At the monthly meeting of the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue board on Wednesday, Capt. Brian McGorty, an officer in the fire officers’ union, asked the board to consider planning inoculations for firefighters in preparation for the swine flu virus.
NHRFR Chairman and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said that it was a “very good suggestion.”
McGorty also said that from May to December, they expected to lose 20 firefighters, 16 of whom are officers, to retirement and asked if NHRFR had prepared for this “exodus.”
Turner said that due to a NAACP lawsuit, which bans the department from hiring unless off of a multi-county list, they were unable to speak about the matter. However, he said that the department always has a plan for staffing.
McGorty countered that by June, 2010 the retirement numbers will likely double.
He also said that many retired firefighters had not received their severance pay. Turner said that it was due to the economy and that since many retired employees received large packages, it was impossible to award them all at once. McGorty said that his union may have to file litigation.
Turner said that part of the problem was that he wasn’t sure when they would be able to enact hiring plans due to the NAACP lawsuit.
“Part of the problem is that we don’t know where you are,” said McGorty.
North Hudson Firefighters Association Vice President James Corso asked if all of the municipalities had paid their monthly contributions to the Regional. The NHRFR is a combination of the fire departments of Union City, West New York, North Bergen, Guttenberg, and Weehawken. They merged in 1999, and now each town pays a yearly amount to the Regional.
“We’re not going to put all of this fancy equipment on with holes in the roof.” – Jeff Welz
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MrGorty also asked if there was a figure of what the department had spent so far or had budgeted for the lawsuits.
“If there was, we wouldn’t tell you,” said Turner. “If we told you they’ll know and it hurts us. And there is no way of determining it.”
Apparatus
Also at the meeting, the NHRFR board voted to approve the purchase of a communications backup apparatus vehicle.
According to Co-Director Jeff Welz, the mobile unit will serve as a backup in the case the primary center breaks down. It was paid by two federal transportation grants the department received totalling around $400,000. The vehicle will cost $351,978.
Welz said that the truck will either be housed at the new firehouse that is still undergoing construction on 43rd Street in Union City, or at headquarters on Port Imperial Boulevard in West New York.
Rejects bids related to new firehouse
At the meeting, the commissioners also approved the rejection of a set of bids they had received for interoperability and mobility software. The software would be used by firefighters and would be installed in their trucks. The computers would be able to connect to “any kind of system on the internet for information for transportation emergencies,” said Welz.
The bids were rejected because none of the companies had provided bonds for their proposed services.
The board also rejected all bids for the installation of an emergency generator at the new North Hudson firehouse that is located at 4300-4302 Kennedy Blvd. The second floor will be turned into a communication bureau for the department. It is presently housed in trailers until remodeling is completed. The building once was an auto body shop.
“The bids were too high, so we’re going back out again, hopefully strictly with generator companies,” said Co-Director Michael De Orio, who explained most of the bids they received were from contractors.
New light
The board approved to install a new traffic light at the meeting. The traffic light on 43rd Street will also be moved back 40 to 50 feet from Kennedy Boulevard, said De Orio. He said that Hudson County agreed to pay for the light until NHRFR reimburses them.
The light had to be moved back so that when firefighters respond to scenes, they will not have to fight through traffic at the corner.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.