Charles Dipierro, of Monroe
I would like to clarify the comments made by Chairman Douglas Martin of Monroe Township Fire District 3 in the letter to the editor in the Feb. 18 issue.
I attended the fire company’s Feb. 8 meeting, and I asked why Chief Gasiorowski or the Board of Fire Commissioners didn’t report the new firetruck incident to the public.
On Feb. 3, I was driving by the Monroe Township High School and noticed our new firetruck was on fire. I was very disappointed to see our truck on fire, and I asked what happened.
The chief said, “While the guys were out shoveling fire hydrants the truck caught on fire.”
I asked why are firemen shoveling fire hydrants when Monroe Township has an ordinance for removal of snow from sidewalks and fire hydrants?
As a lifetime resident and commissioner of Fire District 1, I agree about the statement made by Chief Gasiorowski about proactive fire safety, however, this is not the case here. First of all, Commissioner Martin and the board should be aware of ordinance 105-29 for the clearing of the sidewalks and fire hydrants before they spend taxpayers’ money and increase liabilities.
Ordinance 105-29 clearly states all fire hydrants and sidewalks are to be cleaned: “Occupants or tenant or tenants of premises abutting or bordering upon any street in the Township of Monroe shall remove all snow and ice from the abutting sidewalks of such streets and from any fire hydrant located on the property.”
I feel that this elected official clearly doesn’t understand or know of this ordinance and should get his facts straight about the regulations and laws in Monroe Township and follow them.
I have never seen any fire company in Monroe Township shoveling fire hydrants.
I also asked the board how many firefighters do they have on duty per shift. Commissioner Martin said, “We have eight men on a shift.”
As the chief and Commissioner Martin state in the article, They use crews, which are on duty and not on a fire call.
What happens if they have a fire call during the shoveling? Will they have the proper equipment and manpower to attend the fire call?
In addition, Commissioner Martin states, “Clearing the fire hydrants of deep snow covering during the day adds no cost to the residents.”
Then why did this district have over $140,000 in overtime last year?
Commissioner Martin accuses me and District 1 fire company of not having the manpower to do so. Again this is misinformation to the public about me and District 1.
Monroe Township Fire District 1 has plenty of manpower, and they do their job for the entire town 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Fire District 1 and commissioners are very proud, and we have always worked hard for making Monroe Township a safe and affordable community.
