When Brion McEldowney became the chief of the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue earlier this year, the long-time West New York-based fire official wanted to implement some of the ideas he had collected over the years.
One of the programs McEldowney wanted to see come to fruition was a comprehensive building inspection that would help both the community and the firefighters who battle fires in the five municipalities that comprise the NHRFR.
“I wanted to start this program for three reasons,” McEldowney said. “One was for the firefighters to uncover any physical hazards or potential hazards, like faulty fire escapes or holes in the floors. And the second reason was to establish a database of all the buildings in the regional, so the firefighters know about the building’s situation before they head to fight a fire. The third reason is to inform the public of fire safety hazards and to establish a good working relationship with the people of the community.”
McEldowney’s building inspection program went into effect last week, with representatives from the NHRFR visiting all buildings within the regional except one and two-family homes.
Firefighters will be inspecting buildings Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“We’ll be going building by building, with all three-family units and above, as well as all commercial buildings,” McEldowney said. “We’re not doing code enforcement and we’re not issuing fines. We just want to point out potential hazards while giving our firefighters some familiarity of the buildings.”
McEldowney said that each of the regional’s 18 fire companies will be out on a rotating daily basis, doing the inspections.
He wanted to assure residents and business owners that the inspections are not being done solely to point out problems.
“We want to have good dialogue with the community,” McEldowney said. “We want to be able to help them.”
McEldowney said that there was a fire inspection program established in West New York, when he was a deputy fire chief in the West New York Fire Department. However, it was difficult to get a comprehensive program to involve all five municipalities ever since the NHRFR was formed in 1999.
But once McEldowney was promoted to the rank of the chief of the regional, he wanted to make sure the program went regional as soon as possible.
There was some apprehension from the rank and file because the program meant that they had to conduct the inspections during their regular work shift.
“In the beginning, there was some negative feedback,” McEldowney said. “I think the firefighters were nervous that they wouldn’t be able to handle the added workload. But it’s a good program. We’re not overworking the men, and there is always a company available in case of an emergency. They understand now that it’s for their benefit as well, and at the same time, could be saving lives.”
Captain Tom Irving, who has been a fire inspector in North Bergen for years, applauded the program.
“It’s for the benefit of the firefighters and a benefit for the community,” Irving said. “Some of the buildings that we’re going into haven’t been inspected in five years. It’s just another tool to uncover potential hazards. It makes the regional listen to the public and the public listen to the regional. It’s give-and-take, but it’s all about fire prevention and safety. We’re working in cooperation with the public and the businesses, not against them.”
McEldowney said that there is no rush to the program.
“We’re going building by building,” McEldowney said. “It may take a while for us to get to every building. It may take a full year, maybe even longer. But we’re absolutely concerned with all the buildings. The nature of the program is to set up a good relationship with the businesses. This is a good start.”
Last Tuesday, one fire company was seen going to several different embroidery companies in Guttenberg to conduct the inspections. There were no complaints from the business owners. Everyone seemed to be cordial and cooperative.
“I think everyone is willing to work in cooperation,” Irving said. “As the years go by, these inspections will be easier and the data we have collected will be updated and improved. We can provide information to the fire captain on duty what kind of building the company is going into while fighting a fire. It’s very important information to have.”
If any owners and/or occupants of one-and two-family homes are interested in receiving a free fire inspection, they can call the NHRFR at (201) 601-3542 to set up an appointment.