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Public pressure forces removal of beer at Colorado firehouse. Former firefighter tells reporter ‘people have showed up visibly impaired’ at fires.

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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 New Jersey, the fire department prevailed after a city councilman/fire commissioner expressed concerns in a public meeting about the liability of firefighters drinking. The bar remains and the councilman is gone.

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.”

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Posted by dave statter on May 16, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, News, Social Media, Reputation Management, News Media, Videos • Tagged: alcohol, alcohol in firehouse, alcohol policy, beer in firehouse, beer kegs, beer kegs in firehouse, Borough of Hillsdale, Brian Maass, Capawana, Chief Jeff Gallegos, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, Dean Jarrett, drinking, drunk, EMS, EMT, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighters drinking, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, Greg Brophy, Hillsdale, Hillsdale fire, Hillsdale VFD, Hillsdale VOlunteer fire department, image, Jeff Gallegos, Joseph "Rod" Capawana, KCNC-TV, kegs, Mark Durst, Max Arnowitz, mayor, New Jersey, paramedic, policy, professional cranks, reputation management, sellfiretrucks.com, state senator, STATter911.com, Sue Jarrett, volunteer firefighter, Wauneta Volunteer Fire Department

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.

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From Hillsdale VFD website.

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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.”

In a second NorthJersey.com article, this one by Chris Harris of The Record, the former councilman said his remarks were misunderstood and that he respects the firefighters as heroes who go into burning buildings. This is the article that finally mentions the bar and the drinking policy:

“[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?

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Posted by dave statter on May 10, 2012 • Filed under: Administration & Leadership, Command & Leadership, EMS Topics, fire, Fire Rescue Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health, News, Social Media, Reputation Management, News Media • Tagged: alcohol, alcohol in firehouse, Borough of Hillsdale, Capawana, Command Fire Apparatus, Dave Statter, drinking, drunk, EMS, EMT, fire, Fire Truck Blog, firefighter, firefighting, Fires, FireTruckBlog.com, Glenn Usdin, Hillsdale, Hillsdale fire, Hillsdale VFD, Hillsdale VOlunteer fire department, image, Joseph "Rod" Capawana, Mark Durst, Max Arnowitz, mayor, New Jersey, paramedic, policy, reputation management, sellfiretrucks.com, STATter911.com, volunteer firefighters

Hillsdale, NJ councilmember resigns after saying firefighters ‘do a lot of drinking’. News coverage doesn’t say anything about firehouse alcohol policy.

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From Hillsdale VFD website.

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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.

From Kimberly Redmond at NorthJersey.com:

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?

Is that a fair question or do I just not get it?