NB firefighters dispute chief, mayor on North End fire
The union released a statement Thursday stating that the city's blackout policy does, in fact, impact the effectiveness of the fire department's response and puts firefighters into hazardous situations.
One of the two vehicles at the closest fire station, Engine 8, was blacked out at the time of the
The city's blackout policy leaves one fire department vehicle unstaffed for a shift on a rotating schedule in order to save money.
Firefighters have bemoaned the policy for years, but discussion about it has been renewed following the fatal fire on
The union's statement, signed by Local 841 President
The statement specifically referenced the mayor's comments to
The statement from the union assumes that that parameters Mitchell was referring to were the National Fire Protection Association Guidelines, which recommends 15 firefighters within 8 minutes and the first engine within 4 minutes, but the statement says that guideline refers to a two-story single-family home with no basement and no exposures.
"[
The Standard-Times reached out to the mayor's office and Fire Chief
In his previous statement Coderre said, "Based on a review of radio traffic among responding units, it was determined that units responded in under 6 minutes, consistent with the national standard for fire response time according to the
The union's statement also included what it said was a "more accurate and complete" description of firefighters efforts at the
Coderre said Lt.
The statement from the union expanded on that to include that "flashover" had occurred by the time firefighters arrived at the scene, which means exposed surfaces reached their ignition temperature and the fire spread rapidly, and Cormier and Mount forced entry without the protection of a charged line.
A charged line is a hose that is filled with water and pressurized, typically carried by engines.
Cormier and Mount were able to find Barboza under heavy fire and smoke conditions, according to the statement, and "pass her off to members of Engine 7 who had arrived some time after Ladder 4. Lt. Cormier and Firefighter Mount then used Engine 7's hoseline to attack the fire, protecting
The statement calls searching without the protection of a charged line "one of the most hazardous that any firefighter can attempt" and said "it can increase the time it takes to find victims," though it did not in this case.
Carriero also included a recommendation from the
According to the union's statement,"While is it perhaps technically accurate to state that 'black outs' haven't affected responsiveness, it is clear that black outs affect the effectiveness of that response as well as the danger that firefighters face during that response."
The statement closes by saying that the mayor's comments indicate he wants a fire department with fewer fire stations and firefighters. It then calls for all facts to be presented to the public honestly and in proper context as the public debate about what type of fire department the citizens of
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