Ramapo officials are concerned a so-called “fire brigade” of volunteer firefighters not trained by the county and who have been encouraging residents of Monsey to call them in an emergency instead of 911 may not be breaking the law. Ramapo police chief Dan Hyman says the mere existence of the group is not improper, and police would need any evidence of wrongdoing before anything could be done…
Ramapo supervisor Michael Specht says it’s frustrating that there’s no law preventing the group, which reportedly even has their own fire truck, from forming…
Chief Hyman encourages residents to call 911 in case of a fire emergency. In a post on Facebook over the weekend, Rockland County Executive Ed Day called it “beyond dangerous” for the volunteer group to encourage residents to call them instead of 911, noting that any delay in calling 911 risks residents’ lives, the lives of the untrained “fire brigade” and the real firefighters who then need to deal with a blaze that has become more involved.