officials gather at Woodbridge station house
Federal, state, local
officials gather at Woodbridge station house
BY COLLEEN LUTOLF
Staff Writer
JERRY WOLKOWITZ staff Firefighters and their families from the Woodbridge and Edison fire departments hold signs encouraging the Department of Homeland Security to restore grant funding for local fire companies at the Port Reading Fire Company in Woodbridge on Sunday.
Firefighters and first responders from several towns converged on the Port Reading Fire House in Woodbridge on Sunday to protest proposed federal budget cuts to programs, which aid fire departments.
About 50 firefighters, first responders and fire officials from Edison, Carteret, South Amboy, Perth Amboy and Woodbridge’s nine districts joined Rep. Robert Menendez (D-13), state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-19), state Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-19), Mayor Frank Pelzman and several council members in a firefighter’s rally that called upon the Bush Administration to re-instate hundreds of millions in funds slashed from the First Responder and Assistance to Firefighters Grant programs and demand funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Resources (SAFER ) Act.
Republican Councilman Vincent Martino, a 45-year firefighter and official with the Port Reading Fire Department attended the rally.
He said party affiliation is inconsequential when it comes to fire service.
"Anytime when it comes to fire service, it should be bipartisan," he said at the rally.
"A fire doesn’t know when something burns if it’s owned by a Republican or a Democrat," Carl Christensen, fire commissioner of Woodbridge Fire District 9 in Iselin, said.
Councilman Charles Kenny, a captain at Woodbridge Fire Department District 1 said fire departments respond to more complex and dangerous situations than they did in the past.
"They should provide firefighters with the funding they need," he said. "It used to be firefighters were just a water and hose unit. It’s gotten…deeper than that."
Modern technology allows easier access to communication for firefighters. Kenny said faster communication leads to a quicker response.
At the rally, Congressman Menendez cited the council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force report, "America Still Unprepared, Still in Danger," which states that if a "catastrophic terrorist attack" occurred today, emergency first responders are no better prepared now than they were before 9/11.
"This is about saving lives, not money. And ultimately about the security of the United States," Menendez said.
Menendez said the federal budget cuts the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program administered by the department of Homeland Security, from $750 million to $500 million, or 33 percent.
Menendez said this program provides funds for the basic, unmet needs of fire departments.
He said throughout the country, 45 percent of firefighters lack standard portable radios, 57,000 firefighters lack critical personal protective clothing and over 10,000 fire engines are at least 30 years old.
At the Port Reading Fire House, two fire trucks stood in their hangars with signs on their grills stating their ages. One was 23 years old and other almost 30.
"After 20 years if you don’t replace equipment, you lose your fire rating," Martino said.
The SAFER Act will receive no federal funding, Menendez said.
He said two-thirds of all fire departments in the United States operate with inadequate staffing.
"In communities of at least 500,000, 38 percent of fire fighters are regularly part of a response that is not sufficient to safely initiate an interior attack on a structure fire because of a lack of staffing," he said.
He said the Bush Administration has provided a lot of tough talk on providing funds to first responders, but that it has issued a soft response by making these budget cuts.
"New Jersey is a target-rich state," he said. "We have a world class seaport in Elizabeth and a world class airport in Newark. New Jersey cannot afford to have another year to not have funding to meet the challenge," Menendez said.
Pelzman called the grant decrease a "big mistake."
"We have to get the message out that these cuts have to be restored," he said.
Edison Fire Chief G. Robert Campbell said Edison, a municipal fire company, received $100,000 in fire grants in 2002.
"We received $100,000 to buy masks and an accountability system," he said.
He said he doesn’t want go to his Town Council asking for money.
"This was the first time funding was available for departments across the nation," Campbell said at the rally. "The first people on the scene are the firefighters. That money should be ours for safety equipment.
"The first responders need to be able to go home at the end of the day to their wives and children. We need more money and we need it now," he said.
The Port Reading rally was one of many protests held throughout the state and throughout the country, fire officials said. Last week, firefighter rallies were also held in Jamesburg and Nutley.