Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - KJ Fire Dept Ready To Help Their Neighbor

Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - Kiryas Joel Fire Department joined the network of Mutual Aid this week, (in which neighboring departments help each other out). But how often they're called to help their neighbors remains to be seen, given lingering concerns about their inability to rush into burning buildings - a dangerous duty that demands the utmost trust among firefighters.

Kiryas Joel's firefighters aren't qualified to fight interior fires, because federal regulations dictate that their beards prevent oxygen masks from fitting properly.
In their village they worked around that problem by contracting with Monroe to respond to serious fires and answer calls on Shabbas and Jewish holidays. But some neighboring departments still worry about Kiryas Joel's limitations as it joins their firefighting brotherhood.
"They can't come over to stand by in Woodbury, because they're not qualified as interior firefighters," Woodbury Fire Chief said.

But in a memo sent last week to Orange County fire departments to welcome Kiryas Joel, David Hoffman, the county official who oversees those companies, stressed the other ways in which Kiryas Joel firefighters can help their comrades.
He wrote: "With the exception of not having interior firefighting capabilities and availability on religious holidays, they can provide Mutual Aid in all other aspects, such as but not limited to exterior firefighting capabilities, scene support operations, water supply, extrication, etc."