When a four-alarm fire destroyed two buildings next to a North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue firehouse on Jan. 16, it re-ignited the controversy over overtime, hiring, and the rotating closures of houses.
The NHRFR’s leaders have been accused by firefighter unions of putting residents and firefighters at risk by the rotating closures of firehouses.
But the top brass says the closures can’t be avoided. They say they had to implement a hiring freeze because of a NAACP civil rights lawsuit that forced the department to hire from a court-mandated multi-county list of African American candidates. The NHRFR is fighting in court for the right to hire from a North Hudson residency list.
“There is so much in this jurisdiction that we are protecting, but they are not giving us the tools.”— Dominick Marino
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Previously, fire officials have conceded that the force is down about 30 men, while the union contends the number is closer to 40.
At the same time, the leadership says with so many firehouses in close proximity to one another, fire safety is not affected at all.
NHRFR Chairman and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said that there are still many firehouses open, and their response time is almost always under four minutes, the national recommended average.
“According to the unions, it’s never enough men,” said Turner. “I think we have too much equipment. I have always said we have too many apparatuses.”
But North Hudson Firefighters Association President Dominick Marino said, “There is so much in this jurisdiction that we are protecting, but they are not giving us the tools.”
Blazes destroys business, homes
According to a NHRFR report, Humberto Marrero, who owned Nery’s Party Center at 6231 Kennedy Blvd., ran to the Engine 9/Battalion 3 firehouse two doors down at 6237 Kennedy Blvd. early Saturday morning to report a fire at his property.
A battalion chief, a safety officer, and a firefighter were in the Engine 9 house, but because of excessive overtime, its fire engine had been taken out of service and the two firefighters stationed there had been sent to two nearby firehouses, said NHRFR Co-Director Michael De Orio.
According to De Orio, on Jan. 15 two firemen had called in sick for their 24-hour shift. When another firefighter left on a pre-approved half-day vacation at Engine 9, the minimum staffing level fell one short to 59. He said while they could have closed the house, they instead took the pumper out of service.
He said the Regional spent $1 million in overtime in 2009, and would have gone above $2 million if they had not begun rotating the closure of houses in May of 2009. By May of 2010, they expect to save $1.1 million. Still, in this particular incident, the house was not closed, he said.
The report states that the alarm was sounded at 5:23 a.m. and Engine 11, located on Jackson Avenue and 66th Street six blocks away, received the alarm at 5:23 a.m., and arrived in around three minutes at 5:25:50 a.m.
The fire caused a partial collapse at 6231 Kennedy Blvd., which housed Marrero’s business and apartment, as well as a building next door which they owned and rented to two families. By last Tuesday, both buildings had been demolished.
Men on scene helped rescue resident
Published reports claimed that the firefighters on scene were unable to do anything, but NHRFR Co-director De Orio said that before the other companies arrived on the scene, the first men there were able to evacuate a resident from a stairway and make sure everyone was out of the apartment.
He said Marrero told him he was awakened by a loud cracking sound downstairs. When he opened the door to his business, dark heavy smoke came out. He shut the door, ran upstairs, and yelled for everyone to get out.
After he ran next door to alert the firemen, the men asked if everyone was out the building safely. Everyone was except for Marrero’s mother.
“[The firefighters] did a primary search of the whole apartment in a burning building that was heavily smoked out,” said De Orio. He said they escorted Marrero’s mother downstairs to safety.
De Orio said that even if the Engine 9 equipment had been in service, the firefighters would have gotten dressed and pulled the rig around the corner, and it would have taken at least two minutes.
“It’s faster than they would have been under any circumstance,” said De Orio.
De Orio also said that the heavy black smoke, likely caused by combustible plastics in the businesses basement or first floors, was emitted for quite some time. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
But Marino said, “It would have made somewhat of a difference [if the Engine 9 rig had been available. The engine was right there in front of the building. It would have been able to bring water right away and possibly hold the fire at bay until the other arriving companies showed up.”
De Orio said that between 60 and 70 firefighters, with 22 apparatus, including mutual aid from Jersey City, were on the scene. The fire was under control by around 7 a.m.
According to Marino, having more firefighters on scene would have allowed them to follow the “two in, two out” OSHA regulation which states that whenever two firefighters go into building, two more must be waiting outside to aid them.
Mayor Turner said that this regulation was just a guideline.
Turner: Unions tying our hands
Marino said that the firefighters have been operating without a contract since June as they go through arbitration with the Regional.
He said that the department has been trying to negotiate vacation time. Currently, a minimum of seven firefighters are allowed vacation every day.
“We are no longer going by normal procedures,” said Turner. “There is no way that if two people call in sick and someone has pre-approved vacation, can we let that person go? There has to be a give here.”
De Orio said that while he has never done so before, he holds the right to cancel someone’s vacation after the department is forced to use “excessive overtime.”
Turner also said that he would pursue unions lessening the current three men necessary to operate a rig to two. Marino said that his union would not concede to this.
Turner has also mandated that firefighters are no longer able to go food shopping during their shift. He said that a number of years ago a fire began a few doors away from a Union City house while the men were food shopping – resulting in controversy when buildings were destroyed.
“It’s time for us to set new policies,” said Turner. “Let people go to court. It’s a safety issue, and if it is going to be a safety issue, then by God, we are going to cancel vacations.”
Marino said that while the department will not pay overtime, they have paid excessive legal feels in lawsuits. Turner countered that their insurance companies paid most of those legal fees, with the department only paying 20 percent, but he did not know the exact amount.
He added, “You can’t blame a firefighter for taking their vacation day. It’s the Regional’s responsibility to man those houses.”
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.