Lakewood Firefighter: A Disaster Waiting to Happen R”L

lfd fire scene 3 tlsDear TLS readers, I am a Lakewood fire fighter, and live in one of the more populated developments of town. On Wednesday, November 11, at approximately 8pm, I was sitting with my family at home when a colleague of mine made me aware that Hatzoloh had been dispatched to nearby neighbor of mine for a possible fire. He asked if I was aware of the situation. I replied that I was not. The fire department had not been dispatched either. I stepped out and walked over to my neighbor. As I approached my neighbor’s door I saw two Hatzoloh members leaving the apartment and inquiring whether the home owner wanted the Fire Department dispatched. Noticing me approaching they informed me that it was over cooked burnt food, no fire or significant smoke condition was present. The Fire Department was obviously not needed at that point. Having confirmed that all was safe, the Hatzoloh members left.

As I left I thought about something that has continued to concern me ever since I became a member of the Lakewood Fire Department.

Thankfully, this situation ended well. But it could have been disastrous!

I’m referring to citizens of the public calling Hatzoloh, Chaveirim, LCSW or any other organization other than the Lakewood Fire Department for fire related incidents. If my neighbor had needed the Fire Department tonight then we just lost 10-15 minutes, possibly more. That is more than enough time for a fire to grow exponentially causing untold damage. There have been cases where fire related damage could have been avoided had the right authorities been called promptly. Instead, the Fire Department was only called after the rounds are made from any of the above organization’s dispatcher to its members & back to dispatcher and finally the Lakewood Fire Department is dispatched.

With due respect to the other wonderful organizations for all they do, they are not trained and certified fire fighters. When they receive a fire related call, what may seem to be a simple situation can in fact be a potentially volatile incident. When these Hatzoloh members showed up to my neighbors apartment, with no protective gear or CO meters, what were they expected to do if there was an active fire situation. The Fire Department should have been notified immediately.

Citizens must call the Fire Department first and when they don’t the particular organization called should dispatch the Fire Department promptly.

I’m not saying that every call is going to be a fire and on occasion a member from another organization may be on hand to put out a small fire using an extinguisher. My point is that if and when the Fire Department is needed, precious time is wasted by not notifying the Fire Department as soon as possible. Just ask those who’ve suffered losses as a result of going the roundabout way instead of contacting the Fire Department promptly.

Many people have told me they feel uncomfortable calling the LFD if the situation may not warrant it. They don’t want to bother the LFD and feel silly if it turns out to be ‘nothing’. Rather, they call Hatzoloh or Chaveirim etc with whom they feel more at ease.

The Lakewood Fire Department would like it to be known that we are here for the public. No matter how insignificant it may seem it is always better to err on the safe side. Call us and let us make sure you and your family and property are safe.

For the quickest response from the Lakewood Fire Department, always dial 911 first before calling any one else. This is due in part to how the dispatch system works in Ocean County and Lakewood. Remember, previous incidents have proven time and again that when the Fire Department is not notified in a timely manner the results are often unnecessary and avoidable damage, loss, or worse.

Follow these safety tips:

-Have working smoke alarms, at least one per floor and check them regularly.
-Install and maintain working CO detectors, at least one per floor and out side all sleeping areas.
-When using space heaters make sure they are 3′ clear of any flammable materials such as clothing and curtains etc.
-If your detectors go off leave the premises and notify the Fire Department.
-If your CO detectors go off, you MUST wake any sleeping household members, leave the premises and notify the Fire Department.

The Lakewood Fire Department wishes all of Lakewood a safe winter.

Sincerely,

Yaakov Tzvi (Jacob) Woolf,
Vice-President | Station 67
Reliance Hose Company No. 4
Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department
and
Chief Officers of the Lakewood Fire Department.

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18 COMMENTS

  1. I agree 100% another suggestion would be for Hatzoloh and all other local organizations to call LFD and/or LPD immedietly if there is the remote possibility that they will be needed.

  2. Thank you for the reminder. It’s pretty unbelievable to think that people wouldn’t call the fire department first for a fire related emergency. I called twice for minor fire situations that I was afraid would turn into major issues. Both times the dispatcher and the fire men were so nice and so helpful. They actually told me that they like coming out for such calls, they wish all their calls were as easy.

  3. Thank you for a well written article. I know that I speak for many in this town when I say a big thank you to you for your service to this town. We all know that when that call comes in you would drop everything to go over to a fire or an emergency situation to help out those that desperately needs your professional help.
    We salute you in your leadership position and thank you for all that you do.

  4. On Friday 11/13/2015, in Ocean Gate the fire department was dispatched to a “small brush fire” along side a family home. Upon arrival of a fire officer, it was upgraded to a working structure fire. Most of the house was saved due to the quick arrival of the fire department. My point is ALWAYS call 911 for any suspected or actual fire. Lives may depend on it.

  5. I believe the policy when Hatzolah & Chaveirim are called is that either they offer to call LFD for the caller or they tell the caller to call on their own.

  6. While I agree, when I called LFD about an actual fire in my house/oven it took over 9 minutes for them to respond. Hatzloah comes much quicker.

  7. As a Hatzolah member, I couldn’t agree more. And to south side, I’m glad Hatzolah got there before the fire department but they still can’t put out the fire.

  8. It is required by the NJ Fire Code “In the event an unwanted fire occurs on a property, the owner or occupant shall immediately report such condition to the fire department” I would suggest you notify you local Fire Prevention office so violations can be issued. In addition the passage also states, “No person shall, by verbal or written directive, require any delay in the reporting of a fire to the fire department.

  9. It’s because the Olam doesn’t trust the fire dept. Fireman have a bad image in our eyes for some reason. Maybe it’s cause they break stuff and don’t care . I don’t know just saying.

  10. South side ~ is this statement accurate? You verified it was over 9 minutes? The reason I ask is because everything is time stamped between Ocean County 911 and Lakewood!! Maybe you should contact the Fire Chief and bring this documented information to his attention!
    When a resident dials 911 (recommended) the call taker at 911 has to push the Information to Lakewood PD dispatchers which in turn dispatch the Fire Department! As you also know getting from point a to point b in Lakewood can sometimes be extremely difficult even with lights and sirens (which some people feel is too much noise for an oven fire)!
    The point being made in this letter is to have EVERYONE DIAL 911 for a FIRE,CARBON MONOXIDE,GAS or other fire related emergency!
    SECONDS COUNT!!
    Let them do their job!
    After you dial 911 feel free to contact Hatzolah for EMS response!
    The EMT/paramedics from Hatzolah are top notch medical professionals but they lack protective fire gear and a large tank of water!
    Please DIAL 911
    Thanks to all who selflessly give to our community!!

  11. I agree the FD should be called. – however let me explain some of the underlying feelings that make people think twice about calling the FD. The us v. them feeling. unlike a hatzolah call as soon as the FD arrives you are a powerless nobody. even if the fire is totally extinguished the owner is not allowed in. I have argued with the FD abut this and the reasons given were insurance rules that you shouldn’t sue them, the possible criminal investigation. I said but if it is a small fire and no danger, and my burnt toast is not criminal, why can’t I go in.
    Another thing is the destruction, although some is necessary the indiscriminate destruction makes people think twice. (one firefighter said he can’t wait to go “play” at these fires. it’s fun to smash and break. – now, I know they risk their lives, and you should get them there asap, but maybe they can be proactive to allay our concerns.

  12. To South Side,

    You are right. Hatzoloh does come quicker. But…

    Two points to understand.

    1. Hatzoloh can’t do much without the FD. In some cases it may be a small contained fire that can be extinguished with a fire extinguisher. The home owner him/herself can extinguish such a fire on their own. However, if it becomes a working fire , and this is the point of the article, you’ll need the fire department. It is imperative that the FD is dispatched right away. Do you want them coming 20 minutes or more late?

    2. Many people do no take into account that the FD is not comparable to Hatzoloh when it come to response times. When Hatzoloh is dispatched, at any given location there will be a member or members responding from nearby directly to the incident and they will immediately begin to provide assistance accordingly. Today it will be Units X, Y or Z responding. Tomorrow it will be Units A, B, or C responding. There is always a member around the corner who can immediately provide assistance in almost no time. They then have the luxury of waiting on an ambulance or advance assistance as the preliminary immediate assistance is being provided.

    By default the Fire Department will take longer. They can not do much until their ‘ambulance’, the fire engine arrives on scene. The engines and trucks must be in position and setup, hydrants activated, etc before much can be done. We also need all available members to respond to effectively battle a fire. We can’t rely only on five members from around the corner. It will do no one good to have FD members showing up in their personal vehicles (as Hatzoloh does) and stand around and do nothing waiting for the engine. (Picture 70 personal vehicles showing up on scene and doing… not much.) When it come to firematics one can not rely on the member around the corner to show up and immediately provide assistance. FD personnel, wherever they may be when a call comes in, must respond to the Fire Station [- bear in mind, FD members can not use multiple lights, sirens are not allowed, in their personal vehicles as Hatzoloh does, (it’s the law, look it up), making the trip to the station take longer than we’d like -] and pick up the engine and/or truck, proceed to the scene, and setup the apparatus for operation. Of course, it will take longer than Hatzoloh to arrive and begin providing assistance.

    That being said, while it will take the FD longer than Hatzoloh to show up, it shouldn’t and doesn’t take 9 minutes. It is very common for people to feel the minutes ticking by slowly when they know there is active fire ongoing and they are desperately waiting for help to arrive. It does feel like an eternity but the dispatch tapes prove that the response times are much quicker than 9 minutes. The career companies (paid, on call fire houses) respond within an average of 3-4 minutes and the volunteer companies are 1-2 minutes behind them. Within 3-4 minutes you will have at least 1 engine on scene beginning search and rescue and suppression operations accordingly with the rest close behind.

    Again, and this was the point of the article above, it is imperative that the FD is called as soon as possible so as not to waist even more time should they be required. Of course, you can still and should call Hatzoloh but they wont be doing anything about your structure fire. It makes no sense to say you will call Hatzoloh because the FD takes too long. If you’ve got a structure fire what exactly are they going to do for you when they get there?

    In response to ‘Thinking’,

    Again, that may be their policy but it misses the point of the article. The FD needs to be notified promptly for optimal assistance. It should NOT be offered as an after though or left up to the caller. When the FD is needed, it is not optional it is an extreme necessity.

    We have lost homes and suffered unnecessary damage due to the FD not being called promptly. That is the simple point of the article – Always call the FD immediately for ANY fire related issues, no matter how small the issue. Better safe than sorry.

  13. Very will written. I want to add two things.
    1) Never feel bad calling the us. We are more than happy to come out and make sure that everything is OK. Better safe than sorry.
    2) I am no posek but if a CO alarm goes off even on Shabbos, call us right away. CO is deadly cost people their lives every year. It’s pikuach nefesh.

  14. The longer you wait (to call) the longer it takes us to get there.
    Come on People Don’t waste the time. Call the 9-1-1 get your fire department coming. If you want call your other services. That is what we do we fight to keep you safe..we can not do that if you don’t call us. Its about Safety First. You come see us during our open houses..you stop by when we are in quarters training and making sure we are prepared. Why not call us FIRST.
    For that one (prob young firefighter) that stated he can not wait to go play, worded his comment wrong..we go to work when we get there…If i see any of my guys not doing what they are told they get told. Our Job is to protect Life & Property, that is Job 1.
    Better Safe than Sorry.

  15. At the risk of parroting the rest of the commenters, Hatzolah should be calling the FD. Beside the obvious advantages, Hatzolah would also be protecting themselves from a civil suit in the event that a fire causes damage. Although NJSA 2a:53a-7 provides immunity to charitable organizations that cause damage to their beneficiaries, it clearly doesn’t provide immunity for gross negligence which can very well be argued for in such a scenario. Furthermore, any paid members of Hatzolah (i.e. The shabbos goy or dispatchers if they’re paid?) can be held personally liable.
    P.S. Very well written

  16. Dont for get this is Lakewood it takes more than 9 minutes to get anywhere no matter what u drive with lights flashing r not i could walk there faster with a pot of water

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