By Michael Ticktin,
In response to the report of the Council’s Environment, Health and Safety committee, Mayor Jeff Ellentuck distributed a document that included the following points:
1. Our emergency services are, and always have been, in full compliance with all laws and insurance requirements, except with regard to the facilities the Borough provides, which do not meet applicable safety, structural, insurance or other requirements.
2. If we do not act, the State can re-impose fines of tens of thousands of dollars per day.
3. The committee report cited the shared service agreement between Englishtown and Manalapan, under which Englishtown provides coverage to a neighboring section of Manalapan for a relatively small sum of money. Mayor Ellentuck compared this to Millstone paying Roosevelt to cover the Nurko Road section of Millstone, which is closer to Roosevelt than it is to the fire house in Clarksburg.
4. Not only are the Fire and First Aid volunteers considered to be Borough employees for purposes of liability, but they are also considered employees for other purposes as well, including workers’ compensation if they are injured. More importantly, they are under the protection of the Public Employees Occupation Safety and Health (PEOSH) program, which continues to confirm that all fire department records, requirements and equipment meet or exceed current State requirements.
5. The Borough and members of the governing body are protected from liability by the Tort Claims Act and by the Joint Insurance Fund.
6. Completed personnel applications are on file with the Borough.
7. Driver’s licenses and Motor Vehicle Commission abstracts are on file for all personnel who drive Borough-owned vehicles, for whom such records are required.
8. Though criminal background checks are not required by existing law or regulation, the Borough is obtaining them.
9. All equipment inspections are current. Files are examined and approved annually by PEOSH and by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, as well as examined or confirmed annually by the Joint Insurance Fund.
10. All personal safety gear inspections and requirements are current. All personal safety gear is inspected, aged and replaced continually as required by State regulations and are included in State inspections.
11. Full physical examinations are required, though not annually. The Borough has a contract with Hackensack-Meridian to provide physicals and inoculations to EMTs and firefighters as and when required by law or regulations.
12. Sixteen of our 18 firefighters are fully certified, and the other two are in probation as new members.
13. All fire department officers have all certifications currently required by law for the duties they perform.
14. Fire officer 3 and 4 level certifications are part of a pilot program that has not yet been accredited and is not currently required. When they are finally accredited or required, our fire department officers will obtain those certifications, just as they have obtained all other required certifications at no additional cost to the Borough.
15. The cost of the proposed emergency services building itself is expected to be between $140,000 and $160,000. The remainder of the anticipated $600,000 cost will be for ventilation and other equipment required by PEOSH and for compliance with other requirements.
16. Roosevelt has not paid for a fire truck or ambulance with tax money for decades and will not do so in the future. All of our equipment was donated or purchased with grant funds or money raised privately by the fire company or first aid squad. Our current equipment is in good shape and suitable for its intended purpose, as is confirmed by annual State and Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) inspections. Millstone and many other fire departments have equipment of similar age to ours.
17. We know how much it costs to bring an older truck up to current standards because we spend money to do that every year.
18. We have all gear that we need. We maintain it and PEOSH, JIF and the Division of Fire Safety inspect all of it regularly. All turnout gear is purchased and maintained within the approximately $16,000 budgeted for that purpose annually.
19. We have all of the communications equipment, cameras and other equipment that we need. Heat cameras were given to us by the State for free. All radios were upgraded within the past two years. All prior upgrades have been funded out of the $16,000 annual appropriation or from funds raised by the fire company or first aid squad or from grants. Unfortunately, there are no grants for buildings.
20. All personnel get the continuing education and training that is required free of charge.
21. There are plans in place covering all requirements. This has been explained in many meetings.
22. When the Millstone Fire District Chairman stated that Millstone responded to all Roosevelt calls so far this year, he does not mean that Roosevelt did not also respond. Roosevelt averages 24 to 36 fire department calls. Millstone has backed us up with mutual aid on many of our calls because, in the past, we did not have the personnel and equipment we have now. At present, Roosevelt is unable to respond in cold weather because the trucks must be left out of doors because there is no place to house them, and they cannot be filled with water because it would freeze. It is unreasonable to fail to provide the fire department with a building where the trucks could be kept and then criticize them for failure to respond.
23. Millstone is under no obligation to provide mutual aid to Roosevelt, including the automatic response that it now provides, if Roosevelt chooses to contract with another town or fire district. If we contract with another town or fire district, we will have to negotiate with Millstone Fire District to get coverage we now get for free.
24. If we cease to have our own fire department and contract with Millstone Fire District instead, we would be allowed a five-year phase-in period, after which Roosevelt taxpayers would have to pay for coverage at the same rate as Millstone taxpayers. This is the same offer that was previously made to a delegation consisting of the Mayor, two Council members and the member of the Emergency Services Advisory Council who wrote the minority report.
25. The Monroe Fire District 2 firehouse is over five miles from Roosevelt. Any savings resulting from a lower fee than would be paid to Millstone would be offset by higher insurance premiums for Roosevelt homeowners. Furthermore, it will be a lot less expensive to build a four-bay emergency services building than to contract with either Monroe or Millstone because the payments will be fixed for the 20 year life of the bond, unlike payments for service that are certain to rise over time, and debt service stops once the bond is paid off, while payment for service does not.
26. If the bond is voted down and the fire company disbands as a consequence, we will not be able to go back to having our own department if we are dissatisfied with alternative arrangements after a few years, since there will be nothing left to go back to.
In response to the report of the Council’s Environment, Health and Safety committee, Mayor Jeff Ellentuck distributed a document that included the following points:
1. Our emergency services are, and always have been, in full compliance with all laws and insurance requirements, except with regard to the facilities the Borough provides, which do not meet applicable safety, structural, insurance or other requirements.
2. If we do not act, the State can re-impose fines of tens of thousands of dollars per day.
3. The committee report cited the shared service agreement between Englishtown and Manalapan, under which Englishtown provides coverage to a neighboring section of Manalapan for a relatively small sum of money. Mayor Ellentuck compared this to Millstone paying Roosevelt to cover the Nurko Road section of Millstone, which is closer to Roosevelt than it is to the fire house in Clarksburg.
4. Not only are the Fire and First Aid volunteers considered to be Borough employees for purposes of liability, but they are also considered employees for other purposes as well, including workers’ compensation if they are injured. More importantly, they are under the protection of the Public Employees Occupation Safety and Health (PEOSH) program, which continues to confirm that all fire department records, requirements and equipment meet or exceed current State requirements.
5. The Borough and members of the governing body are protected from liability by the Tort Claims Act and by the Joint Insurance Fund.
6. Completed personnel applications are on file with the Borough.
7. Driver’s licenses and Motor Vehicle Commission abstracts are on file for all personnel who drive Borough-owned vehicles, for whom such records are required.
8. Though criminal background checks are not required by existing law or regulation, the Borough is obtaining them.
9. All equipment inspections are current. Files are examined and approved annually by PEOSH and by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, as well as examined or confirmed annually by the Joint Insurance Fund.
10. All personal safety gear inspections and requirements are current. All personal safety gear is inspected, aged and replaced continually as required by State regulations and are included in State inspections.
11. Full physical examinations are required, though not annually. The Borough has a contract with Hackensack-Meridian to provide physicals and inoculations to EMTs and firefighters as and when required by law or regulations.
12. Sixteen of our 18 firefighters are fully certified, and the other two are in probation as new members.
13. All fire department officers have all certifications currently required by law for the duties they perform.
14. Fire officer 3 and 4 level certifications are part of a pilot program that has not yet been accredited and is not currently required. When they are finally accredited or required, our fire department officers will obtain those certifications, just as they have obtained all other required certifications at no additional cost to the Borough.
15. The cost of the proposed emergency services building itself is expected to be between $140,000 and $160,000. The remainder of the anticipated $600,000 cost will be for ventilation and other equipment required by PEOSH and for compliance with other requirements.
16. Roosevelt has not paid for a fire truck or ambulance with tax money for decades and will not do so in the future. All of our equipment was donated or purchased with grant funds or money raised privately by the fire company or first aid squad. Our current equipment is in good shape and suitable for its intended purpose, as is confirmed by annual State and Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) inspections. Millstone and many other fire departments have equipment of similar age to ours.
17. We know how much it costs to bring an older truck up to current standards because we spend money to do that every year.
18. We have all gear that we need. We maintain it and PEOSH, JIF and the Division of Fire Safety inspect all of it regularly. All turnout gear is purchased and maintained within the approximately $16,000 budgeted for that purpose annually.
19. We have all of the communications equipment, cameras and other equipment that we need. Heat cameras were given to us by the State for free. All radios were upgraded within the past two years. All prior upgrades have been funded out of the $16,000 annual appropriation or from funds raised by the fire company or first aid squad or from grants. Unfortunately, there are no grants for buildings.
20. All personnel get the continuing education and training that is required free of charge.
21. There are plans in place covering all requirements. This has been explained in many meetings.
22. When the Millstone Fire District Chairman stated that Millstone responded to all Roosevelt calls so far this year, he does not mean that Roosevelt did not also respond. Roosevelt averages 24 to 36 fire department calls. Millstone has backed us up with mutual aid on many of our calls because, in the past, we did not have the personnel and equipment we have now. At present, Roosevelt is unable to respond in cold weather because the trucks must be left out of doors because there is no place to house them, and they cannot be filled with water because it would freeze. It is unreasonable to fail to provide the fire department with a building where the trucks could be kept and then criticize them for failure to respond.
23. Millstone is under no obligation to provide mutual aid to Roosevelt, including the automatic response that it now provides, if Roosevelt chooses to contract with another town or fire district. If we contract with another town or fire district, we will have to negotiate with Millstone Fire District to get coverage we now get for free.
24. If we cease to have our own fire department and contract with Millstone Fire District instead, we would be allowed a five-year phase-in period, after which Roosevelt taxpayers would have to pay for coverage at the same rate as Millstone taxpayers. This is the same offer that was previously made to a delegation consisting of the Mayor, two Council members and the member of the Emergency Services Advisory Council who wrote the minority report.
25. The Monroe Fire District 2 firehouse is over five miles from Roosevelt. Any savings resulting from a lower fee than would be paid to Millstone would be offset by higher insurance premiums for Roosevelt homeowners. Furthermore, it will be a lot less expensive to build a four-bay emergency services building than to contract with either Monroe or Millstone because the payments will be fixed for the 20 year life of the bond, unlike payments for service that are certain to rise over time, and debt service stops once the bond is paid off, while payment for service does not.
26. If the bond is voted down and the fire company disbands as a consequence, we will not be able to go back to having our own department if we are dissatisfied with alternative arrangements after a few years, since there will be nothing left to go back to.