Jersey City Mayoral candidate Bill O’Dea says the recent holiday, firehouse closures pose a huge risk to local residents and businesses, and are unacceptable. The Hudson County Commissioner is calling on city officials to take immediate action after raising concerns over an unusually high number of fire company closures in Jersey City during the holiday season.
In a press release sent out by the O’Dea for Mayor campaign, the Commissioner cited six fire companies were closed on Christmas Day and seven on December 29 due to understaffing—an unprecedented situation in recent years. O’Dea pointed that the city has not approved requests for overtime by Jersey City Fire Department supervisors in recent years, even though limited overtime could help maintain sufficient manpower to protect residents and their homes.
“Unnecessarily closing fire companies creates a serious public safety issue that needs to be addressed immediately,” said Commissioner O’Dea. “While staffing shortages during the holidays are common, measures must be taken to ensure public safety. In this case, authorizing a limited amount of overtime would appear to be the most effective solution and I believe that this must be strongly considered by Director Shea. Of course, overtime should be limited and not abused. However, it is clearly warranted in this situation, especially during the winter months when the risk of fires increases due to the use of home heating systems and equipment.”
O’Dea emphasized the urgency of implementing a plan to prevent further fire company closures. He expressed his willingness to collaborate with city officials to address the issue.