Dissecting the Upcoming Fire District Elections

"Give me chastity and continence, but not yet." – Saint Augustine

After Aberdeen’s town council rejected the school district’s proposed 1% tax increase to defend the taxpayer, the council enacted an 11.4% tax increase and raised sewer fees. Now their flacks in Fire District #1 appear to be playing the same shenanigans for this Saturday’s elections.

Quick quiz – Who are the candidates for the fire district commissioners? If you’re among the 99% of residents not directly involved in FD #1 on Lloyd Road, chances are you don’t know. Nor would you be able to find out. No sample ballots. No public notices. No listing on the township website. Heck, you probably didn’t even know there was an election this Saturday at the firehouse from 2-9PM.

Well, to end the suspense, the candidates are Michael Ash (independent), and Vincent Vinci’s pals, Jimmy Lauro and Paul Percussi.

I’m saddened to see Jim Vena dragooned by the geezers to serve a two-year term. I’ve known Vena for years. He’s been living in Aberdeen since the days Lloyd Road was a dirt path. As the local plumber, he has a well-deserved reputation for ethics and competence. It’s too bad he’s putting his name at risk of being dragged behind Jimmy Lauro into the rat hole.

How do I know who’s running? Because I got a copy of the marching orders they’ve been handing out at the firehouse. Notice they don’t even tell the men what they’re voting for, just to vote yes.

The proposed budget is a showcase of gimmickry. They’re cutting taxes by 11% while increasing operating expenses by 3%. How, you ask? By raiding the reserves. Normally, the fire district levies taxes to fund reserves and purchase protective equipment. This year, they’re doing the exact opposite, draining reserve funds meant for fire trucks to buy personnel equipment.

Then again, maybe they’re just being proactive – using their reserves before the town council seizes the “excess funds” like happened to the library.

The big driver for higher spending is the 17% increase in fringe benefits, the second largest budget expense following salaries. Whatever fringe benefits covers, at nearly $100,000 and almost a fifth of the tax levy, it’s obviously not “fringe”.

Another 5% of taxes goes to cover the fire commissioners’ salaries. Add another 3% for the part-time district chief and you begin to wonder how much of the tax levy actually goes towards fighting fires.

Given the traditionally low turnout, a hundred votes could change the election outcome. Let’s see if this year is like all other years. I hope not. >>> Read more!

Letter to the Fire Commissioners

December 20, 2010

Deputy Chief James Polanco
Aberdeen Township Hose and Chemical Company #1
490 Lloyd Road
Aberdeen, NJ 07747
Board of Fire Commissioners
Fire District #1
490 Lloyd Road
Aberdeen, NJ 07747

Gentlemen,

At the Fire Company meeting held on March 9, 2010 charges were brought against the District Chief Louis Auriemma by the undersigned. At that Fire Company meeting the Board of Fire Commissioner’s lawyer, Allen Falk, explained that at the time of the incident(s) the District Chief has a supervisory role over the Fire Company Officers. That statement placed this issue officially within the purview of this Board as his employer. Any complaints, grievances, and charges against the District Chief must be dealt with by this Board of Fire Commissioners.

In meetings held with the Fire Company Officers an agreement was made with the Board of Fire Commissioners, that this matter should be handled internally. In return for this agreement the original letter detailing the charges to be brought against the Fire District Chief was withdrawn so it would not be read, and made a part of the public record. In return the Board of Fire Commissioners agreed to a number of stipulations that they would deliver as part of that agreement. First, the Board would provide a copy of the contract that is maintained with the Aberdeen Hose and Chemical Company #1 detailing the terms under which the Fire Company operates for the Fire District. Second, a clear detailing of the “Chain of Command” would be outlined for both on and off fire scene detailing the roles and responsibilities with particular emphasis on the District Chief position. Third, a clearly defined job description for the District Chief would be spelled out in writing so it will be known by all what his actual job function is, and the scope of his employment would be defined. Fourth, the Board of Fire Commissioners would assign one of its members as the Manager to oversee the District Chief directly, and act as an escalation point for any complaint or grievance. Lastly, a clearly detailed schedule and policy statement be made to state exactly when the District Chief was “on duty”, and when he is just a Fire Company member so the rest of the membership of the Fire Company would know when he is acting in his official capacity, and when not. To this date only one of these stipulations has been received. I’ve been told that there is a “Manager” for the District Chief, but there has not been any official communication on this subject to the Fire Company Officers, to my knowledge. Therefore, due to the lack of action on the part of this Board, I feel it is time to officially reinstate the following charges:
1. Failure to adhere to the Fire District SOP’s.
2. Assaulting a Fire Company Officer.
3. Threatening a Fire Company Officer.
4. Harassment of Firefighters Name withheld, and Name withheld.

In that, on February 20, 2010, at the vehicle fire at VEI Limousine the District Chief fought the fire, without any protective gear, and was present in the “hot zone” actively fighting the fire well after fully equipped firefighters arrived at the scene. He ignored warnings by the Deputy Chief to leave the danger area. During his action on the scene he sustained an injury to his right hand. After having a meeting with the Fire Company Chief about this matter, Louis Auriemma repeated this disregard for the Fire District SOP’s at the basement fire on Atlantic Avenue. He admitted to the membership that he went inside the house before the first attack line entered the building. He was in street clothes, and unprotected the entire time.

After the VEI fire was out, the District Chief was complaining loudly that the other firefighters were improperly trained because they had hit him with a straight stream from the opposite side of the vehicle. He yelled, while pointing his finger at me, and said, “You are not training these men properly”. He was very loud. I asked him to stop, and we would discuss it back at the Fire House. I was ignored. He then began shouting the question, “Who was on the other hose line?” Name withheld said he was in that team. At that point, the District Chief began to shout at Name withheld without regard to whether Name withheld had been manning the nozzle or not. When I told Name withheld that we would discuss this back at the Fire House, he turned away and went to Truck 498. The District Chief had to be reminded three more times that the scene was the wrong place for this discussion. As I repeated this request he continued yelling while Name withheld walked toward Truck 498. During this rant by District Chief Louis Auriemma directed at Name withheld his language was abusive, derogatory, insulting, and unnecessary.

Further, on February 23, 2010 during a fire call that was hit out while the Fire Company was performing Truck Cleaning, I directed the group of firefighters that stayed behind to clean the bay for Truck 497. As the group was finishing up Name withheld was using a squeegee. The District Chief began to verbally harass Name withheld, making derogatory comments about his technique. At one point Name withheld stopped his work, and walked from the bay handing his squeegee to Mike Romano. As Name withheld reached the Radio Room area he said that no one should be treated like that. Upon hearing Name withheld’s remark the District Chief started shouting at Name withheld, and as he began to advance toward Name withheld said, “If you don’t like the way things are done around here there’s the door”. As Deputy Chief it is my duty as an Officer to intercede in any altercation between Fire Company members to calm the situation, and then allow for a controlled and orderly discussion of the disagreement. I stepped in front of the District Chief, and asked him to stop. Instead he raised his hands, and hit me in the chest, at the same time violently shoving me back in an attempt to force his way past me. I regained my balance, and again stood in his path repeating the request for him to stop and let it go. The District Chief again hit me in the chest shoving me back harder. As I again recovered, and stood in his path I repeated the request to stop and let it go. I was once again violently shoved by Louis Auriemma, and he made his way past me. This entire sequence of events was witnessed by members of this Board, and if Paul Percussi hadn’t held my arm I would have fallen down. The District Chief continued advancing toward Name withheld. He continued his rant using abusive language directed at Name withheld. Later, while I was in the Radio Room, the District Chief approached me, and attempted to start an argument with me over the incident with Name withheld. I told him that he shouldn’t talk to me right then, and he shouted at me that he wasn’t afraid of me. I answered that I wasn’t trying to scare him just stop him. At that time he said, “You better not get in my way again or you’ll see what happens”. Obviously the District Chief exhibits no respect for my position, and is predicting that he will act in a worse manner in the future. In light of his actions I am charging the District Chief Louis Auriemma with Assaulting an Officer, Threatening an Officer, and Harassment of Fire Company members Name withheld, and Name withheld.

It is unfortunate that these charges need to be filed, but I can no longer allow this type of harassing behavior to be handled “behind the scenes” as has always happened in the past. These incidents are just the most recent examples of a pattern of behavior by District Chief Louis Auriemma. He has continually shown utter disregard for the Chain of Command. This is not the first time that it has been brought to this Board’s attention. The Fire Company Officers sent a letter to this Board pointing out this situation, and it appears to have had little or no effect. The Board of Fire Commissioners failed to act then to prevent the current situation from happening. Additionally, this is not the first time a member, or members, of the Fire Company have quit due to the harassment they received from the District Chief or witnessed him impose on others. As a reminder, this incident caused the resignation of three Officers, including the Fire Company Chief. This behavior by the District Chief has prevented good men from considering advancement to become Fire Company Officers, and caused others to discontinue their involvement with the Fire Company. No one wants to be subjected to the District Chief’s wrath because Officers get it the worst. Becoming an Officer in this Fire Company is perceived by the members as painting a “Bulls-eye” on your back. A fact that was pointed out in the aforementioned letter sent to this Board on November 2, 2007 (attached). The Officers who signed that letter had every hope that this Board would act for the betterment of the Fire Service, and it did nothing. I will remind this Board that in the recent election only two Officers are in place for the coming year. The current Chief and Captain are all that are in place. The positions of Deputy Chief and all three Lieutenant positions remain unfilled.

District Chief Louis Auriemma has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a danger to himself, and other firefighters. He does not adhere to the safety standards both the Board of Fire Commissioner’s and the Fire Company have set. He has also undermined the confidence and respect that the firefighters should have in their Officers because he is out of control. The Officers can do nothing about it, and this Board has been unwilling to support them in this regard. The District Chief can, and will, erupt at a moment’s notice on anyone, and is incapable of restraining himself. It’s as if the rules do not apply to him. He has also blatantly lied about these incidents to the Fire Company, of which you are members. More than one of you knows that for a fact because you witnessed the entire incident, are aware of the lies he told, and are unwilling to call him on it.

This pattern of behavior, exhibited by Louis Auriemma, is such that after being cautioned he will abide by the recommendations for a period of time. After which, he will gradually revert to his previous pattern. This cycle cannot be tolerated any longer because there seems to be no limit to the extent of his transgressions. Louis Auriemma, by his actions, has demonstrated over a long period of time that he should not be in a position of authority, or have a supervisory role, of any kind, in Fire Company Operations.

I request that an official investigation be conducted immediately, because an offense such as this carried out against a public official in the performance of his duties, and such offense was committed to prevent said official from performing his duty, is a Felony. I believe such an offense was committed against me by District Chief Louis Auriemma. Since the District Chief has not taken responsibility for his actions, and has lied about the incident, an official investigation has become mandatory. I also recommend, to avoid the appearance of impropriety, that while the investigation is underway that Louis Auriemma be suspended without pay, and all District Equipment be confiscated pending the outcome, and official publication of same. A failure to act now, by this Board, will seriously compromise the ability of the Fire District to provide Fire Protection Services to this community, and expose the Fire District, and the Board of Fire Commissioners to Civil Liabilities.
Sincerely,

James Polanco
Deputy Chief
Aberdeen Township Hose & Chemical Company #1

Cc:
Chris Christie, Governor
Paula T. Dow, State Attorney General
Fred Tagliarini, Mayor
Aberdeen Township Council
Joseph Criscuolo, Town Manager
John T. Powers, Chief of Police
>>> Read more!

Looking Ahead

Three years ago, Aberdeener.com was launched at a moment everything started to change. The Great Recession was getting underway and the nation was about to take a dramatic turn to the left, electing the most liberal president in history and awarding super-majorities to the Democrats in both houses of congress.

Locally, Dr. Gambino’s election to the school board shifted the balance of power and a new administration under Dr. O’Malley directed the district toward achieving objective goals.

On the flip side, the popular town manager, Stuart Brown, was summarily terminated after waging an internal battle against corruption and waste. The teachers union was picketing at school board members’ homes for higher wages. And Aberdeen and Matawan were among the top five highest taxed municipalities in Monmouth County.

Over the next three years, the Tea Party was born, Governor Christie was elected, and the country has shifted back to center-right. On the school board, only one of six Aberdeen representatives has served more than one term. In the township, a majority of the council seats turned over although every seat stayed within the local Democratic Party.

So, what will the next three years bring?

Higher Taxes
Nobody living in Aberdeen would expect otherwise. Over the past three years, municipal taxes have increased roughly 30%. The township’s “secret plan” is to offset spending increases with new development through PILOT programs. PILOT stands for “payments in lieu of taxes”.

Property taxes have to be apportioned to each tax collecting body, i.e. school, county, fire, etc. The township’s meager 17% share of property taxes from new development wouldn’t be enough to offset new spending, meaning municipal property taxes would keep rocketing upward despite the added revenue from new development. However, PILOT payments aren’t taxes so the township gets to keep the lion’s share and technically hold down taxes while allowing spending to soar.

No such luck by the school district. The township favors residential development over commercial development because developers prefer residential. Unfortunately for taxpayers, any development that attracts children is a net loss. At over $15,000 per student, any unit with a child will cost the town more than it can recoup through taxes. Furthermore, children from low-income families, on average, require more services and, therefore, cost more. COAH housing could be especially costly to the school district.

Meanwhile, the school district has never developed any significant revenue streams aside from taxes and state funding. There’s some hope of developing an autism program to attract out-of-district students but, until that happens, the focus is cutting costs. The district has already begun outsourcing – cafeteria, substitutes, custodians – and there’s more to go – transportation, secretarial, aides, guidance counselors, child study teams, etc. Classes can be cut, class sizes can increase, and more extra curricular can be eliminated. However, at some point the cutting will stop.

Meanwhile, contractual and statutory increases are on the march. Last year, prior to the budget cuts, the district projected a $3.5 million increases from salary, pension, health, and special education. The average teachers union officer saw his salary increase about 25% over the prior three years.

Some day, in the not too distant future, those annual increases will overwhelm any cost cutting measures.

It doesn’t have to go this way but we all know it will. Governor Christie’s 2% cap should help but don’t discount those wily politicians and public administrators who will use every trick in the book to take your money.

Self-Serving Politicos
The school district has a $60 million budget and the board members are paid zilch. Fire District #1 has a budget equal to 1% of the school district, yet each fire commissioner earns $5,460. As a percentage of the total budget, the fire district spends more money on each fire commissioner than the school district spends on the combined salary and benefits of the district superintendent, deputy superintendent, and business administrator.

Two of those five commissioners, Vinci and Lauro, also earn salaries from the town council as well as their state pensions from years of public service to the township. Add all that to the free land given to Vinci and the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to divert highway workers from driving in front of his house, and it’s still not enough to satisfy their senses of entitlement. In 2009, the fire commissioners voted themselves a 36.5% raise.

Ultimately, the townsfolk don’t care. Both Vinci and Lauro would likely cruise to reelection. This past year, the town elected a board member who testified against the school district in a labor dispute, played racial politics, and acknowledged voting to pay herself for working as a poll worker during a school board election.

And, at some point, Barza will regain control of the school board and appoint administrators to their liking. It won’t happen soon but it will happen. That’s because the largest pools of candidates for local elective office are the PTO’s and the sports leagues. Most of the current school board members come from neither.

School board elections are usually a luck of the draw. Placement on the ballot is determined by pulling candidates’ names from a hat (literally) and the candidates at the top of the ticket nearly always win. Whichever group fields the most candidates over time will ultimately control the board and Barza is in an excellent position to do just that.

That’s why Aberdeen has rejected every property tax increase at the ballot box for nearly a decade but still sees property taxes increase every year – either the people a) don’t think it matters who they elect b) don’t know who they’re electing or c) don’t know what their representatives are doing once elected.

While on the school board, I strongly opposed any tax increase. Had there been two other members of the nine-member board who shared my opposition, school taxes would not have risen this year.

Education Advances Slowly
The first thing that people will notice and quickly forget is that the draconian cuts didn’t undermine the students’ education.

Next, as students from the middle school who benefited from an accelerated curriculum move into high school, test scores will rise.

However, any advancement will be limited. Among the staff, there are several ideological battles underway – Should the district focus upon test scores or preparing students for post-high school? What are the skills and knowledge our students need to acquire before graduating? How do we test and grade our students? What do we do with teachers who can’t teach? How do we help our struggling students? How do we enable our stars to advance according to their potential?

Unless someone becomes a powerful and incessant advocate for moving in one direction, the district will always drift along the path of least resistance. That means the least work and the least headaches. The community won’t fight for higher standards and neither will most of the staff.

Local Reporting Will Continue to Deteriorate
The local papers lack resources for investigative reporting. As they continue to struggle, fewer town meetings will be covered. Excluding bloggers and the rumor mill, the community will continue to know less and less about what’s happening. And the opportunities for corruption and incompetence will expand.

Housing Will Continue to Struggle
Huge backlog of unsold and foreclosed housing. High unemployment and underemployment. As the economy recovers, interest rates will rise to combat inflation. Many underwater homeowners will put their homes on the market at their first opportunity to cover their mortgages. Meanwhile, high taxes will continue to depress prices and push more seniors to sell.

Most New Development Will Be Residential
It is an absolute disgrace that public education has become so expensive that it makes financial sense to deter families from moving to the neighborhood. But that’s the reality. Developers, however, prefer residential because they’re easier to finance and sell and often have higher profit margins. The town could easily encourage commercial development through zoning laws and PILOT programs but don’t expect it. The town council wants the tax/PILOT money, not to mention all the behind-the-scenes hand greasing that enriches their handlers, and care little about the burden new development imposes on the school district or the rest of the township.

Corruption Will Continue Unabated
People mistakenly believe corruption necessarily involves criminal activity. That’s not the case at all. Political corruption is the use of office for anything other than the public good. For example, taking tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions from CME Engineering and then awarding it millions of dollars in no-bid contracts is corrupt because there’s an assumption CME is not being awarded the business based solely upon price, service, and community benefit. Furthermore, when people and corporations are legitimately concerned over retribution if they don’t contribute to political campaigns, that is corruption. When people and corporations are able to use their political connections to “un-level” the playing field or seek business from third parties, that’s corruption.

Again and again, we hear about how there’s been no proof of corruption but that’s a lie. The free land given to Councilman Vinci, and how that land was kept off the tax rolls, is public record. Vinci being paid “consulting fees” to work on his own reelection campaign is public record. The county spending $400,000 to divert traffic from Vinci’s home on a dead end street is public record.

CME’s contributions and millions of dollars in no-bid contracts are public record.

Fire commissioners, who should be working for free, awarding themselves a 36.5% pay increase during a steep recession is public record.

Any suggestion that “corruption” only applies to criminal activity is morally repugnant and it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the people who write the laws know how to avoid them.

The Teachers Union Will Continue Being Anti-Community
It’s astounding how teachers, the very people who have chosen to dedicate their lives to teaching and with whom we’ve entrusted our children, would repeatedly support anti-community agendas but that’s the reality.

When faced with a pay freeze or scores of colleagues losing their jobs, the teachers kicked their coworkers to the curb and then launched a fear-mongering campaign insisting the community’s children would be in jeopardy unless we raised taxes to save jobs.

Now, the union is doing the same to the bus drivers, the secretaries, and everyone else who could be outsourced.

When the school board offered to help three custodians save their lifetime health benefits, the union offered nothing to offset the costs.

Again and again, the union protects teachers who can’t teach, bars the district from enacting changes that would help students and save money, and prevents the district from rewarding outstanding teachers.

I hear the district used to recognize “Teachers of the Month” and give them prized parking spots and other tokens of thanks and recognition that cost nothing to the district. However, the practice had to stop after the union objected to the district “singling out teachers” for recognition when “all” teachers deserved recognition.

That sense of “we’re all wonderful and entitled” appears to be have become contagious as Christmas Friday Fever has swept through the district. Christmas Friday Fever is the infectious disease that hits about a quarter of our teachers every year on the last Friday before Christmas break, forcing them to call in sick and get some therapeutic shopping at the malls.

Local Blogging Will Decline
Normally, success attracts competition. Not in this case. Despite the widespread popularity of Aberdeener.com (many would say infamy), the only other local blog is AberdeenNJlife, which doesn’t do investigative reporting. Researching issues is very time consuming and won’t win you many friends. However, for those considering blogging, the experience can be quite rewarding and you truly have the power to make positive changes within your community.

As for this blog, I’m hoping someone will volunteer to manage it but, so far, no takers. However, the forces of darkness shouldn’t relax just yet. There’s still some life in this blog. >>> Read more!

Smoke at the Firehouse

I’ve always had the good sense to avoid writing about Aberdeen Township’s police department and its two fire districts. However, last February there was a heated altercation in the firehouse at the corner of Church and Lloyd (Fire District #1). The time had come to have a look.

Although I have spoken with a number of people, I cannot obtain any documentation regarding the incident since it is a personnel matter. However, I believe that fire district chief, Lou Auriemma, acted in a manner unbecoming an officer and he should have, at the very least, been reprimanded by the fire commissioners. Furthermore, I do not believe the district chief is supported by a majority of his command. Although I have heard many wonderful stories about Chief Auriemma, the only chief that firehouse has ever had, I think it’s time for a change in leadership.

Notwithstanding the above, the fire commissioners chose to ignore the incident and there is no consideration of relieving Chief Auriemma of his command.

As for firehouse shenanigans we can talk about, there is some of that. (Full disclosure: When applying for my certificate of occupancy, the fire department dinged me for $2,000 in repairs for small violations that passed inspection when I purchased the house four years earlier, plus requiring a certified inspection for my chimney.)

For starters, the fire commissioners voted themselves an eye-popping 36.5% raise to $5,460 a year. That august body includes our honorable councilmen Vinci and Lauro. Apparently, Vinci needed the money after losing his consulting gig. (Is Councilman Lauro related to Samuel Lauro? Sam is on the fire district payroll as well.)

Vinci, by the way, is transferring his house and his ill-gotten land to his daughter. Looks like he’s freeing up some money to buy another place.

Chief Auriemma only works 20 hours a week. However, the ordinance creating the fire chief position requires “a minimum of 40 hours per week.” The fire commissioners are aware of the discrepancy but don’t care enough to ask the township to change the ordinance. Remember that next time you’re told the town can’t bend for you because it has to follow the law.

The fire district has about $688,000 in reserves that’s budgeted for replacement vehicles. The reserves are apparently immune from the town council’s grubby hands since they’re still in the bank. (The fire district is another unit that should consider merging with Matawan to save expenses.)

Alan Falk, Aberdeen’s former town prosecutor, is still on retainer at the Fire District but there’s talk that may come to an end after Falk refused to participate last year in the democrats’ pay-to-play election campaign. (That’s why he’s the “former” town prosecutor.)

As for the men who volunteer their time in the fire department and the EMT, they have my highest respect and gratitude and I hope they get the leadership and recognition they deserve. >>> Read more!

A Fireman's Letter

Ms. Nicora,

Let me first tell you, I respond as the Chief that stepped down March 9th. I too have been monitoring the responses of this fiasco with great interest as well, although not personal. I agree that there have been many inappropriate things stated but I must disagree with you on several points of your personal interest.
I have known Lou for most of my 48+ years and more than the 26+ years as a fire company member. I will tell you how I looked up to this man until that very day of March 9th, 2010. Yes, Lou is a grumpy old man and admits it himself often to everyone. It’s Lou’s way or the highway, yes that’s true but doesn’t make it always right, doesn’t make it always safe and doesn’t make it always surest. Ask him how he got hurt at a recent call for not wearing gear. His way, NOT safe, NOT surest. Brushed it off as a little injury. He has called out myself and other Chief’s on the gear issue since he has been called out, but most, if not all of the time, the Chief was in a Command position and not inside the “hot zone” like he was that night. On a personal level, he has been wrong sometimes but will skirt the issue and turn it around as being right.
I have been a volunteer for many things but mostly a volunteer fireman for the past 26 years as I said. It is not thankless. I hear all the time from anyone I speak with, neighbors, fellow firefighters, business associates, “you are all to be commended for the job that you do”. It is refreshing to hear these comments.
As you say, he has helped quite a few members and am sure they have thanked him personally for that. He has always been this way and is one of his good traits.
Along with Lou being awarded his plaque, my father was also, that same incident and my father said that it is one of his proudest moments, as it should be for all of those men that day. I too have been cited for saving a man from a burning car while on my way to work one day. It is something you never think you will do during your firefighter career but when it does, it sure makes you proud whether you are recognized or not.
It was mentioned how Lou returned to his job after retiring. That’s fine being that it has helped the firefighters so much in the equipment that the District has supplied. However, I hope the men in that office are taking notes.
Please note that there is certain equipment that Lou retains in his vehicle but note that he is not at every fire call. There is equipment on our trucks that we use for when he does not respond, for if we had to rely on his presence at each call, we might be in trouble. He makes a large percentage of calls but he does have a life also and other times just doesn’t respond for whatever reason (not feeling well, whatever). We are a sufficient fire company and it does not revolve around Lou.
I won’t respond as to any corruption because I would be lying if I said I knew any of these details.
Now, regarding the assault. I will have you know that as Chief, I investigated this whole situation fully with every single person that was there that night. 9 witnesses excluding Lou and the Deputy Chief. I asked everyone the same questions and I reported my results to the Fire Company that night. Provoked, no, no one, not even Lou said he was provoked. The DC stepped in front of a heated attitude person approaching one of the firefighters he was just yelling at. I say heated because of all the people that saw him proceeding, not one person said that he wasn’t heated. No one said the DC was yelling into Lou’s face either. Poking him in his chest, I think not. Lou accused him of pushing him backward 4 times. I think not. Of the nine people interviewed, 3 could not see from their position, 5 said that the DC did not push him (not that they didn’t see him not push him but said that he did not push him) and one said that he got pushed. I discount this one because after that, this 1 person stated that Lou did not push the DC while Lou admits it himself that he pushed the DC. Of the 5 that stated the DC did not push Lou, 2 of them were Commissioners.
Again, did Lou push the DC?, 4 said they did not see because of positioning in the room (the 1 additional is because he said he left the truck room). The other 4 (including a Commissioner) saw Lou push the DC (more than once).
It was clear that Lou was not honest with me the day he told me his side of the story February 25th and that night, March 9th was not honest with his fellow firefighters. All’s it would have taken was to stand tall like a man, admit the truth, apologize and move on.
There were too many witnesses to get by this incident and I for one am sorry that this ever happened and is now cause for the low moral of this Fire Company.
I resigned for my own reasons as stated that night and noted that my Captain and Deputy Chief have also resigned.
We never wanted this to happen and I am sure Lou didn’t want it to happen either. BUT IT DID. Nobody is stabbing anyone in the back and certainly, these firemen in this Company are not cowards.
You live with the truth, you die with the truth and everyone knows what the truth is. Especially those that witnessed it and those that were involved.
I have the documentation of my interviews with those witnesses and summary of my findings and am willing to turn them over to the Commissioners, should they request them.
I have nothing against Lou and I have moved on. While I remain a Life Member of the Fire Company, I am proud of the men that remain to serve. The truth is out there and those that don’t have clouded judgment know that, it is now time for the Commissioners to perform their own unbiased investigation.
Lastly, I said that I would not respond to any of these “blog” responses and have not til now, but your response warranted a response with the facts.
Respectfully, Gary Bellone
>>> Read more!

Aberdeen Township Fire Department

Note: The following is an article by an anonymous author. Given the circumstances, I have decided to wave the prohibition against anonymous articles.

Dear Mr. Warren,

Let me start by saying I enjoy reading your blog although I don’t always agree with your views or the views of your posters. Everyone has a right to their own opinion about all matters. As such I am going to ask you to post this email.

I am writing to you in reference to some of the fire (pardon the pun) the fire districts have been taking. I want to clear up some issues which people may not exactly understand.

Aberdeen Township consists of two fire districts. Fire District #1 is known as Aberdeen Hose and Chemical and Fire District #2 is known as Cliffwood. Each district is independent of each other and contains one fire company, however together these companies make up the Aberdeen Township Fire Department. Each district is run by a Board of Fire Commissioners which takes care of the daily operations of the fire district including the fire officials however the boards have very little control over how the actual company is run. That is left up to the executive board and line officers of each company. These boards of commissioners are elected by the public to run the fire districts. Each board holds one (1) meeting a month that is open to the public. I can tell you from experience that the public does not come out. All matters pertaining to the district are brought up at these meetings. All purchases and expenditures are discussed in detail before they are voted on by the respective boards. At the end of each meeting, the floor is turned over to any public present for questions or comments.

A person on your site raised the question as to why our budgets increase every year. I am going to attempt to explain that as well as I can. As with everything, firefighting equipment has a life span. That life span all depends on how much an item is used and the manner in which it is used. The nature of our work is dirty and rough. If any of our equipment is damaged in any way it must be taken out of service and either repaired or replaced. What many people don’t understand is that our equipment is very expensive. The average set of turnout gear which consists of just a jacket and pants costs between $3500 and $5000 depending on size and distributor. Add to that approximately $200 for boots, $75 for gloves, $50 for a nomex hood, and up to $500 for a helmet. Now if any of that equipment gets even a small tear it must be replaced because its ability to provide protection has been compromised. Next let us look at some of the tools we use. Take a chainsaw for example. Anyone can go to Home Depot or Lowes and purchase a decent chainsaw for anywhere from $200-$500. That same exact chainsaw will cost a fire company 2-3 times that amount because we have to buy the one that says its NFPA certified. A scba, the device we use to breathe in smoke filled or toxic environments, costs upwards of $3500 for a single unit. Now let’s look at the actual apparatus and building. Each piece of apparatus requires maintenance on a preventative and corrective basis. An engine or pumper requires the pump and hose to be tested annually. An aerial or ladder truck requires its main ladder to be tested annually as well as all ground ladders. The building also has to be maintained. Be it fixing a leaking roof or replacing a light bulb that has gone out. These services cost a lot of money and as with everything else I have mentioned the cost goes up every year.

What I have touched on here is merely the firefighting end of things. I haven’t discussed the administrative end of things because I will be honest and say I don’t know all the numbers. I know there are insurance premiums to be paid so that the firefighters are covered in the event of an injury or heaven forbid a death.

I just irks me to know these people who complain about the budget are the same people who won’t join our ranks. We are a volunteer organization. We put our lives on the line every time that call comes in. Granted it’s not a fire every time but the most dangerous time for us is actually responding to the call. If you have a problem with our budgets come to a meeting and see how the money is being spent. The fire districts are very transparent if you would just show up. I am going to end this by asking a favor. The next time you see a blue light coming up behind you PLEASE yield. If it was your house or your family in trouble you would want people to yield so that we can get there safely and quickly.

Thank you,

A Concerned Volunteer Fireman >>> Read more!