Frank Walters, the 2nd assistant chief to the Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department, took a leave of absence last week after several informal complaints were made about his behavior after fire a Harmon Cove scene last Sunday, Jan. 7.
Fire Chief Robert Cordes said the matter was being handled through the town administrator’s office and all statements would be issued through that office.
Anthony Iacono, the town administrator, said Walters, who works full time as an employee of a New York City-based fire prevention company, had made the request on Jan. 9 for an unspecified amount of time.
“After that, the issue becomes a matter of personnel and I can’t discuss it,” Iacono said.
Deputy Mayor John Reilly, a firefighter on the scene, did confirm that Walters was asked “not to respond to any more fires” on Jan. 7, after several other firefighters approached Reilly complaining about Walters’ behavior after a townhouse fire in Harmon Cove. Other firefighters on the scene later claimed Walters was talking rapidly and seemed to make no sense.
“When the firefighters came to me saying Frank was acting disorderly and talking irrationally, I went to the other chiefs,” Reilly said.
Although no firefighter made a formal complaint, Reilly, a firefighter and the council liaison to the fire department, said he felt the matter had to be addressed.
“I felt it was my duty to make the chief aware of what had been said,” Reilly said. “They told Frank not to respond to any more fires that night.”
Walters’ company at the Seventh Street Firehouse was the closest unit to the scene of the fire and responded along with police after a woman reported smelling smoke. While Harmon Cove townhouses have numerous fireplaces, the woman said this burning smelled different. When police at the scene received no response from the downstairs neighbor, they circled the townhouse unit and discovered the rear wall was glowing orange. Reilly later said the fire was probably caused by candles that ignited the wall.
Walters apparently began shouting during the end stages of the cleanup, prompting several firefighters to complain. Although the fire risked no life and was quickly extinguished, Reilly said he felt the seriousness of the matter and the potential safety to Walters and other firefighters warranted his reporting the matter.
Iacono said that the action taken on the scene of the Harmon Cove fire was done as a precaution, and that no one knew why Walters acted the way he did. Firefighters made allegations, Iacono said, but he declined to say for the record what they were.
Iacono refused to confirm or deny any rumors, noting that no tests had been taken and no charges filed. “We don’t know why he acted the way he acted,” said Iacono. “He could have been reacting badly to stress. Screaming and yelling may be the way some people handle stress in a situation like that.”
Efforts made to contact Walters at his home and his place of employment were unsuccessful last week. He also did not respond to a fax sent to his home number asking if he wished to make a comment.
According to George Heflich, a firefighter on the scene, this was the second time the fire department had a problem with Walters on the scene of a fire. Last year, Walters was escorted home from fire in the meadows, Heflich said. But no formal action was taken against him at that time.
“To Frank’s credit, he came into Town Hall the next day and requested a leave of absence,” Reilly said. This action, however, came after a meeting in Town Hall between the mayor, town administrator and top fire department officials on the morning of Jan. 8 during which the situation was discussed, town officials said. Fire officials met with Walters later in the afternoon, at which point Walters asked for a leave of absence.
Walters was elected as second assistant chief in 1998. Since leadership of the department is on a rotating basis, he is in line to become the fire chief for the entire department on Jan. 1, 2003.
Iacono said that while town employees have a time limit of six months for leaves of absences, no such policy is in place for volunteer firemen. The department will not add anyone to handle Walters’ responsibilities.
“We have two chiefs,” Iacono said. “They should be able to handle the job.”