandwich served up by a staff that knows their names.

We would like to thank Salerno Duane Inc. in Summit for bringing you this month’s cover story.

Do you know a neighbor who has a story to share? Nominate your neighbor to be featured in one of our upcoming issues! Contact us at smcevoy@bestversionmedia.com.