Steve Strunsky
nj.com
(TNS)
The deadly shipboard fire in Newark was largely extinguished Sunday night, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday, adding that talk of a firefighting unit specifically for the port made sense to him.
“Due to the extraordinary— I emphasize that word — efforts of our first responders, I’m happy to report that as of last evening, the main body of the fire has been extinguished and contained,” Murphy said Monday morning, providing an update on the fire during a press conference in West Orange focused on prescription drug pricing.
“Firefighting efforts are now focused on cooling down the ship’s decks to prevent any reignition,” Murphy said.
Murphy allayed earlier concerns that the 692-foot Grande Costa d’Avorio could capsize due to the tons of water that had been dumped on the ship since it caught fire while berthed at the port Wednesday night. The ship, operated by an Italian company, Grimaldi Deep Sea, was an RORO vessel (for roll-on-roll off) loading new and used cars and other wheeled cargo bound for Africa.
“The ship’s listing has been reduced,” Murphy said, referring to a sideways tilt. “It is now approximately two degrees. The danger zone is five to six degrees. We continue to monitor the air quality and are testing the water quality as well.”
The U.S. Coast Guard is now leading a multi-agency investigation into the intense blaze, which killed veteran Newark firefighters Augusto “Augie” Acabou, 45, and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr., 49, and injured five others from the department. The New York and Elizabeth fire departments, the Coast Guard and other agencies also responded.
“I cannot thank our firefighters and first responders enough,” Murphy said. “As I said last week, the fact that this fire was aboard a ship made for a very complicated situation. Yet our first responders adapted and rose to the occasion, and once again, they have proven that we have the world’s best firefighters and first responders, and we all marvel at their remarkable skill and professionalism and courage.”
Quoting President Abraham Lincoln, Murphy said Acabou and Brooks had demonstrated “‘the last full measure of devotion.’ Please keep their memory and their families in your prayers. And may God watch over not just their families but all of our first responders and firefighters.”
Along with Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, Murphy shares control of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the bi-state agency that runs the port as a landlord to multiple private container, bulk and automobile shipping terminals. Industry officials say shipboard fires are extremely rare, and the head of the local port’s trade group said the Grande Costa d’Avorio fire was the first one of any significance in decades.
Even so, last week, the Port Authority’s director of ports, Beth Rooney, said the agency would consider establishing its own maritime firefighting unit. Asked about the idea on Monday, Murphy said it made sense.
“That’s something that does need to be addressed,” the governor said. “Someone reminded me that way back when, airports didn’t have their own dedicated fire force under the theory that they didn’t have fires happening that frequently. But the fact of the matter is, it is a very specific expertise. Some fires do happen. They’re substantial. That’s probably not a bad model to look at.”
“And I think that makes sense to me,” Murphy added.
Following the ship fire, Newark Firefighters Union President Michael Giunta told NJ Advance Media that the fire department was understaffed and that trucks were being sent out with a contingent of one captain and two firefighters each, despite industry standards calling for crews twice that size.
“According to the city’s budget, the Newark Fire Division has 80 unfilled firefighter positions — and even that fails to meet the industry standard set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA),” the statement read.
Giunta made clear, however, that he was not attributing last week’s deaths or injuries to inadequate staffing, training, equipment or anything else, and he noted that the matter was under investigation by multiple agencies.
“Given Newark’s population density and building construction, the standard calls for a combined minimum of six officers and firefighters on every engine and truck,” Giunta stated. “So why is the Newark Fire Division only regularly staffing companies with three members?”
A spokesperson for the Newark Department of Public Safety, which includes the fire division, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Murphy hadn’t seen the union’s statement, but he said Monday that the staffing level for Newark and other local fire departments “has to be on the list of consideration as well,” when developing a long-term response to Wednesday’s fire.
“We need to have these first responder units fully staffed, no question about it,” said Murphy, who was noncommittal on whether the state would help increase Newark’s staffing levels.
“It’s too early to tell. Obviously, it’s a Newark matter, first and foremost, and we work extremely well with the mayor and the whole team there,” he said. “It’s a long list of considerations that people are going to have to go through and make big decisions on.”
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Steve Strunsky may be reached at [email protected]
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