New Jersey chief orders bars closed at two firehouses. Comes after member’s DUI crash in parking lot.

From River Edge Fire Department website.

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Other recent firehouse bar stories: Lodi, NJ, Hillsdale, NJ, Yuma County, CO

In the last year we’ve run a number of stories about controversy surrounding firehouse bars. Some of those fire companies were in New Jersey. Now comes word that Chief John Mauthe of the River Edge Fire Department in River Edge, New Jersey (Bergen County) has ordered the closing of the bars at both of the borough’s firehouses.

According to Chris Harris at The Record, 50-year-old Joseph Cerciello, a volunteer firefighter, was arrested on a DUI charge after his vehicle had a minor wreck with a car in the parking lot of Company 1 earlier this month. River Edge Mayor Sandy Moscaritolo told Harris that Cerciello had not been drinking inside the firehouse before the arrest, but because the crash occurred on borough property, the chief gave the order to ban alcohol.

Here are excerpts from The Record article via NewJersey.com:

The action comes several months after a female firefighter was arrested in the borough for an alcohol-related offense, officials said, though they cautioned that the two incidents are not related.

Mauthe’s decision follows last month’s move by the Lodi Council to introduce a strict ordinance restricting alcoholic beverages in firehouses. Officials were not only worried about underage volunteers having access to alcohol but indicated a desire to control what happens inside the borough-owned firehouses.

And a Hillsdale councilman resigned in May after remarks he made about drinking firefighters caused an outcry within the borough’s Fire Department.

“It’s a serious situation when a volunteer firefighter shows up at a company, maybe under the influence,” the mayor said. “There could have been a fire call.”

Also on STATter911 …

• Lodi, NJ moving forward with fire department alcohol ban. Now working with fire officials to modify ordinance covering firehouse bar & related issues. – September 20, 2012
• Lodi, NJ fire chief says proposed firehouse ban on alcohol ‘totally uncalled for’. Mayor calls it a liability issue. – August 24, 2012
• Hillsdale, NJ councilmember resigns after saying firefighters ‘do a lot of drinking’. News coverage doesn’t say anything about firehouse alcohol policy. – May 9, 2012
• Now the rest of the story: Articles make clear Hillsdale, NJ firehouse bar policy. Councilman who quit claims he observed drinking at fire department meetings. – May 10, 2012

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