Newark firefighters union blasts 'neglect' by city in wake of two deaths

NEWARK — Firefighters union officials were blunt at a Tuesday press conference.

"We want to shine a light on the neglect that the [Newark Fire Department] has endured under [the city's] administration," Newark Firefighters Union President Michael Giunta said

Giunta was was joined by Anthony Tarantino, president of the Newark Fire Officers Union, and Edward Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, among other members of the city's firefighter union. The trio said the neglect is a combination of understaffing, regular apparatus failures and inadequate training, and they laid it at the feet of the city's administration.

The press conference was held six days after the giant cargo ship fire at Port Newark that killed two city firefighters, Augusto "Augie" Acabou and Wayne "Bear" Brooks Jr. The 12-story Italian ship was set to transport thousands of used cars to West Africa, authorities said.

"We think the legacy of Augie's and Bear's sacrifice should be a safer fire department," Giunta said.

Mayor Ras Baraka refuted many of the claims made at the Tuesday press conference.

"Statements issued to the media at a time when our fallen heroes have yet to be honored by funeral services, are unconscionable, divisive, and only add insult to the injury that the families and our city is already experiencing," Baraka said in a statement.

The staffing issue was first mentioned Tuesday, with the Newark Fire Department down to around under 400 firefighters. A statement issued by Baraka and Public Safety Director Fitz Frage‘ said there are 435 firefighters currently.

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Giunta said he had spoken with President Joe Biden multiple times since the fire, as well as Gov. Phil Murphy, who called him the day after the fire.

"President Biden has called me three times," Giunta said. "And he talked about ... that the only thing that saves firefighters are more firefighters. That's what we're asking for."

The pandemic has increased the difficulty of adding new firefighters. Giunta estimates that the process to recruit, train and enlist new firefighters takes more than a year. But he mentioned that there is currently an active list of recruits and has asked Chief Rufus Jackson to certify them as firefighters.

"As soon as this class is done, put as many in as you can right away," Giunta said. "We will assist with that, however we have have to."

Frage‘ said he was disappointed by the Tuesday remarks at the press conference.

"I wholeheartedly question the timing of derogatory statements being made, which only detract from the healing process that the families and colleagues of our fallen heroes are working to embrace," he said.

Tarantino, a captain who has been with the department for more than 34 years, said the ideal number for every firehouse is one captain and five or six firefighters. He said that number is currently one or two firefighters for most of the department.

The issues aren't limited to staffing shortages, which have led to the closures of multiple firehouses. On the night of the Port Newark fire, the city's fireboat wouldn't start. Union officials also highlighted old equipment, including trucks older than some of the firefighters. The average age of the department's apparatus is 24, and some of its firehouses are over a century old.

Related: Newark firefighters killed in cargo ship fire remembered for dedication, selflessness

In addition, Tarantino, who asked the city for a complete training overhaul months ago, said the department has not trained at the port in his entire tenure with the Fire Department. He contrasted that with Bayonne, which has a standard operating procedure for ship fires.

"The city of Bayonne, a smaller city, has a [procedure] that they have published for their entire fire department," Tarantino said. "Where is ours?"

Kelly, an active Boston firefighter, implored Newark officials to work with the union, saying all firefighters want to do is protect the city's residents in "a safer manner."

Giunta and the other union officials were reluctant to place blame on anyone, instead wanting to work together with Mayor Ras Baraka and Jackson, the chief. But they also stressed urgency, with Kelly saying there might have been a different outcome at Port Newark had there been a joint safety audit even a year ago.

The union officials also refrained from commenting on other matters, including equipment used on the ship and whether firefighters should have been sent onto the ship when no one was onboard and in need of rescue. However, regarding the latter point, Giunta said that at the time firefighters responded to the blaze on the ship, they didn't know whether anyone was on board.

Another issue that the Newark Fire Department faced last Wednesday night was the fact that firefighters did not know what was on board the ship before responding and did not have immediate access to the manifest. Kelly said similar situations could be avoided if a fire chief-level official is aware of what is coming into the port and thus able to prepare for any emergencies.

Though Port Newark is technically under the jurisdiction of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Newark firefighters are called for large fires at the docks. The Port Authority has a small fire unit but doesn't have the capability to fight bigger blazes. But even though Newark does not oversee the port, Tarantino said, the city should not shirk the responsibility of making sure its department is capable of responding to port fires.

"We'd still be called if there was a fire," Tarantino said, when asked if the Port Authority should have its own fire response.

Tarantino added that the Newark Fire Department used to have a fire station at the port but that it closed over 30 years ago.

An investigation into the fatal Port Newark fire is ongoing, with many questions still in need of answers. But Kelly said it was already clear that the department is in serious need of improvements.

"We don't need the Coast Guard, the ATF or [the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health] to conduct a 12- to 24-month investigation to see that the Newark Fire Department is being neglected," he said. "It is well below standard, and it is dangerous for the citizens and the firefighters. We need a change. That's the message."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Newark NJ Firefighters Union calls out city after fire deaths