A volunteer fire company, RCMA, is facing criticism from county officials in Rockland County, New York, for operating without proper training and encouraging residents to call them instead of 911 in emergencies.
Anyone who wants to be a firefighter in Rockland County is welcome to do so, as long as they go through the proper protocols. The call from County Executive Ed Day comes as fire crews compete with another fire company that may lack the proper training to save lives.There is even a picture of a fire truck it has purchased on its slick Instagram presence. But county officials call the outfit a rogue fire company that's actually putting lives at risk.
'I admire anyone who wants to volunteer, I admire anyone who is certainly a former cop, who wants to be part of the community's public safety, this is not the way to do it,' Rockland County Executive Ed Day said.On Tuesday, the listed address of its headquarters was empty but there were plenty of fire extinguishers outside the location. The group says its members are trained in Bergen County, New Jersey, and in a statement says, the 'existing fire companies are not set up to accommodate Orthodox Jewish volunteers according to Torah guidelines.'RCMA volunteers failed to detect a carbon monoxide leak and dangerous levels that were later found by the Monsey Fire Department. And they say the most troubling issue is RCMA encouraging residents to call them first in an emergency rather than dialing 911. 'It's absolutely dangerous, calling 911 brings a load of resources to a scene, it may not be one thing, it could be 10 things, it could be a variety of different agencies that are going to respond,' Day said. RCMA says over 5,000 people have signed a petition asking for official recognition as a fire company.'All we want these folks to do is to get trained, become part of an official department so they can bring the best of what they got to the scene,' Day said. Enforcement remains an option. In December, an RCMA volunteer was charged with obstructing firefighter operations. The county executive warns additional arrests are possible and urges residents to call 911 in an emergency
Fire Safety Volunteer Firefighters Emergency Response Rockland County Public Safety
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Cal Fire responds to vegetation fire deep in East CountyPat Mueller joined the ABC 10News team as a Digital Content Producer in Aug. 2022.
Read more »
Mitten Tree Stolen From Rockland County Church Days Before ChristmasA 'mitten tree' tradition symbolizing Christmas spirit and charity was stolen from a Rockland County church just days before Christmas. Despite the theft, the church community emphasizes forgiveness and continues its donations efforts.
Read more »
Safe Holidays: United for Health Vaccination Event in Rockland CountyA holiday-themed vaccination event will be held in Spring Valley, New York, to promote public health and vaccinations for COVID-19 and RSV.
Read more »
Doctor Who's Russell T. Davies Wants To Bring 1 Bridgerton & Wicked Star Back In The Show's FutureDoctor, Ruby, and Jonathan Groff&39;s Rogue in the Doctor Who season 14 episode Rogue
Read more »
Tarrant County Surpasses Dallas in Number of Inmates on Death RowA review of state prison data and court records reveals that Tarrant County, Texas, has overtaken Dallas County in the number of individuals awaiting execution. This year alone, six death sentences were handed down in Texas, four of which originated from North Texas counties, with three coming from Tarrant County. The review identified at least 14 individuals from Tarrant County currently on death row, surpassing Dallas County's 13. Harris County remains the state's leading county for death row inmates, with over 60 individuals awaiting execution.
Read more »
Geneva County Schools is top county school district statewideOut of 67 county school districts in the state, Geneva County outscored the rest with a 93.
Read more »