Joseph McCarthy, above, joined the Bloomfield FD in 1979 and rose through the ranks to become chief seven years ago.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield Fire Department Chief Joseph McCarthy will be retiring at the end of this month. He has been 39 years on the job and fire chief for seven.
McCarthy, 59, grew up in a fire department family. Both his father and grandfather were members of the East Orange Fire Department and both retired as deputy chiefs. In a firehouse interview earlier this week, McCarthy said he loved listening to the stories they would tell and was ennobled by the example they set.
He started his career 39 years ago, on Thursday, March 29, 1979. His mentor was his first captain, Tom Rollar.
“He was one of my friends’ dads at high school,” McCarthy said. “He was always calm, a patient and good teacher.”
At the time, McCarthy was not the only rookie under Rollar’s care.
“He never lost his temper, even when we messed up,” McCarthy said. “He’d take us aside and correct us. He never got emotional. All rookies make mistakes and he knew full well in a few days we’d make a mistake, but not the same one.”
Rollar shared some of the same qualities that his father and grandfather had, McCarthy said, They would say that the only time a fireman yells is when his own house is on fire.
“You have to be professional,” McCarthy said. “My grandfather told me not to show your excitement; always stay in control. It was something I wanted to emulate.”
He recalled his first fire. It was late spring, 1979, a house fire on Grove Street.
“I remember being completely wiped out by the heat,” he said. “Despite having listened to my father and grandfather, the first time you’re in a building and you can’t see your hand in front of your face, and to remain a productive part of a firefighting effort, nothing prepares you for that.”
Speaking generally, McCarthy said fires around Christmas time are always emotional because they happen at a time that should be joyous, but a family has lost everything.
There were two other fires.
“In 1983, there was an apartment house fire on Harrison Street, in East Orange,” he said. “Rescue Capt. Bob Wosner, I spent many an afternoon hearing him and my dad, was killed.”
In March 1989, another family friend died. This was East Orange firefighter Ed Jones. An old department store was on fire in East Orange.
“That day I was there working,” McCarthy said. “I was emotionally seared. You know your buddy in the building is not coming out alive.”
McCarthy has had close calls.
“I was involved in a floor collapse in 1982 as a firefighter,” he said. “I was out of work with a serious shoulder injury. A couple of years later, in Bloomfield Center, a fire rolled over our heads.”
After the fire went over the firefighters’ heads, it was in front and behind them.This fire was on Ward Street, at a building that had been a supermarket.
“Another engine came and put water on the fire,” he said. “If they weren’t there, not a happy ending.”
After almost 40 years, McCarthy has seen changes.
“The personal protection equipment has improved,” he said. “There’s more protection than in the ‘70s. Overall, the safety is better. Everyone has a radio. We didn’t in the ‘70s.”
There is presently more accountability, knowing where everyone is, and better recruit training, he said.
“The training is more extensive now,” he said. “By law, you go to the fire academy for a 140-hour class.”
Academy training began about 25 years ago, McCarthy said. But then he started, he received a couple days at the firehouse.
There are fewer firefighters today. This is because of insufficient funding, McCarthy said.
“It’s essential that everyone is better trained,” he said. “There’s no margin for error.”
McCarthy said there were four qualities a fireman should possess.
“Solid integrity,” he said. “We’ve earned the public’s trust and we must maintain that — that people can count on us.”
The second quality he named was physical fitness. He reference BPD Deputy Chief Lou Venezia who said a fireman is an “occupational athlete.”
“Firefighting is physically demanding,” McCarthy said. “To be good you have to be ready to perform at that level.
“The third is dedication,” he continued. “You have to be willing to work nights, holidays, miss family outings, and in any weather. You need dedication to the job. It’s sometimes hard for girls and women that you won’t be making plans for New Year’s Eve because you’ll be working.
“And fourth, you have to be a team player,” he said. “Nothing we do is an individual event. Fighting a fire may look like chaos. But it’s a ballet, it’s orchestrated. “Everyone has to do their job.”
If anyone came to him for advice about becoming a firefighter, McCarthy said he would tell them that it is a noble occupation.
“You spend your entire career — to make something miserable that happened to someone — better,” he said. “Nobody calls us because they’re having fun.”
McCarthy said firefighters and their family know that it is almost inevitable that there are going to be injuries.
“It’s no different than being an athlete,” he said. “You’re going to get hurt.”
But his BFD chapter is closing and for Bloomfield a new chapter is opening.
“After 39 years, it’s time to let the newer generation move this agency forward with fresh ideas,” McCarthy said. “Also, when I was younger, my father and grandfather — their bodies took a beating — three, four, five years after retirement they were dead. I want to spend some quality time with my grandchildren and not put them through the same things I went through.”
McCarthy is figuring on a trip to see family in Washington State and then to Savannah, Ga, to visit more family.
“In the short run, enjoy myself,” he said.
He will miss the firehouse camaraderie between calls and firehouse culture.
“I grew up in the East Orange firehouse,” he said. “I’ll miss the camaraderie among the crews.” McCarthy’s brother Jim is a BFD captain and his son Danny is a fire department volunteer.
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