MANCHESTER – A fractured relationship remains between former township officials and current members of the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department.
The first meeting – of at least two – was held recently between township officials and volunteer fire company chiefs concerning additional funding for the purchase of equipment and meeting other safety needs.
Councilman James Vaccaro said the meeting included “Mayor Robert Hudak, Business Administrator Brandon Umba, Police Chief Robert Dolan our Director of Emergency Services Robert Baron, and Council President Craig Wallis. Another meeting is scheduled for November 30.”
During an earlier council meeting firefighter Tom Donner was chosen by his fellow WFD members to read a statement calling for additional funding and also criticizing former Mayor Kenneth Palmer and former Police Chief Lisa Parker. He accused them of fostering a combative environment between agencies of the township and the volunteer fire companies that serve Manchester.
Members of the Whiting Fire Company told The Manchester Times, “The current mayor, current police chief and business administrator met with fire department officers from all three (volunteer) companies recently. The meeting didn’t provide an immediate resolution. However, the business administrator and mayor assured the fire officers that they are going to work to repair the fractured relationship left in the wake of the ex-police chief.”
After their initial presentation during a council meeting, Parker responded to Donner’s statements and strongly criticized his information.
The fire company’s response took issue with Parker’s labeling Donner as a “rookie malcontent.” She stated to The Manchester Times, “there are some very qualified and experienced firefighters who volunteer for WFD and I’m uncertain why they have allowed a rookie malcontent to speak for them. His information is so factually wrong it can only be considered a fabrication. Just because someone speaks loudly and publicly, it most certainly does not mean what they say is accurate or truthful.”
To clarify, firefighter Donner is a veteran within the fire service with 20 plus years’ experience (and counting), the fire company’s response included.
“Parker claimed we had complaints that were abundantly misleading. To be clear we are not complaining. We have asked that the equipment and gear that has surpassed the normal life cycle be replaced. Our request is based on the NFPA 1911 Annex D Standard. The standard states that any apparatus over 25 years old should be retired. We have asked for turnout gear to be replaced only to be told there is no money available,” the statement added.
It also stated that, “Parker bragged about spending money from 2015-2019 on a new engine for our community. She also stated that she approved over 3.5 million dollars, over five years. For comparison Toms River District 2 has an annual budget of 4.6 million dollars.”
“We cover a larger geographical area with a larger population. Parker somehow feels that she was doing us a favor in providing updated safety equipment, only to turn around and make us pay to maintain it,” the WFD stated.
They added, “the town’s lack of budgeting and preplanning for the community fire service is exacerbated by Parker’s disregard for the safety of the volunteers,” the fire company stated in their response.
The statement noted that a large portion of the $3.5 million Parker mentioned being spent on the volunteers “went towards replacing trucks out of NFPA standards for two out of the three volunteer fire companies ($792k for our engine and $1.2 million for Station 32’s ladder).”
The response adds, “when our 3331 engine was replaced in 2018 it was over 30 years old. When Station 32 (Manchester Volunteer) had their ladder replaced in 2017 it was 28 years old. Also, the gear and Scott bottles that were replaced were well past the NFPA standard life cycle. We are currently using gear that has well passed the standard guidelines. Our statement was not about complaints or us wanting money; we presented safety issues.”
“Apparently safety concerns are complaints? We currently have two pieces of apparatus that are past the standard life cycle,” the statement added.
“Parker also stated that we wasted money purchasing a new chief’s truck, which replaced a 2003 chief vehicle and a multi response vehicle, which replaced a 1980 utility truck. The chief’s truck is used so our fire officer can get on scene quickly to provide rapid intervention, and proper size up of the emergency incident. The utility truck is used to transport our ice rescue team, scuba team, and it is also used by our fire police (which assists the Manchester Township Police with traffic control),” the fire company said.
Members of the Whiting Fire Company also said they were asked to formulate a dive team by the administration after drowning incidents at Heritage Minerals. The fire company formed a team and requires a multi-purpose vehicle for it.
“Apparently spending money on equipment that helps our community does not make sense to Parker. She stated that it was not in the best interest of the community because the new trucks don’t have fire suppression capabilities. The money we spent was donated to the fire department by the Whiting First Aid Squad 43 after they were closed. We were asked by squad 43 to use the money to upgrade our vehicles through their observations of our aging fleet,” the statement adds.
The firefighters maintain, “our facts are accurate. We have asked for assistance with regard to safety issues many times over the last few years. The blatant disregard and cavalier attitude towards safety has created an environment that is not sustainable.”
Umbra said “the volunteer fire chiefs have been putting in reports and we are reviewing those reports and they will be going to the mayor for follow up.”
