NJ DC Arrested for not moving truck

[Jason762 2]

New Jersey Firefighters, Troopers Butt Heads

Deputy Fire Chief Arrested for Not Moving Truck

ROCKYAWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J.-- A deputy fire chief from New Jersey ended up in handcuffs in what boiled down to a power struggle between Rockaway Township's Volunteer Fire Department and state police the night of Nov. 26.

At approximately 8:44 p.m., police received a call of a single vehicle rollover on Route 80, according to New Jersey State Police spokesman Capt. Al Della Fave. He said that as soon as troopers arrived, people inside of the wrecked Nissan Maxima were out and there were no apparent injuries besides a passenger who complained of back pains.

When an ambulance was called from Rockaway Township, Fave says things started to get out of hand. The department sent the ambulance along with two fire trucks. As the department arrived on the scene the right-hand lane was blocked off to protect the emergency workers.

The trooper on the scene, however, ordered the truck to be moved. Rockaway's Fire Chief Joe Mason described what would follow as "a screaming match."

"It's pretty black and white, there's not much of a grey area," he said. "What's important is the safety of our department. Police felt that was not acceptable."

When 53-year-old Deputy Chief Robert Jenkins refused to relocate the truck, he was arrested and charged with disobeying a state trooper and disorderly conduct. He is due back in court Nov. 30.

The truck's driver, Firefighter David Bell, also was charged with disobeying a state trooper.

"There was no extraction necessary and no fire involved. We asked them to move and they didn't comply." Della Fave said. "We never called for fire apparatus; we only called for first-aid,"

Rockaway's Fire Chief Joe Mason said the firefighters were just following protocol. "We run our own fire department ambulances," he said. "When it's a call for a rollover, when send a heavy rescue and an engine. That's something that's not going to change if they call tomorrow."

According to Della Fave, since Route 80 is a state highway, the troopers had jurisdiction of the accident scene. The New Jersey Department of Transportation deferred comment to the state police.

Mason believes that it was a matter of the safety of his firefighters. "It's one of those things where we need a written protocol that (states) if a fire department is called, a lane is allowed to be closed off. When someone gets hit, it's too late."

Della Fave pointed out that the speed of the traffic on the road -- reaching up to speeds of 70 mph -- and a lack of visibility supported the trooper's decision. He said no flares or cones were used to mark the scene. He also noted that the accident scene was close to 30 feet off of the road and that drivers would not have noticed the accident if it weren't for the fire department.

Despite the state police's stance, Mason said his department won't back down from Jenkins' charges. "Naturally we feel that they are not justified, but we will deal with it," he said. "It is just like two kids in a sandbox; they have their side of it and we have ours."

One thing both sides agreed on was how unusual the situation was.

"This is the first time that it's come up; it was a unique situation for all of us," Mason said. "We work with them all the time."

Della Fave, who has been a spokesperson with the department for 13 years, said it is the first time he has seen anything like this. He said following the incident that State Police Lt. Kenneth Villano spoke with Mason about the incident.

"Those two individuals are committed to talking in the future to make sure something like this won't happen again," Della Fave said.

While Mason said it might be premature to set up a meeting with the state police, he does believe an open dialogue will help improve interaction in the future.

"I think a little better communication between the police and the fire department would help," he said. "We are looking forward to working in the future with the New Jersey State Police. We have had a good rapport and hope this was an isolated incident."

It's a shame to see these kind of problems. I worked with this DC at my old job as a DOD firefighter. Good guy and obviously he will stand up for his guys. We've had similar situations up here on I-95 but luckily no one was ever put in cuffs...

[JM15 386]

this was posted the other day but I can't find it right now

[Guest WolfEMT]

It was locked and it was locked for a reason.

Truck 4, please re-lock.

[khas143 13]

It was locked and it was locked for a reason.

Truck 4, please re-lock.

←

Just curious but why was it locked... and why is it going to be re-locked?

Edited December 1, 2006 by khas143

[Remember585 815]

We can't discuss this?! I think we should!!!!

[gpdexplorer 46]

It's in the Training and Safety Forum.

[IzzyEng4 427]

I think it was locked because the way the discussion was going and it was going towards the negative, not towards the constructive.

Edited December 1, 2006 by IzzyEng4

[res6cue 67]

Truck4 closed the original thread and gave his reason for doing so.

http://emtbravo.net/index.php?showtopic=14901

With that, I'm closing this one as well. Nothing personal!