Use of Fire Company Vehicles to Fall Under Middle’s Policy

RIO GRANDE – After months of discussion, the Rio Grande Fire Commissioners will not approve a policy for personal use of vehicles owned by the fire district. That’s because there is already a policy in place, according to new Commissioner John Menz.
“The fire bureau, the fire commission, and the fire company are already under the big blanket policy of the township,” Menz said. “For us to be on the insurance, we have to be on the policy.”
Vehicle use became an issue after a resident questioned the use of a command vehicle purchased with the approval of district voters. That scrutiny intensified, after it was learned the vehicle was damaged while parked at the fire station. A member of the Rio Grande fire bureau faces charges of filing a false police report in connection with the incident (https://bit.ly/3gfW1MT).
Menz promised to address the matter when he successfully ran for fire commissioner against incumbent Kirby Stiltner, in the April 20 election (https://bit.ly/32ulUSA).
The five-member elected commission serves as the governing body of the fire district, establishing policies and preparing a budget each year to present to voters.
It is separate from the Rio Grande Volunteer Fire Company, which responds to emergencies, including fires, accidents and disasters, and separate from the fire bureau, the duties of which include conducting fire safety inspections.
Early this year, Commission member Bob Zimmerman called for the approval of a policy on vehicle use. After the election, Zimmerman is now the chairman of the commission, Menz said, adding there was a change in the policy regarding taking home vehicles. It’s not going to happen anymore, he said.
Previously, some members of the fire bureau could bring vehicles home with them.
“There were two take-home cars that they really only needed during business hours,” he said. “Now, they’re stored at the firehouse.”
The vehicle at the center of the controversy, a Chevrolet Tahoe voters approved buying for $50,000 last year, will now be assigned to the fire company’s assistant chief, as a response vehicle, Menz said.
In a separate interview, Middle Township Mayor Timothy Donohue said the township-wide policy on vehicles has been in place for some time. He said each of the four fire districts in the municipality asked to be included in the municipal insurance policy through the Atlantic County Joint Insurance Fund, or JIF, under which municipalities in Atlantic and Cape May counties join as a shared service.
Part of the condition of JIF membership is to adopt the JIF policies on a variety of options, such as risk mitigation efforts and adopting specific policies.
“This isn’t anything new. It’s a requirement to be protected under that umbrella to follow these policies,” Donohue said. That includes the fire districts, which operate independently of the municipal government.
“Should a liability issue develop, then every taxpayer in Middle Township would be on the hook for that,” Donohue said.
The JIF does not have a blanket policy for all participating municipalities, said Paul Forlenza, the executive director of the organization, but he said it does have recommendations, including a prepared draft policy on vehicle use.
“Municipal vehicles should really be reserved for municipal use only. Most remain at the facility when not in use,” he said. He acknowledged, however, that there are a variety of circumstances. For instance, a police chief may have a contract that includes use of a marked municipal vehicle.
If the chief were to stop for a gallon of milk on the way home in the municipal vehicle, that would not be a big deal, Forlenza said, but taking a child to soccer practice or some buddies for a bowling night should be in a private car, not a municipal vehicle, he added.
He said fire districts may be covered under municipal JIF policies, but it must be part of a contract between the district and the municipality that is a member of the JIF.
Middle Township police and the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the accident involving the fire district vehicle. Last month, the Prosecutor’s Office announced charges connected to a collision in the fire district’s parking lot involving the Tahoe.
Daniel DeSimone, an official with the Rio Grande Fire Prevention and Inspection Bureau, reported Dec. 9, 2020, the commission’s Tahoe was involved in a hit-and-run crash, according to information from the Prosecutor’s Office.
“An investigation was conducted by the Middle Township Police Department’s Patrol Division, Major Crimes Unit, and the Cape May County Prosecutors Office,” reads a statement from Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland and Middle Township Police Chief Christopher Leusner. “As a result of the investigation, it was determined the motor vehicle crash was falsely reported, and the crash actually occurred Dec. 8, 2020, during a meeting at the Rio Grande Fire Department.
“It is alleged the crash was not initially reported to police, but DeSimone parked the vehicle in the parking lot and reported a hit-and-run accident the following day, knowing this information to be false.”
DeSimone was charged with a fourth-degree crime. Sutherland stated an individual convicted of a fourth-degree crime can face up to 18 months in state prison.
To contact Bill Barlow, email bbarlow@cmcherald.com.