Mayor Ras J. Baraka insisted after Wednesday's ceremony that shortstaffing had nothing to do with the firefighter's deaths at Port Newark on July 5
Following a somber swearing-in of nine Newark firefighters after two died in a shipboard fire this month, city officials said Wednesday that understaffing did not play a role in the deaths.
“Obviously, congratulations to the nine firefighters that are now members of the Newark Fire Division here, in the City of Newark,” said Baraka, who also congratulated 10 members of the same academy class now headed for firefighting jobs in Bloomfield, Clifton, Nutley and West Orange. “What I’m sure of is, they were not understaffed on the night of that incident, and that they had the proper equipment that we provided at the incident, as well...,” Baraka said. “Any other thing that we’re talking about seeks to take the discussion somewhere else, about things that we discuss with the unions before or after, or anytime that this goes on, period. But we had enough people there, and there was enough equipment at the site.
City officials referred to responses to “frequently asked questions” prepared by the public safety department before the press conference. It provides a list of the number and type of fire companies that respond as a group to each first alarm fire: four engine companies; two ladder companies; one rescue company; plus three special operations firefighters; one deputy chief; and one battalion chief assigned as an “incident safety officer.
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