This is video from Saturday’s fire at the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house near Louisiana Tech. Thanks to STATter911.com reader Kevin Wells for alerting us to the video of the collapse.
At least three firefighters have been taken to North Louisiana Medical Center for injuries and heat exhaustion as crews continue to battle the fire that began around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Ruston Police.
Lt. Tim Parker, spokesman for the Ruston Police Department, said the fire began in the fireplace or chimney of the Pike house, and quickly reached the attic where it grew rapidly.
He said one firefighter was injured when the roof of the building collapsed, knocking down a flight of stairs the man was standing on. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Eric Brazzel with the Ruston Fire Department says some of the members of the fraternity were burning notes to celebrate the end of classes, but they don’t think that alone is what caused the extensive damage.
“The students did say that they had a fire in the fireplace going, and they were just commemorating the school year by getting rid of their old notes. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s no problems with that. We do feel like there may be a structural component with the fireplace or chimney that might have let the fire extend into the wall space there around the fireplace,” says Brazzel.
He added that part of the metal box for the fire place may have decayed.
D.C. police and firefighters union officials are asking for an investigation into what they say was a giant blaze involving three dumpsters and an abandoned car’s worth of personnel records, including medical files containing private information.
In a letter sent to the Office of the Inspector General today, the heads of the two unions say that last Friday around 5 p.m., a D.C. fire engine company was dispatched to the city’s fire department training academy to put out three dumpster fires. After the firefighters started putting out the fires, they realized that some of the documents were personnel files of cops and firefighters, the letter says.
The letter continues: “In addition to the burning documents, there were unburned documents scattered on the ground throughout the training facility and unburned documents in an abandoned car. Members of FEMS were able to identify their own training and medical records in the documents in the abandoned car.”
The responding firefighters expressed their concerns to Deputy Fire Chief Michael Willis and took several pictures and videos to document the incident before leaving the scene. Some of the documents shown in the photos appear to be training academy documents from 1997.
At 11 p.m., firefighters were called back to the training academy to extinguish a fire in an abandoned car that was located next to the trash bins that earlier had been ablaze.
“In an apparent effort to assuage their concerns, they were told all of the documents on the ground had been picked up and placed in the car,” the union leaders wrote.
A fire department spokesman said the matter “is currently under investigation.”
The documents, not all of which were successfully destroyed, contained private information such as medical records and Social Security numbers, the letter says.
The unions are asking Willoughby to investigate the incident on the grounds that the files may have been improperly handled, possibly violating personnel privacy. The letter also notes the fire could have destroyed “potential evidence.”
This is video of a two-alarm fire on Sunday at the Wyndbridge apartments in New Berlin, Wisconsin. It happened around noon.
Below is the story about the fire from WITI-TV’s Jeremy Ross. It seems to be a fine story about the wind whipped fire that left about 20 people without a home. It even mentions the building had a sprinkler system but that the fire got into the attic where there are no sprinklers.
My beef with this story is about what reporter Ross brings up in the tag to his live report and at the end of the article on WITI-TV’s website.
They (firefighters) saythey responded to the call for help in about six minutes. Some neighbors disputed that time – estimating it took between 15 to 20 minutes.
I am all for reporters holding fire departments and other government officials accountable for response times and other performance factors. If it did actually take as much as 20 minutes to get to the scene, I would think a reporter wouldn’t want to save that fact until the end of the story, but would have that important information right at the top. In the news business you don’t want to bury the lead.
Jeremy Ross didn’t highlight that information because all indications are he didn’t know for sure how long it took firefighters to get to the scene. He did what many reporters would do in that situation and just put on what both sides had to say. Fair and balanced, right? I don’t think so and here’s why.
It’s the reporter’s job to confirm facts. Ross was unable to do that and just repeated statements from both sides. Specific times and/or documentation from the fire department (which may be difficult on a weekend) would provide some clarity to this issue.
It is the reporter’s job to put things in perspective. Again Ross failed at that task. He should have, at the very least, explained to his audience that the point-of-view of a victim or untrained witness on the subject of response times to an emergency scene is often skewed by emotions. From my experience, both as a reporter and a firefighter, it’s a claim made much of the time by the public but fails to hold up to scrutiny in a large majority of the cases.
Response time is an extremely important element to the image of a fire department and the relationship it has with the citizens it serves. When a reporter questions it, chiefs and PIOs shouldn’t take it lightly. Be armed with specifics, including documentation. Be aggressive in getting the facts out. I know a number of PIOs who arrive on the scene routinely armed with that information, just in case. If the response time was long, be ready to deal with it, explaining why and what you are doing to correct the situation.
As for the reporter, if a citizen had told you, without any corroborating evidence, that a firefighter stole all my belongings while fighting the fire and the fire chief said that didn’t happen, would that be a part of your story? I think you would do a lot more homework on that claim before it ended up on the air. And more homework was needed on the response time information. Don’t take your responsibility as a reporter lightly when the story has the potential to seriously impact the image of an individual or an institution.
People can say anything and make any sort of wild claims. And they often do. Just look at the crap that comes across Facebook every hour. The difference between journalism and social media, is being able to help the reader or the viewer separate fact from fiction.
WRC-TV in Washington aired a story last night about a 911 call for trouble breathing in Montgomery County, Maryland where the call taker fell asleep. The News4 I-Team story by Tisha Thompson and Rick Yarborough says the dispatcher is a veteran uniformed firefighter who was in the 17th hour of a 24-hour shift on overtime and can be heard snoring on the recording of that 911 call (above).
“The employee was immediately removed from the floor by his supervisor that night and placed on administrative leave with pay pending the inquiry,” Montgomery County Assistant Fire Chief Scott Graham said.
The News4 I-Team found Montgomery County dispatchers work twice as long as other dispatchers in the D.C. area. In Fairfax County, dispatchers work 12.5-hour shifts. In Prince George’s County they work a 12-hour shift. The District has a 10-hour shift.
(IAFF Local 1664 Vice President Jeffrey) Buddle said while a 24-hour shift “may seem like a long shift to someone who’s not used to that schedule, it’s something that’s just normal for a firefighter to work.”
Both he and Graham say this is the first time someone has fallen asleep during a 24-hour shift.
Battalion Chief Kevin Sloan told The Washington Times’ Andrea Noble that Chief Kenneth Ellerbe’s actions are “a classic example of workplace bullying”. Chief Sloan says that he was transferred from operations to the logistics division a week ago, less than four hours after finding Lt. Henry Dent not guilty on charges related to the beer Chief Ellerbe found in a refrigerator at the quarters of Engine 9 last year.
Kevin Sloan said in an article posted this evening on the paper’s website, “It’s not ethical, it’s not moral. It’s retaliatory action.”
Chief Sloan’s case has similarities to the demotion of Battalion Chief Richard Sterne in April after Sterne reduced the penalties against two other firefighters connected to the beer incident.
According to Noble, while Chief Sterne was notified his demotion was directly related to his handling of the disciplinary, Chief Sloan was not given an explanation for his sudden transfer.
As part of Chief Sloan’s findings, he determined that Lt. Dent was not present at the fire station when the beer was delivered, so he could not be held accountable for accepting a gift. He also ruled that when Lt. Dent was notified by another firefighter that there was still beer in the station refrigerator, he told the firefighter to get rid of it but did not have enough time to check to ensure the order was followed through before Chief Ellerbe arrived.
Chief Sloan said the investigation was unusual and that evidence in the case went missing. In one instance, when he requested copies of taped interviews with witnesses the administration simply sent him paper photocopies of CDs, rather than the CDs themselves.
“For the rank and file, this takes away a fair, equitable disciplinary trial for the members,” Chief Sloan said.
According to the article department spokesman Lon Walls refused to comment because the case is a personnel matter, but did say Chief Ellerbe has the final authority in the disciplinary process.
A fire this morning has shut down the 3rd Street Tunnel under The Mall near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The fire on a school bus that was being towed is now out. Drivers and passengers in the tunnel were forced to abandon their vehicles and DC Fire & EMS Department crews evaluated many for smoke inhalation. Some, including police officers who assisted in the evacuation of the tunnel, have been transported.
A second alarm and mass casualty task force were dispatched.
Drivers are being escorted back to their cars after a school bus fire inside the 3rd Street Tunnel in Southwest closed the tunnel, forcing people to evacuate.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein, who is on the scene, says about 60 people were removed from the tunnel after the fire was reported around 10:30 a.m.
An empty school bus that was being towed caught fire in the northbound side of the 3rd Street Tunnel. The northbound and southbound sides of the 3rd St Tunnel are closed.
The fire was reported at approximately 10:30 a.m. Monday. Between 40 and 50 cars were in the tunnel at the time, say authorities, and the tunnel was filled with smoke. Some of the fumes from the fire made it into the ventilation system at the nearby D.C. courthouse.
About 30 people who abandoned their vehicles in the tunnel are waiting for a Metrobus to shelter them. The people describe a boom, followed by smoke and flames. the same people are praising police for their fast evacuation. There were no major injuries but at least one asthma attack.
DC Police are escorting people back to the tunnel via police cruisers to get their vehicles.
Read about the Deutsche Bank scandal here, here and here
Almost five years after the deaths of FDNY firefighters Joseph Graffagnino and Robert Beddia word comes that Graffagnino’s widow has reached a $10 million settlement with the city and the contractor over safety issues at the Deutsche Bank building. The building caught fire on August 18, 2007 while it was in the process of being demolished after being damaged in the September 11th attacks. The two firefighters became trapped in a stairwell. Firefighter Beddia’s family previously reached a reported $6 million settlement.
Nearly five years after the tragedy, Bovis Lend Lease has agreed to pay Joseph Graffagnino’s widow, Linda, and her two small children $9 million, while the city has signed off on covering another $1 million, documents obtained by the Daily News show.
The settlement still must be approved by a Manhattan Supreme Court justice, which is expected at a hearing set for Monday.
The settlement will mark the final chapter in a painful saga that exposed outrageous incompetence by the contractors tasked with tearing down the wrecked office tower and their government overseers.
Theresa, New York veteran volunteer Lance Willix was struck by a Jefferson County sheriff’s vehicle and seriously injured while directing traffic at the scene of a collision Friday evening.
“We were involved in traffic control and at that time, one of my fire police on scene was actually struck by a vehicle,” said Theresa Fire Chief Mark Savage.
It was driven by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy.
In a statement overnight, sheriff’s deputies said “Early indications are that obstructed views due to vehicle congestion at the accident scene may have contributed” to the deputy’s vehicle striking the firefighter.
Mr. Savage said he was only a few feet away from Mr. Willix, 67, Theresa, when he was hit. “I heard the impact,” Mr. Savage said. “I turned around and there he was. All I could do was try to keep him still.”
Mr. Willix was taken by helicopter to Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, where a nursing supervisor said he was listed in fair condition late Friday.
Previous coverage & video from this fire here & here
More video from the fire Tuesday at the Ozark Treasures Thrift Store, 1026 St. Louis St. in West Plains, Missouri. This time is is helmet-cam video from part of the crew on the initial attack on the loading dock and rear of the store.
This video captures collapse the roof and wall on Side B and the removal of crews that were up close on Side A starting at 11:00 in the video.
There has been a discussion going on since Wednesday in our comments section and on Facebook about video of a wall collapse at a fire Tuesday at the Ozark Treasures Thrift Store, 1026 St. Louis St. in West Plains, Missouri. Much of the discussion centered around two people who appeared to be near or in the collapse zone without PPE. One of them had been using a handline on the fire through the roof in the rear of the store. Other than a link to some good early still pictures that I don’t think everyone saw, the view was quite limited about what else was happening on the fireground.
The last couple years we have run many dash-cam and helmet-cam videos from West Plains and figured some would be coming from this fire. These two clips were posted yesterday and show the arrival of the first engine with smoke showing from the attic, initial fire department actions and the view from the front of the building.
Two former East Spencer firefighters and a former police officer were found not guilty this week during a non-jury trial five months after a junior firefighter was shocked with a stun gun.
The incident was said to have occurred at a department Christmas party. The two firefighters — former Chief Shane Cranfield and former Assistant Chief Allen Carlyle — were accused of using a stun gun on junior firefighter John Resino, 18.
According to arrest warrants, the stun gun came from former East Spencer Police Officer James Lambeth.
“I want to say thank you to all my true friends who stood behind me,” Shane Cranfield told WBTV Tuesday afternoon. When asked if had been confident about the outcome, Cranfield said “I had my doubts, I knew I didn’t do it, but I still.”
Cranfield said he believed inconsistencies in Resino’s story led to the not guilty verdict. Even though he was found not guilty, Cranfield said the accusations have taken their toll.
“I have lost my position as the Chief of the East Spencer fire department, as well as my part time paid position. My reputation, career, and life have been ran threw the mud and destroyed. I have been blacked balled throughout the county and shunned by people I have known for years and considered to be my brothers. Along with me, two other people, firefighter Alan Carlyle and officer James Lambeth, have also faced the same ridicule and public embarrassment as myself.”
Last week’s stories on controvesy over Hillsdale, NJ firehouse bar here & here
When we brought you the stories last week about the controversy over alcohol inside New Jersey’s Hillsdale VFD many commented that bars in firehouse is really just an issue in the Northeast portion of the country. But this story is from Yuma County, Colorado and involves the long time practice of having kegs of beer stocked inside the Wauneta Volunteer Fire Department for use by the firefighters.
In Colorado, a couple who had been involved with the department and originally purchased the kegs years ago, won the battle. With the help of a Denver TV station, Dean and Sue Jarrett were able to get the leaders of the department to back down and reverse the policy of having beer in the firehouse and allowing firefighters to drink at meetings and after calls.
Dean Jarrett, who had been a 28-year member and treasurer of WVFD, told KCNC-TV investigative reporter Brian Maass, that his position on this changed when he saw volunteers drinking during a CPR class at the firehouse. Jarrett also told Maass, “Without a doubt, people have showed up visibly impaired (at fires)”.
Sue Jarrett, who made it clear she was going to fight this over the long haul, told the reporter, “And they have taken something admirable and they’ve turned it into their own personal man cave. We’re going to do what we want. Leave us alone. And they are putting people in jeopardy.”
Despite the board voting unanimously on May 7 to remove the kegs, as in Hillsdale, New Jersey, there are a lot of people who didn’t have a big problem with beer for firefighters. Among them Fire Chief Jeff Gallegos. Here’s some of what he said to the TV station:
“I don’t have a big problem with it. If we’ve had a few beers we’re not going to jump on the truck and drive it. I don’t think we have that big an issue. People don’t feel we should be told what we can and can’t do when we’re volunteering our time.”
And the policy had support from top elected officials:
State Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, who represents the area, contacted CBS4 to say he had no problem with kegs in the firehouse noting that the nearest liquor stores are in Wray, 15 miles away, making it difficult for firefighters to pick up beers after they’ve been out on a call, especially if its late at night after the liquor stores have closed.
Brophy called Jarrett and his wife “professional cranks” who had alienated the community for years.
The TV station also contacted Ron Graton, Executive Director of the Colorado State Fire Fighters Association, who seemed to stake out some middle ground on the issue:
“We feel that having alcohol in the fire station is an issue of local control. We do feel it leads to many issues that complicate the fire fighting aspect.”
Emergency crews responded to 511 Kent Street just before 7 p.m. Monday after people spotted the blaze. The building, which has a sign outside reading Arlington Bed and Breakfast, is a rooming house.
They also rescued one man, 47, who was trapped on a balcony. He suffered minor smoke inhalation and was transported to hospital as a precaution.
The blaze completely gutted the building, and damaged neighbouring homes, several bicycles and a car parked in the alley behind the building.
“Investigators eventually managed to get into the residence and they were able to confirm that it was an incendiary fire,” Ottawa Fire spokesperson Marc Messier tells 1310News. “So Ottawa police arson unit has been called in and they are taking the lead on this investigation.”
Messier says the fire started in a second floor hallway.
Ottawa fire service spokesman Marc Messier said the fire started on the second floor of the building in a hallway and spread to the exterior before moving up to the third floor and attic.
When firefighters were called smoke was billowing from the rear of the two-and-a-half storey multi-unit complex and people were reportedly trapped.
Seven residents were displaced in Friday night’s fire on Lincoln Avenue, which remains under investigation, fire officials said Saturday.
Firefighters arrived at 1243 Lincoln Ave. shortly after 7 p.m. Friday to find that not only that house was burning, but that flames had spread to 1245 Lincoln Ave.
Preliminary reports indicate the fire originated on the front, first-floor room of 1243 Lincoln Ave., officials said. It quickly extended through the first floor, second floor and into the attic, eventually causing the roof to collapse.
The Miami-Dade Fire Department has decided on a two-rank demotion for Brian Beckmann from fire captain to firefighter effective immediately, after a two-hour administrative meeting on Monday.
A 33-page document detailing the allegations against former captain Beckmann and the meeting claims he violated county and department policy with posts he made on his personal Facebook page having to do with the Trayvon Martin case.
In addition to his demotion, Beckmann will have to go through diversity training and have a psychological evaluation. Miami Beach Mayor Carlos Giminez supported the decision in a statement saying: “… Public servants have a responsibility to uphold the highest levels of integrity and decency, especially when you consider our multicultural, multiethnic community. There’s no such thing as being off-the clock; we are public servants 24/7 and must conduct ourselves with the utmost professionalism at all time.”
Capt. Brian Beckmann’s post lambasted the prosecutor, Angela Corey, who charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in Martin’s death.
In the post, Beckmann suggested “urban youth” are the products of “failed, sh–bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents.”
He also brought his fellow firefighters into the post, saying: “I and my co-workers could rewrite the book on whether our urban youths are victims of racist profiling or products of their failed, sh–bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents, but like Mrs. Corey, we speak only the truth.”
It ended with, “They’re just misunderstood little church-going angels and the ghetto hoodie look doesn’t have anything to do with why people wonder if they’re about to get jacked by a thug.”
In addition to the loss of rank, the 17-year-fire department veteran’s paycheck will take a major hit because a firefighter’s salary is dramatically less than a fire captain. The amount is still unclear but CBS4 found Beckman made $125,616 as a Captain during a 2007 investigation done on firefighter salaries.
Before returning to work Beckmann will have to undergo a psychological examination by a county doctor and be required to take diversity training courses.
Beckmann, with the help of the firefighter union, is expected to appeal the demotion.
“Today the Fire Chief demoted Brian Beckmann by two supervisory ranks back to the rank of Firefighter. As union President, I believe this discipline is excessive,” said Rowan Taylor in a statement. “We will immediately file an appeal to an independent arbitrator. We anticipate that the case will be heard within the next few months. The decision of the independent arbitrator will be final and binding.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez released a statement Monday saying that he supports the decision to demote Beckmann.
“The comments made by Captain Beckmann were reprehensible and will not be tolerated. We can’t have our employees, especially a supervisor, making such disparaging comments about any member of our community, much less one of our own employees,” Gimenez said.
The mayor said he has directed staff members to revise the policies connected to the issue.
“There’s no such thing as being off-the-clock; we are public servants 24/7 and must conduct ourselves with the utmost professionalism at all times,” Gimenez said.
A Miami-Dade fire captain, under fire for his controversial Facebook comments in the Trayvon Martin case has been demoted.
Captain Brian Beckmann fell from the top of the command in his firehouse to the lowest rank of firefighter, CBS4 News has learned.
In a decision expected to be announced later Monday, the Miami-Dade Fire Department is expected to make a statement that it no longer feels comfortable with Beckmann in a supervisor position.
A judicial official says four firefighters in the French capital have been preliminarily charged with gang raping a colleague. Eight other firefighters received preliminary charges of aggravated violence.
The incident purportedly happened on a bus ride back from an athletic competition on May 6. A second firefighter has also alleged he was attacked.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing fire department policy, said Saturday that one of those charged remains in custody.
The official says the accused have claimed they were carrying out an initiation ritual common with new recruits and deny there was any sexual aggression.
Nicolas Cellupica, a lawyer for the two plaintiffs, has called for other firefighters who have suffered similar rituals to come forward.
As part of the alleged hazing incident, the young man was stripped and bitten, according to Le Parisien newspaper.
When he protested, several other young firemen pinned him down while one man sexually assaulted him. According to the claims, an officer was present but did not intervene.
Commentators say the affair threatens to damage the reputation of the Paris brigade, which has an 8,500-strong staff of men and women. Firefighting is one of France’s best-regarded professions and the Paris brigade is highly thought of.
This is early video from MrPaulaponte on YouTube from a three-alarm fire Saturday around 6:45 PM at 2070 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Fire was on the 5th floor in C wing of an E shaped building with extension to the 6th floor.
Let’s go back 59 years courtesy of the Austin Fire Museum. This film shows the men from old Fire Station 5 in East Austin. Besides giving us a view of station life in 1953, it also shows some of the first African American firefighters hired in Texas (see below). Stay beyond the closing credits of the film because there are a couple of outtakes.
Description of the film:
This film was created by Captain Victor Tiemann of Engine Company 5 at Old Fire Station 5 at 1005 Lydia St. in East Austin. In 1952 the City of Austin hired the first paid African American firefighters in Texas. They were initially stationed at Old Fire Station 5. Captain Tiemann had the crew demonstrate for the camera various activities in the day in the life of an Austin fire company in 1953. At the time of the filming the Austin Fire Department had a two platoon shift schedule and Captain Tiemann was in charge of the A-Shift. The driver was William (Bill) Walsh, and the firefighters of the crew were Willie Ray Davis, Marvin Douglas, and James Ritchardson.
The Austin Fire Department employed three black firefighters, the first blacks to be hired under Civil Service law in the state of Texas. The three were Willie Ray Davis, who retired as a Captain; Nathaniel H. Kindred, who died of a heart attack in 1977 while at a fire scene; and Roy D. Greene, who resigned.
On this page is raw video from four different angles of a multi-alarm fire Wednesday night at a townhouse complex under construction in Santa Clara, California that threatened occupied buildings.
From what I can tell the video above was taken on the A side of the burning buildings by a frightened neighbor before the arrival of firefighters. The second video appears to have been shot shortly after the arrival of the first engine company and shows the exposures on the B side. Video three is later in the operation and shows the view from the D side exposures. The final video is from outside the complex showing the C side and the ladder pipe operations.
Authorities on Thursday continued to investigate a raging five-alarm fire in Santa Clara that destroyed unfinished townhouses as residents chased out by the blaze were gradually allowed to return to their homes.
Randy Titus, a battalion chief for the Santa Clara Fire Department, said the fire destroyed two structures each with four units that were under construction. He estimated the fire caused $2.4 million in damage, not including damage to surrounding townhomes that were occupied.
No one was hurt in the blaze and 50 firefighters who responded were able to keep the flames from reaching nearby homes that were occupied, Chief Bill Kelly said.
But two three-story townhomes that were in the framing stages were a total loss.
“They had 100-foot flames on them,” Kelly said. “So, pretty good fire.”
The fire was first reported at 10:05 p.m. in the 1900 block of Hillebrant Place, Battalion Chief Mason Weirshauser said.
First responders found heavy fire, and firefighters immediately started a defensive operation to prevent the fire from spreading, Weirshauser said.
A total of four alarms arrived on the scene, and a fifth alarm was called to cover the rest of the city. The San Jose and the Santa Clara County fire departments provided mutual aid.
Charleston, South Carolina Mayor Joseph Riley has scheduled a news conference at 5:00 PM to announce his choice to replace Tom Carr as chief of the Charleston Fire Department. News reports have identified Riley’s pick as Karen Brack, Eugene Fire Department (OR) deputy chief of operations.
This is from the afternoon of Sunday, April 29 in the Brooklyn neighborhood known as DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). Video taken by neighbor Chris Frank. Thanks to Vito Maggiolo for alerting us to the video.
Residents reported that they felt their buildings shake.
Con Ed spokesman Chris Olert denied there was an explosion, however. He said a fire broke out in a piece of reactor equipment in the station, located on 89 John Street.
An FDNY spokesman tells us the fire was brought under control at 6:39 p.m., mostly using foam. A Con Ed spokesman confirms there were no injuries, and no customers were affected with outages as a result of the fire, which broke out around 5:15 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion, which the spokesman attributed to the sound of oil igniting. The cause remains under investigation.
It has taken at least five news articles over two weeks but finally someone is providing key information and asking important questions in connection with the comments about firefighters drinking made by a now former councilmember in the Borough of Hillsdale, New Jersey. Late yesterday two articles confirmed what many of us were reading between the lines, but couldn’t say for sure: the Hillsdale VFD has a bar (something the department says is not a secret); there is a policy for the bar’s use; the councilmember had a reason for making his remarks.
If you missed our story yesterday, Councilman Rod Capawana, who was also fire commissioner, resigned after making comments at a meeting last week during a report about the fire department that firefighters had been doing “a lot of training and a lot of drinking”. The leadership of the department and firefighters were outraged over Capawana’s remarks and had taken a no confidence vote against Capawana.
In a NorthJersey.com article by Pascack Valley Community Life’s Kimberly Redmond, we learn just how upset firefighters were. They showed up at Tuesday’s council meeting blasting Capawana. And they let other council members, including two firefighters and a firefighter’s wife, know how displeased they were that no one stood up to defend them. They also thought the report on the department should have included all of the work the firefighters had been doing.
Capawana was not at that meeting, but the same day had sent a letter to Chief Mark Durst explaining his May 1 comment:
He wrote, “While attending Fire Department meetings, I observed the consumption of alcoholic beverages. If an emergency call had come in during any of these times and something unforeseen occur, with alcohol being a factor, the liability to the town as well as any individual who knew drinking takes place at the Fire Department, would be considered gross negligence.”
The councilman wrote that he believes his statement was “honest and direct,” but admitted it was “perhaps insensitive to the feelings of the Fire Department.”
“[The firefighters] missed the point I was trying to make,” Capawana said, adding that there is a bar inside Hillsdale’s firehouse. “I raised the question of whether it is appropriate to drink at training sessions and regular meetings. I questioned that and I questioned the liability Hillsdale would face if firefighters responded to a call at that time.”
Deputy Chief Jason Durie said Wednesday that the fire department “does not allow drinking during training sessions or any public forum meetings.”
“It is used for special events and fundraisers and is kept locked at all times when not in use,” the statement read. “The Hillsdale Volunteer Fire Department remains committed to maintaining a professional working relationship with the mayor and council, including whoever is appointed to the newly vacated fire commissioner’s position.”
I think that it’s good the fire department made its policy clear. But after reading everything, I’m still left with the same thought I had yesterday. Is it really that outrageous the public or politicians are making firefighter booze comments when you have a bar inside the firehouse?
For the second time in less than a month we are telling you about a Florida firefighter who is under investigation for comments made on a personal Facebook page. In both cases the postings have offended members of the community.
The first incident involved Miami-Dade Capt. Brian Beckmann who was rather outspoken and labeled a racist by some for his comments about the Trayvon Martin case in mid-April (click here for initial story). A story on May 1 about a protest against Beckmann says the department is still contemplating whether to take any disciplinary action.
Now comes the story of Hialeah firefighter Eric Johnson who was interviewed by WSVN-TV and declared he is “absolutely not” a racist after some posts on his Facebook page attracted attention. Johnson told the reporter he is married to a Cuban and his best friend is African-American. Johnson is the vice-president of the Hialeah Association of Firefighters.
One of the posts in question is a photo of a man riding a scooter with a goat and the caption: “Only in Hialeah. LOL.” “Wasn’t that hilarious or what?” Johnson said when asked about the photo. “I don’t really necessarily see why people would be offended. It’s a picture. It’s in good humor. You have the option of coming on my page and looking at it or not.”
In another posting, Johnson wrote about how he communicates with the people of Hialeah. He says: “I have a system. Just add an ‘o’ to any English word and bam! It works. For example, how ya doin ‘o.’ You wanna go to the hospital ‘o.’ I just learned that you can’t do that when you say is this your home though. Ha Ha.”
Then there are Johnson’s postings about Medicare: “Ha Ha Ha… Jew forgot dat I hab da Medicare… Jew must talk me.”
Johnson also offered an explanation for that comment too. “This is a typical response we get in the city from a lot of people who have government benefits,” he said. “It’s almost like you owe them, you are there at their beck and call, at their service, and mind you, as a public servant, I am, I really am.”
There is an interesting story from the Borough of Hillsdale, New Jersey (Bergen County) where around noon today freshman Councilman Joseph “Rod” Capawana, who was also the borough fire commissioner, resigned over a comment he made during a council meeting last week. His comment on May 1 about the drinking habits of firefighters from the Hillsdale Volunteer Fire Department angered members of the department.
According to (Mayor Max) Arnowitz, during Capawana’s monthly fire department report, the councilman remarked, “They’re [firefighters] doing a lot of training and a lot of drinking” at the firehouse.”
Jerry Demarco’s article in the Cliffview Pilot last Wednesday had the same quote (recorded from the council TV broadcast) and talked to firefighters who made it clear that this was not over:
“Out of thousands or man hours we put in, that’s what they say about us?” one firefighter told CLIFFVIEW PILOT Wednesday morning.
“We depend on donations from the public,” he said, “and the public is being told by its fire commissioner [Capawana] that we’re drunks?”
I am dissapointed in both reporters, because while they talked to ranking officials of the department, they never told their readers anything about the Hillsdale VFD’s alcohol policy. Seems like an obvious question after the topic is brought up by the councilmember who is the liasison to the fire department. Also, wouldn’t the fire department want to make that crystal clear so there is no future misunderstanding?
In the coverage from both papers it does give the impression that alcohol is allowed. More from NorthJersey.com:
Arnowitz said he is unsure of what prompted Capawana, the council liaison to the fire department, to make the remark, but pointed out that the councilman’s comment was preceded by a discussion on a Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) training session on “civility, harassment and liability” for all borough personnel, including the mayor and council.
“When it came up, I said ‘Let’s have it in the Borough Hall instead of across the street [at the firehouse] where there’s alcohol’,” Arnowitz recalled.
Does that mean there’s alcohol for events in the social hall or is this a firehouse with a bar for its members?
The other question I have is if you allow alcohol at the firehouse, can you really be that upset about the impression or misimpression it leaves on political leaders and the public?
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