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New Bedford Mayor Dancing With the Devil Over Engine 8 [OPINION] Another large fire sent New Bedford firefighters scrambling on Thursday. All city fire apparatus, including Engine 8, were sent to battle the two-alarm blaze at the Harborview Towers at 60 South Second Street. The six-story building has 72 apartment units, many of which are occupied by elderly or challenged residents. Three surrounding towns responded to a request for assistance, placing additional stress on already strained relationships. Firefighters in Dartmouth and Fairhaven have expressed frustration over what they say is New Bedford s over-reliance on the mutual aid agreement the city has with the towns. Mayor Jon Mitchell says the firefighters are only trying to help their counterparts in New Bedford to negotiate a new contract. ....
NEW BEDFORD The new-to-New Bedford “quint” fire apparatus has arrived in the city. According to the New Bedford Fire Department’s official Facebook page, the department “recently made the purchase of a lightly used 2005 quint,” after “the unexpected breakdown of one of our apparatus.” The department shared photos of the quint as part of the Facebook post. This particular quint – which is a hybrid of both an engine and a ladder truck – has 31,000 miles on it and is “in very good condition,” the department wrote, “replacing a 2003 quint with over 100,000 miles and which is no longer functional.” Get our free mobile app ....
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said the city will soon apply for a federal SAFER grant to help the New Bedford Fire Department “transition from a rough period financially for the city.” Mitchell also told WBSM host Barry Richard on Wednesday that local fire union officials have been overstating the city’s reliance on mutual aid from surrounding communities during major structure fires in New Bedford. “It’s the kind of thing you hear from the fire unions. It’s one big union, they re pressing their case for not doing as much coverage as they d like,” said Mitchell, who cited statistics from the New Bedford Fire Department that he said show mutual aid calls having decreased in recent years. ....
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell still plans to remove Engine 8 from service, even after a series of large fires that rocked the city since Thanksgiving when three multi-family houses burned on Washburn Street. Mitchell said on my program Wednesday that he plans to replace Engine 8 with a hybrid vehicle known as a quint that is both an engine and a ladder truck. His critics say there is no comparison between the two pieces of apparatus. Veteran City Councilor Brian Gomes, who chairs the council s Public Safety Committee, also called into the program to inform us that the quint Mitchell has purchased is 15 years old and someone else s headache. He said the vehicle is too large to maneuver the tight streets in the near-North End and is a tight squeeze for Station 8 on Acushnet Avenue. ....
Dunn Proposes Critical Public Safety Legislation [OPINION] After Barry Richard broke the news that a New Bedford police officer s home was fired upon at the Brickenwood Apartments in the middle of the night, crime in the city and the New Bedford Police Department s reporting of it came to the forefront of the local conversation. The NBPD was unnervingly mum about the shooting until Barry reported it on air and there were also conflicting reports between the police union and NBPD leadership on whether or not officers on duty were properly made aware of the incident. Recognizing the pressing need for greater transparency and efficacy of crime reporting between the NBPD and the people of New Bedford, Ward 3 City Councilor Hugh Dunn filed three separate motions to be heard and acted upon by the City Council. ....