NJ Firefighters Online Blog-NJ Fire News/Events from around the web

You Tube Video–Looks like the situation in the Atlantic Highlands continues. Look under politics on the blog from previous articles.

You Tube Video by: West Trenton Fire Company

You Tube Video by the Asbury Park Press

Units respond to crash
Monday, July 14, 2008
From Staff Reports
tsnews@sjnewsco.com
Today’s Sunbeam
http://www.nj.com
PITTSGROVE TWP. Willow Grove Fire Co. responded at 4:54 p.m. Friday to a house fire and remained in service for 30 minutes. Centerton Fire Co. and Elmer Ambulance responded to assist and also remained in service for 30 minutes.

Other fire activity:

Today’s Sunbeam contacted the Salem County Fire Radio Control Center to receive reports on all activity of fire and rescue companies within the county during the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Saturday.

PENNSVILLE

Pennsville Fire Co. responded at 7:04 p.m. Friday to Supawna Road for an alarm system call and remained in service for 30 minutes. Deepwater Fire Co., Union Fire Co. and Pennsville Ambulance responded and also remained in service for 30 minutes.

Deepwater Fire Co. responded at 7:29 p.m. Friday to Churchtown Road for an alarm system call and remained in service for 20 minutes. Pennsville Fire Co., Carneys Point Fire Co., Union Fire Co. and Pennsville EMS responded to assist and remained in service for 10 minutes.

Pennsville Fire Co. responded at 2:21 a.m. Saturday to Kansas Road when a CO detector was activated and remained in service for 25 minutes.

PILESGROVE

Reliance Fire Co. responded at 4:00 p.m Saturday to Point Airy Road for a car crash and remained in service for 30 minutes. Woodstown EMS responded to assist and also remained in service for 30 minutes.

PITTSGROVE

Norma Fire Dept. responded at 9:48 a.m. Saturday to a call at Jesse Bridge Road and Gershal Avenue and remained in service for two hours. Norma Ambulance, Willow Grove Fire Dept. and LIfe Support 7 Southstar responded to assist and remained in service 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Blaze heavily damages Bordentown residence
The Times
http://www.nj.com
Monday, July 14, 2008
BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — An attic fire destroyed much of a house’s roof and displaced two residents yesterday morning.

Fire units arrived on the first block of Greenwood Drive at 8:25 a.m. to find heavy fire in the attic of a one-story residence. The two oc cupants, one man and one woman, had escaped after making the 911 call.

Fire District 2 Chief William Hartman said crews opened up the roof and were able to quickly extinguish the flames. A firefighter received a minor knee injury when the pull-down stairs he was using to get into the attic collapsed. He was treated and released from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and returned to duty. No one else was injured.

Hartman said there was extensive damage to the roof of the house as well as damage to the ceil ing in the living area. The occu pants are staying with relatives.

The fire is under investigation by both the Burlington Township and state fire marshals, but the fire does not appear suspicious, Hart man said. The cause is currently undetermined, but the point of ori gin is pegged as the attic over the hallway.

Burning bus stops Turnpike traffic in Kearny
by Charles Hack
Jersey Journal
http://www.nj.com
Sunday July 13, 2008, 8:15 PM
A bus engulfed in flames shut down southbound traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike near the approach to Exit 15W for more than a hour, officials said yesterday.

The fire started around 3:25 p.m., said State Police Sgt. Stephen Jones.

A 39-year-old bus driver, who works for TNT Transportation out of Staten Island, was returning his empty bus when he saw that his engine was overheating, Jones said.

Shortly after pulling over to the side of the road, the bus erupted into flames and burned to the frame, Jones said.

Kearny firefighters responded. Lanes were reopened at 4:30 p.m., Jones said

You tube video of bus fire:

80-year-old rescued from fire
by Charles Hack
Sunday July 13, 2008, 9:56 PM
Jersey Journal
http://www.nj.com
Firefighters rescued an 80-year-old woman through a second-floor window during a two-alarm fire that displaced seven residents and injured two of Bayonne’s bravest Friday night, officials said.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at the three-family, 2 1/2-story building on West 5th Street near Kennedy Boulevard around 10:55 p.m., said Bayonne Fire Chief Gregory Rogers.

When firefighters arrived they were confronted with heavy smoke and fire at the rear of the building, the chief said.

People were yelling that an elderly woman was trapped on the second floor and two civilians had already tried to rescue her, but were forced to retreat by the intense heat and smoke of the fire, he said.

Using a 28-foot ladder, firefighters entered the woman’s second-floor dwelling unit and retrieved her, Rogers said. Firefighter Matt Kemple entered the lady’s apartment and handed her off to Firefighter Mario DeStefano waiting on the ladder, he said. The woman straddled him — holding on from the front — while a third firefighter, Tim Ballance, steadied them during the decent.

4-foot deep sinkhole opens on Marin Blvd
by Michaelangelo Conte
Monday July 14, 2008, 1:51 PM

Jersey Journal
http://www.nj.com

A sinkhole more than four feet deep has opened up on Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard, off Sixth Street, in front of the Jersey City Fire Department headquarters.

Fire officials lowered a robotic camera into the hole, whose opening in the blacktop is about eight inches in diameter.

One lane in each direction on Marin is closed.

Deptford investigators rule Chestnut Lane Apartments fire arson
by South Jersey News Online
Monday July 14, 2008, 7:48 PM
By JESSICA DRISCOLL
jdriscoll@sjnewsco.com

http://www.nj.com

DEPTFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A fire that damaged a section of the Chestnut Lane Apartments and displaced one family Monday afternoon has been confirmed as arson by the Deptford Township Police Department and the Gloucester County Fire Marshal’s office.

“After investigation by our department and the fire marshal’s office, the fire has been ruled as arson and we want to speak to the resident who lived in the apartment where the fire started,” said Det. Sgt. George Johnson of the Deptford Township Police Department on Monday evening. “We do not know where she is at this point and will not yet release her name but we would like to speak to her.”

The fire broke out shortly after noon in an upstairs apartment in the complex on Delsea Drive, damaging the kitchen and bedroom and causing smoke and water damage in the apartment directly below. The fire was contained in approximately 10 minutes and no injuries were reported.

“The apartment underneath had a lot of smoke and water damage and most of their possessions are probably destroyed,” said Johnson. “That family has been moved into a hotel by the apartment complex management.”

Several tenants suspected the fire was arson before the investigation was complete.

“The tenant who lives there is the one who set the fire,” said Chestnut Lane Apartments manager Gladys Morton as firefighters cleared charred debris from the rear of the building. “She had some issues in the past and recently tried to attack me, missed me and hit the maintenance man for which she was set to appear in court on Wednesday. She said in the past that she would set the place on fire, but we didn’t take it seriously. I just keep thinking
about how it could’ve easily been my apartment with my children inside.”

Morton was in her apartment when she heard the alarm, saw smoke and witnessed the tenant fleeing the scene.

“I saw the smoke at the same time I saw her running away through the back parking lot and the police are pursuing her now,” said Morton. “We filed for her eviction and I don’t know if she received her notice today or what, but this was deliberate. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but I hope they catch her.”

Juan Rodriguez stood across the street with his family, watching emergency crews work on the burned apartment and his below it.

“My wife called to tell me the apartment was on fire so I rushed home,” said Rodriguez. “I spoke to the apartment manager and she said the woman who lived there set the fire. My wife and I were here when she tried to attack the manager recently and was arrested, but she was allowed to return and she threatened to burn the building down.”

Rodriguez said he was also told that the suspect fled on foot.

Another tenant who lived down the hall shook his head as he viewed the scene.

“I heard the alarm and thought they were just testing it until I saw the flames,” said Joseph Reimel. “I went down the hall banging on everyone‚s door, warning them to get out and I think everyone did.”

Reimel too recounted the tenant’s recent dispute with the complex’s management and threats against the building.

The fire investigation is being handled by the Deptford Township Police Department with help from the Gloucester County Fire Marshal and the Gloucester County Prosecutors Office.

“The fire department did an excellent job in containing the fire quickly and evacuating all residents,” said Johnson. “Even one resident who slept through the fire alarm was removed from the building safely. We will continue to investigate the incident as an arson and pursue our person of interest.”

DEPTFORD TWP. — Fire damaged portions of an apartment building in the Chestnut Lane Apartments complex on Delsea Drive here Monday afternoon.
Reports from the scene indicate the fire damaged the kitchen and bedroom of an apartment and burned through to the common roof.

There are no reports of injuries.

Fire damages unoccupied house
by South Jersey News Online
http://www.nj.com
Monday July 14, 2008, 11:58 AM
From staff reports
COMMERCIAL TWP. — Three local fire companies tended to a serious fire at a mobile home early Monday morning.

The fire, which started shortly before 4 a.m., destroyed the front half of the unoccupied home, located in the 7500 block of Raymond Drive in Laurel Lake.

In addition to Laurel Lake Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company, Mauricetown Volunteer Fire Company and Port Norris Volunteer Fire Company responded to the blaze.

No one was injured in the incident, which is still under investigation.

Salem eyes firefighting museum
Sunday, July 13, 2008
By Randall Clark rclark@sjnewsco.com
SALEM Just across the street from the hulking steel beams and heavy machinery of this Salem County town’s multi-million construction project, local volunteers toil away at their own labor of love.

The Salem Fire Museum on East Broadway, once a bustling station of the Union Fire Co. in the days when horses pulled tankers, was on its way to becoming yet another relic of the city’s former glory.

But a group of dedicated firefighters and local union workers are putting in countless volunteer hours to keep alive the memories of an entire department.

The remodeling and renovating reach from the front to the back and top to bottom of the two-story building, according to Robert Klein, a Salem City firefighter and retired electrical technician who put in 36 years at nearby Mannington Mills.

Donated materials and artifacts for the museum are already piling up on the second floor, despite a great deal of work still left to be done there.

“The place was falling apart,” Klein said, looking at the peeling paint along one wall. “Everything was going to pieces, the roof was leaking real bad. The walls were in poor shape. It was a mess.”

Klein, who is spearheading the effort, said the building was an active firehouse until approximately 12 years ago. Involved with the project for about three years, he said that work at the site started with gutting the building down to the bare walls.

“Within the last two and a half years is when we started putting things back in and started to make it look like something,” Klein said.

Supplies have been donated from various organizations and companies, or generated from different fundraising activities over the last five or six years, Klein said. He says he doesn’t know how he could even estimate how much the project has cost in materials and labor.

Hundreds of hours have been put in by members of Carpenters Local 542, who offered their talents at no cost.

“We’ve been doing some work the past year and we have more to come,” said Sam Carmon, president of Local 542. “We’ve been involved in the community for years, out in the public giving back to our friends and neighbors.”

For these volunteers, it is work done after hours, according to union pipefitter Dan Mailley.

“It became a whole bigger undertaking when these guys came, a lot you can’t see now that the drywall’s covering it,” Mailley said. “These young guys giving up their Friday nights they have wives and girlfriends at home, but they are here. It tells a lot about these guys.”

The building has been completely rewired electrically, with new duct work and heating/cooling systems. The floors are being rebuilt, drywalls installed and the ceilings are getting spackled and painted.

George Ahl is going to build a fireplace where one window in the back has rotted out, Klein said, and the plumbing has been addressed. Although it is unclear when the project will be completed, it is going to be a proud symbol of the city, according to workers.

Klein scans over a fire broom that was once used to beat brush fires out, and explains the trappings of an old ventilation system that appears to be from the World War I era with some of the original dust. The gear will eventually fill the museum.

“I gotta keep moving this stuff out of everybody’s way, and it keeps coming in,” Klein said. “This stuff is no longer even in the fire service … but it’s definitely part of our history. This is where it belongs.”

Boy Scout burned in camp accident dies
Saturday, July 12, 2008
BY MARYANN SPOTO
Star-Ledger Staff
.
http://www.nj.com
One of three Boy Scouts burned during horseplay at a camp Sunday has died, authorities said yesterday.

Sean Whitley, 17, of Marlton died Thursday at Temple University Hospital’s burn unit in Philadelphia, where he was in critical condition since the accident at the Joseph A. Citta Boy Scout Camp in Waretown, said Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford.

An autopsy is scheduled for today, she said.

Authorities said Whitley was one of three Scouts watching a “ring of fire” demonstration in which an 18-year-old Scout, a member of the camp staff, lit a ring of rubbing alcohol on fire.

An ember ignited the stream of alcohol as the Scout poured the liquid for another demonstration, and the Scout tossed the bottle and flaming fuel on the observers, authorities have said.

Whitley — a member of the camp staff — and a 14-year-old Scout were flown to Temple University. A third Scout, a 17-year-old, was treated and later released at Southern Ocean County Hospital in Manahawkin.

Neither authorities nor the Boy Scouts would identify the other Scouts involved.

Deputy Chief Michael Mohel, a spokesman for prosecutor Ford, said the 14-year-old is in critical but stable condition in the Philadelphia hospital. He said a ring of fire demonstration was not a Scout-sanctioned activity but noted the investigation is continuing.

Craig Shelley, Scout executive for the Boy Scouts’ Jersey Shore Council, said the group was notified Thursday of the death.

“This is a very difficult time for our Scouting family,” Shelley said in a statement. “First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with the family of this young man and our camp staff. The safety and security of our Scouts and staff is our absolute top priority and we are working with the local authorities in relation to this tragic incident.”

Call off the heat in Califon
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Editoral
The Star Ledger
http://www.nj.com

State officials insist the annual firemen’s carnival in Califon, Hunter don County, poses a hazard be cause the hot dogs, hamburg ers and other carnival fare are prepared in cooking areas that lack fire suppression systems. The state’s enforcement focus is half-baked at best.

Not only is the food grilled up by the firemen themselves, who presumably know how to douse a grease fire, but the grills, stoves and the like are in gravel-floored sheds that are open on three sides, with fire extinguishers close at hand and firetrucks a few steps away. And the public isn’t allowed inside. People are served at waist- high counters on the edge of the three open sides.

Clearly, closed kitchens and dining rooms with limited exits these are not. Yet the Department of Community Affairs’ Di vision of Fire Safety foolishly is treating the sheds as though they are regular, four-walled restaurants. The division has repeatedly issued violation no tices to the carnival, demanding that expensive automatic suppression systems be installed in the food sheds or that the sheds be shut down.

This is silly. Even if the small fire department could afford the cost, which it cannot, the department would be guilty of flagrant waste if it spent $75,000-plus to install a sup pression system for sheds that aren’t worth one-tenth that amount. There is no compelling reason to do so, anyway.

The purpose of the state fire code is to protect public safety. But open-sided sheds staffed by firefighters cooking funnel cakes and other treats don’t significantly endanger public safety.

Carnivals must get fire safety permits every year. But in some years the Califon fair has been cited for not having the sup pression system, while in other years it hasn’t. That record cer tainly doesn’t support the claim of an imminent safety threat.

The Califon department is still appealing a 2005 citation that said cooking could be done only outside the sheds. But an administrative law judge shouldn’t be needed to resolve this matter. A smidgen of common sense in Trenton would do the trick.

Weeklong inferno
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Jersey Journal
http://www.nj.com

I t was during the first summer of the 20th Century that the greatest Constable Hook refinery fire raged out of control for a week.

By day, ship captains reported seeing columns of smoke 20 miles at sea. By night, New Yorkers at the Battery could read their newspapers from the glow of the fire in Bayonne that threatened to turn Constable Hook Village into a pile of ashes.

It began late in the evening of July 4, 1900, after the noise of the Independence Day fire-crackers had died down.

A violent thunderstorm had passed over Centerville and the first drops of rain reached Constable Hook as the 11 p.m. whistle signaled the end of the one shift and the start of another at the sprawling Standard Oil plant which adjoined the village.

As homeward-bound plant workers trooped past their plant-bound replacements. A bolt of lightning reached out for the main tank in the center of the Standard Oil tank farm.

The tank’s entire top was sheared off and its wall was slit down to the ground. A section of the shattered tank flew into the air, soared over the embankment and crashed into the paraffin works. A 1,500-pound chunk of red metal shot upward 300 feet in the air before plunging through the roof of the boiler shop 1,000 feet away, ruining the shop’s machinery.

The wall around the tank wasn’t big enough to hold back the 30,000 barrels of oil that gushed from the tank. It poured over the dike to destroy a wax-barreling plant, the boiler shop and six reducing stills, all on the other side of the road. Nine more tanks exploded and began to burn.

Under the headline “Liquid Flame,” the Jersey City News of July 5 reported: “The oil from the exploded tanks swept down the hill on which the works was located. Explosions followed like the crash of artillery as tank after tank exploded.

“Down to the water’s edge it went, spreading like a circle of fire. There was nothing to stay its progress. Even water was no obstacle and from the burning pier (earlier filled with ships) it flowed into the Kill van Kull and floated in smoky wisps of flame into the bay.”

As the village’s two fire companies raced to the scene with their horse-drawn equipment, frightened residents fled their homes. They piled their belongings into wagons, pushcarts and wheel-barrows or on their backs as they headed either for the safety of the “mainland” or to camp out in the meadows north of the village until the danger was over.

Within yards of the tanks was the Bayview Hotel which was used as a lodging house for 50 Standard Oil workers, according to the Jersey City News.

“They ran pell-mell out of the rear, chased by a stream of burning oil which flowed everywhere and consumed the hotel,” the newspaper reported. “Flames flowed around the smaller houses of the works and ran up the sides … as firefighters looked on hopelessly.”

Standard Oil tugs pulled some 50 ships from the piers and they formed a cordon to fight the fire from the waterside. Great boons of logs were tossed in a semi-circle to prevent the burning liquid from reaching other ships in the bay.

On land, trenches were dug around the Standard yards. Firefighters and refinery workers valiantly fought the blazing oil. Unfortunately, fire-fighting foam hadn’t been developed at the time and most of the available fire hydrants were in the center of the village some distance from the center of the blaze. A shortage of hose hampered the fight.

The streams of water used by the firemen merely hissed off the burning tanks and turned into steam. The best they could do was to cool off the adjacent tanks and protect the village from destruction

Grant promotes fire prevention activities
Friday, July 11, 2008
The Warren Reporter
http://www.nj.com

The Hackettstown Bureau of Fire Prevention has received a grant from FM Global, a leading property insurer of the world’s largest businesses.The $1,150 award will be used to help with fire prevention activities in the town, educate the community and reduce the number of fires. Michael Alvarez, the town’s fire official, accepted the award on behalf of the bureau.

Because fire continues to be the leading cause of commercial and industrial property damage around the world, FM Global has contributed millions of dollars for more than 30 years to fire services and related agencies. A number of New Jersey companies have received grants from the Rhode Island-based company.

“At FM Global we believe the majority of property damage is preventable, not inevitable,” said Michael Spaziani, manager of the company’s Fire Prevention Grant program.

“We are pleased to make funding available to organizations that share the same philosophy,” Spaziani said. “After all it’s much better to prevent a disaster than to recover from one.”

Youtube video by user: Crosstimeproductions

Fire Safety song about crawling under smoke, by New Jersey Fire Fighter Pete Smith who is a singer/songwriter, actor and artist.

Two Teens Struck by Mini-Van on Route 9
Cape May County Herald
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/30984-two-teens-struck-mini-van-route-9

CLERMONT - On July 3, just before 12:30 p.m. two teenagers were struck by a minivan exiting the parking lot of Rainbow Pediatrics here on Route 9.

Belleplain Emergency Corps and Medic 9 responded to the scene to find one of the victims with a broken leg and requested a Medevac for transport.

According to State Police one victim, a 17-year-old was airlifted to Atlanticare Regional Medical Centers City Trauma Division by South Star. The second victim identified as an 18-year-old was transported by Belleplain EMS to Cape Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the minivan was identified as Louise Sugar of Cape May Court House said Trooper Carmean of the Woodbine Station who is investigating the accident. Charges are pending the outcome of the investigation, said Trooper Carmean.

Brush Fires Temporarily Close Portion of Route 47
Cape May County Herald
http://www.capemaycountyherald.com

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP - Two brush fires caused traffic delays here on Route 47 in the Goshen and Green Creek sections of the township.

At 1:41 p.m. Goshen Fire Department and the New Jersey State Forest Fire Service were dispatched to a brush fire here on Route 47. When units arrived they requested mutual aid from Cape May Court House Fire Department.

Middle Township police stopped traffic while the firefighters worked to put out the fire. Traffic was eventually restored to one lane with the south bound lane closed for about and hour.

A second brush fire was reported shortly after the Goshen fire at 1:48 p.m. in the Green Creek section of the township on Route 47 in the area of Pool Zone. Green Creek Fire Department and the State Forest Fire Service responded to that fire.

An Arson K-9 from the Cape May County Sheriffs office was requested to both scenes. No injuries were reported.

Both fires are under investigation by the Cape May County Fire Marshals office.

Fire company carnival might be its last

WALTER O’BRIEN
STAFF WRITER

The Home News/ http://www.mycentraljersey.com

This small town’s volunteer fire company has covered its expenses with proceeds from its annual carnival for more than 70 years, but ironically, a state fire official might be shutting the carnival down.

The Califon Volunteer Fire Department is the only self-supporting fire company left in the county, thanks to its annual summer fundraiser, the Califon Firemen’s Carnival.

“The state fire marshal wants us to spend $60,000 to protect three shacks that together are worth about $10,000,” said First Assistant Chief Bill Kibler. “They want us to install a restaurant style hood-type fire-suppression system that costs more than twice what we net in the carnival.”

Kibler said the company built the cinder block and plywood buildings with gravel floors to cook and sell hot dogs, hamburgers, clams and french fries. The structures are used only during the carnival, for about five hours a night, six nights a year.

As a firefighter, Kibler understands the fire marshal’s interest in public safety, but he feels the company has eliminated that issue because the public never is in the buildings where the food is prepared. People walk up and place orders, firefighters in the shacks cook the food and hand it back out to them.

“There’s nothing to burn, and we have firetrucks there every single night,” Kibler said. “There has never been a fire issue, and we have have insurance on the grounds and buildings.”

The carnival opened Monday, the fire investigator arrived, made his inspection and gave the company its permit with no conditions. But when the inspector came back Wednesday for the fireworks, he told the firefighters that on the orders of Bureau Chief Louis Kilmer, they had to receive a citation for not having the fire-suppression system.

“We have 15 days to appeal, so of course we’ll appeal it,” Kibler said. “It won’t affect this year’s carnival, but if we don’t have the suppression in place we can’t have the carnival next year. And without the carnival, we’re in deep trouble.”

Kibler doubts this is a coincidence. He said that in 2004 Kilmer was in charge of carnival inspections and gave the company its first citation requiring the suppression system. It appealed and won. In 2005 it was cited again, but appealed again and won.

Kibler said that around that time other events had the same problems, but after Kilmer was taken off inspections, the problems stopped. Now that Kilmer has returned, the citation is back.

“We assume we’re having this problem because we exercised our right to appeal and didn’t roll over,” Kibler said. “If Kilmer has his way, this will be the last Califon Firemen’s Carnival.”

Calls to Kilmer and the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety Bureau of Fire Code Enforcements were not immediately returned. The carnival runs 6 to 11 p.m. through Saturday at 37 Academy St., with fireworks scheduled for Friday night.

Police: Do not use illegal fireworks this weekend

By NICHOLAS HUBA
Staff Writer

Asbury Park Press, http://www.app.com

LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — Police here are asking residents and vacationers to leave the fireworks to the professionals.

The police department is asking the community to support a Safety and Quality of Life “Anti-fireworks” campaign, said Deputy Police Chief Leslie Houston.

“Hopefully, by educating the public on the many hazards of fireworks, and the prohibition of their use, we can create and enjoy a safer and more peaceful July 4th weekend holiday,” Houston said. “Additionally, our own Long Beach Township community has registered countless complaints against the use of fireworks due to the excessive and alarming noise.”

According to federal statistics, fireworks injure nearly 10,000 people every year throughout the United States. The vast majority of those injuries occur during the two weeks leading up to and following July 4, according to federal statistics.

The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders held a press conference on the dangers of fireworks at the Ocean County Fire and First Aid Center in Waretown last week.

“We’re not here offering safety tips on how to use fireworks,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “We’re here to tell you that fireworks are illegal and anyone caught with them during the holiday, or anytime, will face criminal charges.”

“If you attempt to use these illegal devices, you are going to get hurt,” Vicari said.

In New Jersey, it is illegal to sell or use any type of fireworks, said Maj. John Hunt, commander of the New Jersey State Police Special Operations Section.

Possession of fireworks is a petty disorderly persons offense, but possession with the intent to sell is a fourth-degree offense, with a possible maximum penalty of 18 months imprisonment and fines up to $10,000.

Stafford Township Chief Thomas B. Conroy said his officers would be responding to fireworks complaints.

“Besides the danger of bodily harm, we’ve had reports of fireworks shot onto roofs or into the woods where they can start fires,” Conroy said.

Bid for new fire truck awarded

By PAULA SCULLY
Staff Writer

Asbury Park Press
http://www.app.com

EAGLESWOOD — The Township Committee awarded a bid for a new fire truck to Marion Body Works of Marion, Wis., in the amount of $449,553.

Marion Body Works is an independent, family-owned manufacturer of truck bodies, including rescue and fire apparatus trucks.

The three-member committee awarded the bid June 23 in a brief meeting after years of planning and research by the Eagleswood Fire Company, followed by finalizing bid specifications.

Committeeman James R. Pine said the fire company worked with other area fire companies in determining which equipment could add to the area’s fire-fighting capabilities.

The fire company decided on a truck with an air-induced foam system and capacity for 3,000 gallons of water. The truck will use a limited amount of water in the foam system and the hoses will be lighter. The foam system will triple the capacity of the fire truck, Fire Chief Ed Nickel Sr. said in February at the introduction of the funding ordinance.

Eagleswood does not have a hydrant where water flows freely but has standpipes where members have to pull water out.

The importance of the foam system is that it allows the fire company to spread foam houses over houses during a forest fire and the foam could save homes.

The new truck will replace one purchased in 1990.

The new truck will have LED lights that will not draw as much energy from the truck as the lights do now. The new truck will carry seven men compared to four men carried by the current fire truck. It also will offer more storage.

The bid came in under the funding ordinance appropriation up to $460,000. The funding ordinance also called for the issuance of $437,000 in bonds or notes.

Fire truck orders traditionally take more than a year to complete.

Pine worked with the fire company members closely for years as it considered and priced various trucks.

“It was a good effort by everyone,” he said.

Hook-and-ladder truck being sought

By SAMETTA M.
THOMPSON

Asbury Park Press
http://www.app.com

For almost three years, the Matawan Fire Department has been calling fire companies in neighboring towns for a hook-and-ladder truck when needed for fires at multi-story buildings.

This can result in up to a 15-minute delay in firefighters reaching people trapped in burning buildings three stories or higher, said Joe Tamburello, the head chief of the volunteer department. He said although firefighters are still able to provide fire protection, a ladder truck is an essential piece of equipment.

Tamburello said the mechanical ladder portion of the company’s aerial truck hasn’t been working for almost three years and firefighters have to use ground ladders that stretch to 40 feet or more in height.

“So, if I had any operation that’s going to involve a three-story building — which of course we do have in town — or a roof operation, I cannot even physically reach the roof,” said Tamburello. “If we were to have an occupant trapped in a third story, I would have to wait until an outside community came in with their ladder truck to be able to rescue that person, and that’s just an unacceptable position.”

The Borough Council’s fire committee has asked the borough’s five fire companies to find ways to consolidate, as one possible way to save money.

“We have given the head chief, Joe Tamburello, until September to come up with a written assessment of how the fire department wants to go forward with these consolidation efforts since the funds aren’t there to purchase a new truck, and maintaining five buildings as far as utility payments go,” said Borough Councilwoman Linda Clifton, who began serving on the governing body’s fire committee in January. “This is a very difficult issue as well, as each firehouse is company-owned.”

Once the report is in, Clifton said the committee will know what direction to pursue to deal with the department’s needs.

Tamburello, a firefighter for 22 years, said he supports the possibility of merging the locations of firehouses for the five companies, but is against any plan that would eliminate fire companies.

Councilman Kevin Mendes, chairman of the fire committee, said that panel is looking into the overall needs of the department.

Mendes said a replacement of the ladder truck, and the department’s aging fleet, which dates to the early 1970s and early 1990s, has been an issue for many years. The life span of a typical firetruck is about 25 years, Tamburello said.

The five fire companies serving Matawan are Freneau Fire Company, M.E. Haley Hose Company, Hook and Ladder Fire Company, Midway Hose Company, and Washington Engine Company. Each has its own day-to-day chief. There are five trucks — four engines and one hook and ladder.

The borough owns the firetrucks and pays for the maintenance on the buildings, including utilities.

Tamburello said because the mechanical ladder portion of the aerial truck isn’t working, firefighters have to manage with large ground ladders, which, he said increases the chances of firefighters injuring themselves because they need to physically go up ladders to remove people.

“That just compounds the safety issue that we will be faced with,” he said.

The borough’s engine trucks carry ground ladders that are 28 feet high when fully extended, Tamburello said.

Matawan relies on the Cliffwood Fire Company in Aberdeen and companies in other surrounding towns for help when there is a major fire, such as several structures burning at one time, a fire at a school building, or where a second-, third- or fourth-alarm fire is called.

The ladder truck is a very specialized piece of equipment, making it the most expensive type of firetruck to purchase, Tamburello said. Replacing a ladder truck costs about $800,000, double the amount of a fire engine, he said. That may be a lot of money for a small community but, Tamburello said, a ladder truck is necessary to have.

“The primary function of that is safety, not only to rescue the trapped occupants but also to enable the firefighters to safely do operations on roofs and things like that,” Tamburello said.

“Although we have been able to function as a fire department for these last 2 1/2 to three years, we are putting the safety of the firefighters in jeopardy and the response we would be able to give to the town’s people should they need us in that situation,” he said.

Timothy Clifton, chief of the Washington firehouse for 2 1/2 years, said he hopes the committee is looking to replace the department’s aging fleet and not just consolidate firehouses.

“It’s our obligation to maintain the best possible fire protection for the people of Matawan,” he said. “It’s very unfortunate that the Fire Department has been put in this position.”

Keansburg fire dept. to host blood drive

http://www.app.com Asbury Park Press

KEANSBURG: The Keansburg Fire Department, in cooperation with the Central Jersey Blood Bank, will hold its annual blood drive from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 20.

Interested donors are requested to call (732) 471-6981 prior to the drive to schedule an appointment.

Unit at senior complex ‘uninhabitable’ after a fire
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
By PATRICIA E. MEOLA
Independant Press http://www.nj.com

SUMMIT — A fire that left a first floor apartment at the city’s senior housing complex “uninhabitable” remains under investigation, according to the city’s fire chief, who said the blaze is believed to be accidental. No injuries were reported.

The call from the 112-unit Vito A. Gallo Building at 12 Chestnut Ave. came in at 3:17 p.m. on Monday, June 23. Firefighters — whose headquarters are across the street — were on the scene less than two minutes later, according to Chief Joe Houck, and found an active fire. Because only six men were on duty at the time, he said, a Signal 11 was enacted, recalling both off-duty firefighters and the department’s volunteers. All told, he estimated 32 firefighters were on the scene.

The Millburn and Springfield departments also responded, as did the Summit Police Department, the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad and personnel from the Colonial Crossroads Chapter of the American Red Cross, while firefighters from Cranford and Union staffed Summit’s Broad Street fire headquarters.

The type of construction used at 12 Chestnut is “fire-resistive,” Chief Houck said, so the goal was “to protect in place.” That involved evacuating the A Wing’s first and second floors, first gathering residents in the lobby and later relocating them to the large Community Room at the complex. The decision was made not to evacuate the entire building unless absolutely necessary, the chief said, in an attempt to prevent potential injuries to residents and avoid possible smoke inhalation. Chief Houck said that many residents of the complex were home at the time of the incident, although the occupant of the apartment involved was not.

Firefighters stretched a hose line and extinguished the blaze, Chief Houck said, then checked adjacent units on the first floor and those above, but “found no further damage.”

“The investigation is not complete yet,” he said, “but the fire appears to be accidental.”

The Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad set up what the chief called “a rehab area” for the firefighters who remained on-scene for more than three hours, and also had volunteers doing checks on residents who had been evacuated from their apartments. Red Cross members remained on the scene for several hours providing cold drinks to both 12 Chestnut tenants and rescue workers.

“And the police did a great job on traffic control,” Chief Houck said, noting that the apartments at 12 Chestnut front Broad Street just a block from Morris Avenue.

The apartment where the fire began is not live-able, the chief said, so the occupant went to stay with family.

The chief said, “But I understand he is going to be relocated to another unit in the building.”

Halogen lamp ignites draperies at Hun School
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Trenton Times http://www.nj.com

PRINCETON TOWNSHIP — An accidental curtain fire Tuesday night at the Hun School caused little damage, police said.

The heat from a halogen lamp set the curtains hanging in a staff members’ apartment on fire at around 10 p.m., activating the alarm and summoning firefighters.

Police said the resident of the apartment extinguished the flames before the arrival of officers, and that firefighters ventilated the apartment to get the smoke out.

Blaze damages Westfield home
Thursday, July 03, 2008
By PETER RITTWEGER
http://www.nj.com The Record Press
WESTFIELD — Firefighters were dispatched to a single-family home on Byron Court early Tuesday morning to extinguish a blaze that caused considerable damage to the building’s second floor and attic, as well as some first floor damage. No one was injured, officials said.

The Westfield Fire Department reached the scene at 1:08 a.m. and was aided by members of the Cranford and Scotch Plains fire departments, said Fire Chief Daniel Kelly. Firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control within 25 minutes, Kelly said.

Kelly said the fire began on the home’s second floor and spread to the attic. The attic sustained structural damage, and the second floor was also considerably damaged, he said. The first floor suffered moderate smoke and water damage.

The Fire Prevention Bureau is currently investigating the cause of the fire, though Kelly said there was nothing on the scene to indicate anything suspicious. The residents were able to evacuate their home unscathed and are currently staying with family members, he said.

Peter Rittweger is a staff writer for the Record-Press. He can be reached at (732) 396-4204 or prittweger@njnpublishing.com.

Bayonne dry dock worker burned
Thursday, July 03, 2008
By RONALD LEIR
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
http://www.nj.com Jersey Journal

A Bayonne dry dock worker was burned yesterday afternoon when a flash fire broke out at a U.S. Navy cargo ship he was working on, Bayonne Fire Chief Greg Rogers said.

Julin Quiroz, 37, an employee of Hudson Industrial Supply Co., suffered a burn to his right arm and was sent to Bayonne Medical Center for treatment.

Quiroz, working on the U.S. Navy ship Dahl, was removing bolts from the hatch of a tank containing a material called taconite, also known as driller’s mud, when a spark from the tool he was using apparently ignited flammable gas, Rogers said.

The Fire Department was dispatched at 3:45 p.m. and the blaze was brought under control in 40 minutes, Rogers said.

He said firefighters had to go into an area of the ship that was difficult to operate in because the rapidly moving fire was in a dark, confined area filled with heat and smoke. The fire was on the lowest deck of the ship.

Ironically, Rogers added, city firefighters had completed what he called a familiarization tour of the military cargo ship only three hours before the fire.

Taconite, the material in the tank, is a substance kept at the bottom of a ship’s hull to balance the vessel.

Rogers said the ship’s captain told him this type of ignition is rare.

Fire officials did not know where the victim lives and no further details about his condition were available by press time.

The ship has been in dry dock since Friday undergoing routine maintenance.

City fire captain demoted
Friday, July 04, 2008
BY ALEX ZDAN
http://www.nj.com Trenton Times

TRENTON — In what fire officials say is a first for the department, 16-year veteran David Rosen has been demoted from the rank of captain to firefighter on a variety of administrative charges.

The demotion comes with a week’s unpaid suspension. Though the exact reason for the demotion remains unclear, the fire department union’s head says the punishment does not fit the crime.

Rosen was officially notified of the decision earlier this week, following a hearing June 23 in front of assistant business administrator Dennis Gonzalez. Though the specific charges have not been made public, Rosen was found guilty on every count. The city administration declined comment.

“It is not the practice of the City of Trenton to discuss personnel and disciplinary matters,” said spokesman Kent Ashworth in an e- mail.

On Wednesday, Rosen was called into the chief’s office, where acting fire director Henry Gliottone and battalion chief Gregory Gore informed him of the demotion. Rosen rode Engine 10 for an hour before being sent home to begin his suspension.

“Obviously, yes, I think I’ve been treated unfairly,” Rosen said by phone from his home in Burlington Township.

But William Paradiso, battalion chief and president of the Trenton Fire Officers Association, said the case against Rosen mainly stems from an October fire incident on Stokely Avenue, where Rosen was blamed for being slow to react as the first engine on the scene and ultimately censured for negligence. Ten houses burned from fire racing through the cocklofts above the connected rowhomes.

Rosen admits he made mistakes at the Stokely Avenue fire, where he says he was sick, felt dizzy, and had trouble breathing. He was taken to the hospital from the scene. Conflicting accounts of the event, Rosen says, led to allega tions he was falsifying reports, something he says factored into his demotion.

“I got sick at a fire and made some bad choices,” Rosen said.

But he thinks Richard Laird, who had recently been brought back to start a second tenure as acting fire director at the time, wanted to make an example of him.

“And, I don’t know, I just happened to be his poster child for discipline,” Rosen said.

Paradiso said the other charges included being a half hour late for a meeting and training on private property that appeared to be va cant at the time. Both Paradiso and Rosen said it was unusual that Rosen had a review in front a city official as opposed to the department.

“Normally any disciplinary problems in the fire department are handled by the fire department,” Paradiso said.

“Usually the director hears the case and for some reason Director Gliottone didn’t,” Rosen said. “I don’t know why.”

The demotion comes amid feuding between the city and the department over a new contract and the removal of several leader ship positions during the last few years.

“Things are very tense at the fire department and everyone’s being scrutinized,” Rosen said. “Morale is lower than I’ve ever seen it.”

“It’s a constant downgrading of our department to the point where we have no one in charge,” Paradiso said. “This is the way the city operates.”

Rosen has retained an attorney, and plans to appeal his case to the Merit System Board at the state level. In the meantime, “I got a job to do,” Rosen said. “And I’m going to do it.”

Truck veers off Rte. 55, lands in nearby woods
Friday, July 04, 2008
By Jonathan Vit
jvit@sjnewsco.com
Glouster County Times, http://www.nj.com

DEPTFORD TWP. Crews worked through the afternoon Thursday to remove a wrecked dump truck from the woods alongside Route 55.

The dump truck, driven by Harold Kanady, of Williamstown, blew a tire about 10:30 a.m. around mile marker 57 on Route 55 southbound and left the surface of the highway, traveling some 100 yards down the shoulder.

The truck then barreled through several trees and a fence before spilling its load of gravel and rolling onto its side, police said.

Kanady was able to pull himself from the wrecked truck and walk out of the woods. He was transported to Cooper University Hospital in Camden complaining of back pain.

Buried some 70 feet off the roadway in a wooded area thick with trees and bushes, the overturned dump truck began to leak diesel fuel. Less than 12 feet away a small stream cut through the woods.

Thursday morning, firefighters cut through the brush with chainsaws in an attempt to contain the fuel. Roadside, the air reeked of diesel as lines of slow moving cars snaked past.

The Deptford Township Fire Department put down absorbent pads to soak up the fuel and block off the stream.

“The truck landed right in it,” said Fire Chief Stephen Hubbs of the stream.

The accident caused delays on the shore route as crews worked to pull the overturned dump truck from the woods.

Nutley woman killed in suspicious house fire
Posted by jryan July 03, 2008 18:25PM

http://www.nj.com

Essex County authorities are seeking the cause of an early-morning fire in Nutley that claimed the life of a local woman today.

Rebecca, Lee, 35, was found on the second floor of a two-family home at 276 Harrison St. that was ravaged by flames that broke out before dawn, Nutley fire officials said.

Lee lived in the apartment alone. The lone resident of the first floor, Marie Ardito, escaped unharmed.

Nutley firefighters dispatched to Harrison Street at 5:42 a.m. found heavy flames licking out of the home’s second floor. The first line of firefighters moving hose lines into the home found the victim’s body, fire officials said.

The fire department brought the flames under control within 15 minutes. Belleville and Lyndhurst firefighters provided backup coverage while Nutley was at the scene.

Authorities said this morning the fire was suspicious.

The arson task force of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire along with the Nutley police and fire departments and the state Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Newark.

July 1, 2008

Blaze destroys Sweetwater Casino

By BEN MERITT
Gannett New Jersey

Courier Post Online
http://www.courierpostonline.com

A popular restaurant on the banks of the Mullica River here was destroyed by fire early Monday.

Fire broke out at The Sweetwater Casino on Seventh Avenue around 4:17 a.m., Sweetwater Fire Chief Gary Franklin said. Members of Franklin’s department, which is less than a mile away, arrived within 10 minutes only to find the restaurant engulfed in flames.

Eight fire departments battled the blaze, while another six provided support and coverage for the departments throughout this rural Pinelands community, Franklin said.

“When we got there, the fire had already gone through the roof. From there it quickly vented through a couple of other places,” Franklin said.

The restaurant’s isolated location forced the department to gather water from the river to help battle the blaze, which was declared under control at 9:45 a.m., Franklin said.

“Fortunately, the tide was high, so we were able to set up two draft pumpers. We set up three more after that,” Franklin said.

No injuries were reported, but a female firefighter from Sweetwater was treated for overexertion at AtlantiCare Medical Center, City Division, in Atlantic City, Franklin said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said Mullica Township Police Sgt. James Wild.

Fire crews were still at the scene Monday afternoon, hosing down hot spots, while a large backhoe knocked down charred walls of the building, portions which date to the late 1800s.

Residents and employees flocked to the scene to see the extent of the damage.

Many employees, including Michelle Soder of Hammonton, stood near the river banks shaking their heads in disbelief.

“It’s just traumatic. It’s like watching my own house burn down,” said Soder, who has worked there for 16 years as a cook.

The Sweetwater Casino has hosted thousands of events, including weddings, receptions, fundraisers and concerts.

Owner Jeff Anastasi walked around the property Monday afternoon, surveying the damage and talking to firefighters and employees gathered at the scene.

Anastasi and Joe Cavalieri have owned the restaurant since August 2005. Anastasi said efforts will get under way to find new jobs for the Casino’s 40 employees as well as a new venue for the dozen-plus weddings and other events scheduled during the facility’s busy summer season.

“There’s a lot of history here,” said Cavalieri, when asked about rebuilding. “It definitely won’t be quite the same.”

Franklin said the fire is a blow to the township.

“I was telling some firefighters that this was the iconic landmark. This defined Sweetwater. A lot of our firefighters worked here as busboys and waiters, so it’s tough,” Franklin said. “You would hope with the marina and the location that they have here that it will be rebuilt.”

Franklin noted that the Casino hosted the annual Timmy’s Regatta event, which raised money for medical bills of seriously ill children.

“They started it and it’s something that we are really going to miss if something doesn’t happen with it,” Franklin said.

Firefighter overtime, staffing are smoldering issues in Robbinsville
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
BY JEFF TRENTLY AND ALEX ZDAN
STAFF WRITERS
Trenton Times
http://www.nj.com

ROBBINSVILLE — An overtime dispute between township officials and the fire department over the weekend led to what union officials characterize as a potentially dangerous manpower shortage, but the town’s administrator calls it an end to wasteful spending.

With fire chief Kevin Brink suspended due to shoplifting allega tions, Robbinsville Police Chief Martin Masseroni is in charge of the fire department. When firefighters called out sick this weekend, Masseroni refused to authorize overtime for replacements, leaving two paid firefighters to man the engine and two to staff the ambu lance.

Normally a minimum of three paid firefighters are on the engine and two on the ambulance.

A recent OSHA regulation known as “Two In, Two Out” has become a football in the debate, with firefighters saying it is being violated and township officials say ing it is being adhered to. The rule requires that for every two firefighters who enter a burning building, two more must be at the ready to rescue them. If Robbinsville’s am bulance was out on another call when the engine was summoned, fire officials say, the engine, with only two men on it, would be useless in mounting any sort of attack against the flames.

“We cannot perform the necessary stuff for fire suppression,” said Robbinsville fire union president Brendan O’Donnell.

“We don’t understand how the township can allow a fire apparatus to operate with just two firefighters on it,” Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey president Dominick Marino said.

But township administrator Mary Caffrey and Robbinsville Mayor David Fried said the number of available firefighters is ade quate.

“There is no shortage,” Caffrey said. “There is no shortage.”

“Unless I have a confirmed fire, I’m not letting my ambulance go out of town,” Fried said.

Caffrey and Fried maintain the two firefighters on the engine and two on the ambulance conform with the regulation. In addition, Caffrey said, volunteers can add to the numbers of available firefighters.

“We have volunteers, and everyone wants to act like Robbinsville has no volunteers,” she said.

Caffrey said that since Masse roni took over running the fire department, she and the police chief noticed problems with the paid firefighters’ overtime.

“It’s not so much the amount, it’s the pattern you see,” she said. “When you see a pattern of 12-hour days right before vacations … that kind of stuff isn’t necessary.”

Caffrey said there are times when overtime is needed. But what she views as excessive overtime requests will not be tolerated. “This kind of stuff is going to stop,” she said.

Marino said the “Two In, Two Out” rule requires two individuals outside to be ready to go inside for rescue work.

“They only count if they are on that scene,” he said, saying they must be “ready and able to stop what they’re doing and going into the building prepared.”

O’Donnell said the fire department and the township had a “non-harmonious relationship” ever since the takeover in January 2007.

“This is the first I’ve heard of any overtime abuse,” O’Donnell said.

“If Mary is ‘putting her foot down’ on overtime she should realize that she is crushing the abilities of the Fire Department and im pinging our abilities to provide a proper response for fire suppres sion to the residents of the township,” O’Donnell added in an e- mail.

Nottingham Fire Co. Fire Commissioner Adam Bendas said his company changed their box alarm over the weekend so as not to receive mutual aid from Robbinsville.

“We rely on a certain number of guys,” he said. “It’s just a safety issue for us.”

“Four men is typically what we like to see on a truck,” Bendas said.

Groveville Fire Co. chief Mark Antozzeski said that, as a precaution, he added an extra engine to each call that would come in on Saturday.

“I was just concerned with our particular area,” he said.

Antozzeski said he was not aware the situation continued into Sunday.

Caffrey said these departments are free to change their plans.

“They can do what they want. For years everyone around us has relied on the staffing in Robbin sville being higher.”

Marino said he hopes to get a meeting together with O’Donnell and township representatives. “We can’t have a fire apparatus responding with two firefighters on it,” he said.

“The township is basically gambling with the citizens’ lives and the firefighters’ lives,” he added. “They’re gambling that nothing will happen.”

Contact Alex Zdan at azdan@nj times.com or (609) 989-5702.

Hackensack honors five firefighters killed 20 years ago
Posted by jryan July 01, 2008 13:53PM
http://www.nj.com

Officials in Hackensack tonight will honor the five firefighters killed 20 years ago by the deadliest blaze in city history.

The July 1, 1988, fire collapsed the 60-ton ceiling of the Hackensack Ford dealership, killing Capt. Richard L. Williams, 53, Lt. Richard Reinhagen, 48, and firefighters Stephen H. Ennis, 30, William Krejsa, 51, and Leonard Radumski, 38.

Dozens of firefighters, local officials and residents will gather for the 7 p.m. tribute at Hackensack’s Memorial Park.

“They were great guys,” said Dennis Walker, a 28-year veteran of the Hackensack Fire Department. “These are the guys you looked up to, the senior guys ahead of me, the guys I learned from. They were our brothers.”

The ceiling collapsed as the firefighters cut a hole in it and tried to position a hose to battle flames that broke out between the ceiling and the roof.

Two of the firefighters survived the collapse but became trapped in a closet and ran out of air.

JERSEY IN BRIEF
Fire damages a portion of Colonia High School
Monday, June 30, 2008
http://www.nj.com

COLONIA: Fire officials are investigating a blaze that broke out yesterday evening at Colonia High School in Middlesex County.

The fire began in the generator room, and the flames and most of the heat and smoke damage were contained to that area, said Colonia Fire Department spokesman Jim Souza.

Firefighters cut electricity to the building and made a hole in the roof to let heat and gases escape, Souza added.

The fire, which began around 8 p.m., was brought under control within an hour with help from several area fire departments, Souza said.

No one was in the building at the time of the fire, he said.

Reconsider regional FD
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Letters to the Editor
The Jersey Journal
http://www.nj.com

The front page story as to the closing of several firehouses in North Hudson during the summer is the final proof that either the regional fire department does not work or that the administration is incompetent, inefficient and lacks accountability.

The comments by one of the mayors from North Hudson, as carried in the news story, June 23, that the administration (regional fire) is ” .[thin].[thin]. looking to the unions to help control costs” because the administration is ” .[thin].[thin]. sure they share the same concern about helping the taxpayer,” is an insult not only to union members, but to all taxpayers in North Hudson. It is quite evident the regional fire administration has become a luxury club for the politically connected handing out high-salaried jobs and positions without accountability.

We have continuously been told the response time in getting to a fire is the prime factor in saving lives and property. Closing one firehouse reduced the response time in that community. Closing firehouses on a rotating basis, as has been suggested, multiplies the reduction in the response time to a fire. The loss of just one firehouse, for no matter how short a period of time, is close to being criminal.

The rush into a regional fire department for the North Hudson area by the mayors of these communities some 10 years ago was nothing more than a political move. The issue was never presented to the people of North Hudson via a non-binding referendum, which would have afforded an opportunity for public discussion on such an extravagant move.

The theory was to provide increased fire protection at a lower cost. I still remember the newspaper ads with the pictures of these smiling mayors telling the people how they were going to save taxpayers’ money and provide for more fire protection. Where are these smiling faces now? What a difference 10 years makes!

If these mayors are truly sincere about saving tax dollars by regionalization, then how about regionalizing all of North Hudson into one city with one government, one fire department, one police department, one board of education, one construction code official, etc. Just think of all the tax dollars that could be saved.

There is no question the cost to some communities to maintain a regional fire department is greater than the cost for that community to maintain its own department. It may be time to reconsider this experiment and go back to the individual communities maintaining their respective fire departments.

LIBERO MAROTTA UNION CITY

3 families homeless after fire on Bergenline Ave.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
http://www.nj.com Jersey Journal

UNION CITY - Three families are out of their homes for at least several months after a two-story building on Bergenline Avenue caught fire yesterday afternoon, authorities said.

One firefighter sustained minor injuries while battling the two-alarm blaze at 708 Bergenline, between Seventh and Eighth streets, North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Anthony Avillo said.

At least eight people were evacuated by neighbors before firefighters arrived, Avillo said. None of the residents were injured in the blaze, which started in a second-floor apartment, Avillo said, adding that the cause of the fire in under investigation.

Avillo said 38 NHRFR members battled the fire, which was called in at 3:47 p.m. and was under control by 4:23 p.m. The residents will be displaced for several months, he said.

One apartment on the second floor sustained significant damage and another on the same floor suffered moderate damage, while the first-floor residence suffered water and smoke damage, Avillo said.