Darkest Day for Hackensack Fire Fighters: 20 Years Later

July 11, 2008 – On July 1, 1988, Hackensack, New Jersey, fire fighters responded to what would be the deadliest day in Hackensack Fire Department history. Two members of Hackensack Uniformed Fire Officers Association Local 3172 and three members of Hackensack Professional Fire Fighters Local 2081 lost their lives when a Ford dealership’s truss roof collapsed.

On the 20th anniversary of this deadly fire, more than 300 fire fighters and families of the fallen gathered at the memorial on Hackensack’s Main Street July 1, 2008, to honor the five who lost their lives. At the site, five granite columns represent each of the fallen – Stephen Ennis, William Krejsa, Leonard Radumski, Richard Reinhagen and Richard Williams.

“We made a promise 20 years ago to always remember what happened to our brothers,” says John Linquito, president of Local 2081. “It’s a promise that we have kept by coming together every July 1.”

On that day in 1988, fire fighters were called to the Ford dealership after one of its employees saw flames. When they went to cut a hole in the roof for ventilation, no one realized the dealership had a truss roof, which are prone to collapse, until it was too late.

Battalion Chief Sandy Williams ordered a retreat, but fire fighters did not hear the command. Minutes later, the roof fell, killing Williams, Krejsa and Radumski. Reinhagen and Ennis survived the collapse, but became trapped and ran out of air before help could get to them.

Local 3172 Deputy Chief Bruce Goldberg was off duty that day, but was called to the fire on the recall. “As a fire fighter, you think about the danger you’re in from time to time, but you still don’t expect it.”

No one wanted to leave until all fire fighters were out of the building. “We work, eat and respond to calls together,” says Goldberg. “We are a team and a family. It was painful, but I think we all wanted to be the ones to recover them.”

The severity of the fire resulted in several studies of the incident. The lessons learned helped change the way fire fighters fight fires forever. “We were able to take the knowledge we gained and make countless improvements to fire service operations,” says Charles Grieco, president of Local 3172. “

“Now training, safety procedures and fire fighting tactics are radically different,” he adds. “Because of these changes, the lives of countless fire fighters and citizens alike have been saved.”

The IAFF’s report on the Hackensack Ford dealership fire found that the fire fighter deaths were preventable. The analysis and recommendations can be found here. The Bureau of Fire Safety of New Jersey and the National Fire Protection Association also conducted investigations and offered a series of safety recommendations.