Standing on the roof of the American Self-Storage building on Hudson and Peter streets in Union City lent an interesting perspective that not many people get to see.
The 20 or so police officers who gathered on the rooftop last week, some 100 feet in the air, looked at each other nervously and cracked jokes, trying to forget the fact that in a scant few minutes they would be, with the aid of instructors, descending down the side of the building.
“Remember guys,” joked one officer, “It’s not the falling part that hurts, it’s the stop at the bottom.”
The officers gathered last week as part of a continuing training program instituted by Union City Police Department Captain Joe Blaettler. The program, called “High Angle Rescue Training” (H.A.R.T.) was run by a private company called Urban H.A.R.T., Inc., based in East Stroudsburg, PA.
According to the company’s web site (www.uhartrescue.com), it provides emergency services training programs and specialized rescue equipment to government agencies, state and municipal governments and corporations throughout the country. The rescue programs offer hands-on training in the various technical rescue disciplines.
It has been the mission of Union City Police Captain Joe Blaettler as well as Union City Mayor and Director of Public Safety Brian Stack to make the city’s police department an elite force, a department that is prepared for anything, anytime.
With the recent addition of the Emergency Services Unit vehicle (see www.unioncityreporter.com for a story about the ESU), the H.A.R.T. training brings the Union City Police Department closer to the realization of that vision.
“This gives the department another capability,” said Blaettler last week. “This gives us the ability to go out on rooftops and help if there is a distraught person up there. We can get an officer up there and hopefully diffuse the situation.”
Blaettler added that courses such as last week’s keep up a “culture of training” where the officers become used to an almost constant dynamic of training, covering all facets of police work. “This really gives the department a capability it didn’t have before,” said Blaettler.
Last week’s course was a 40-hour cycle, consisting of a mix of classroom work and hands-on field training. The officers involved are members of the newly minted Union City Police Department Emergency Services Unit.
The two instructors, John Parker and Steve Schubert have years of experience in rescue and police work. Parker is a retired Port Authority Officer and Schubert is a current North Bergen Police Officer.
Crumbling bricks
Last week’s training was almost over before it began, as the brick walls that surround the roofline of the American Self Storage building were found to be structurally unable to support the weight of two men and their gear, which can be about 600 pounds. “These bricks are sketchy, guys,” said Urban H.A.R.T. founder and President John Parker. A quick look over the side of the building showed many of the walls bowing outward, sagging with the weight of age. The building, which in the 1800’s was a brewery, received a new coat of red, white and blue paint when the American Self Storage company bought it, but up close, there are some structural issues that need to be addressed in the future.
One of the officers quipped, “How ’bout we climb down this wall, John?” pointing to a stairway shaft about 10 feet deep.
The building proved unsafe for the training. A quick huddle between Blaettler, Parker and Schubert produced an alternate idea for a site – the police headquarters at City Hall. The wall of the new section of City Hall that faces west has a 40-foot section, and after an hour of set-up time, the class was finally able to make it’s way over the wall.
Blaettler and Wolpert were the first officers over the side. After a few moments of apprehension, Blaettler and Wolpert took to the ropes, eventually curling their feet around the rope hanging over the side of the building and letting their hands fall free. They remained suspended, upside down, for a minute. “Well, that was fun!” cracked Wolpert after planting his feet on terra firma. The crowd of officers in the middle of a shift change gathered in the parking lot and let loose sarcastic applause.
After his descent, Wolpert said, “To be honest with you, it’s a little frightening. The class is great, though. The way that they teach us is so hands-on. Between the time we started this and now, we feel much more confident. I feel like we can really help out now, if the need arises.”
Sgt. Mike Figaroua was visibly excited, saying after his descent, “It’s very exhilarating. It’s a new thing for us and it is something that can be used at any time. After 9/11, we saw that we needed to be prepared for anything. At that point, we could only stand by and watch.
Added Figaroua, “We’re something like the fifth largest police department in the state and the captain didn’t like that we had to go to other jurisdictions for help. We want to be able to help ourselves and to help others.”
The North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Department has operational jurisdiction over all rescue operations in the North Hudson Area, except Hoboken who has their own department.