Phila., Camden fire departments work on working together

The Philadelphia and Camden Fire Departments have worked side by side in the past, most recently in the aftermath of the fatal duck tour accident on the Delaware River.

But after Camden laid off a third of its fire force on Jan. 18, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers thought, "Oh, it's going to be different now." So he called Camden Chief Michael Harper.

"It was really a proactive sit-down" to discuss how in the case of a "catastrophic event," the departments could help each other, Ayers said Friday morning.

Since 2008, New Jersey and Philadelphia have had a mutual aid agreement in the event of any emergency such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Camden's call for help would go through the Office of Emergency Management in Philadelphia, Ayers said.

The Jan. 26 meeting solidified the existing plan for Camden to request assistance in a catastrophe when all of its other resources - South Jersey fire companies - have been depleted, officials said Friday.

But Philadelphia firefighters union president Bill Gault said that only in the case of an airplane's flying into a building in Camden would he support Philadelphia firefighters going over the bridge. Philadelphia is "cut to the bone," he said, and cannot afford to lend firefighters to Camden.

"New Jersey has to fix its problems, and Philadelphia needs to fix its problems," Gault said. "We are underprotected."

Both departments stressed that it's not uncommon for them to work together on accidents on the Walt Whitman or Ben Franklin Bridges or special events on the Delaware River, such as the Red Bull Flugtag, an air show featuring homemade machines.

Following the meeting, the departments tested communicating with one another. Philadelphia's department is on a high-band frequency, while Camden is on a low-band frequency. However, following 9/11, Philadelphia acquired a device that allows communication between radios of different frequencies. "Interoperational readiness," Ayers called it.

Communication "from one truck in Philadelphia to a pumper in Camden" via radio, Harper said, was flawless.

Now the departments are looking at what equipment is compatible, Harper said. At an afternoon news conference Friday, Ayers said Philadelphia's hoses were not compatible with Camden's hydrants.

Ayers said the mutual aid agreement goes both ways.

"We could have something happen in Old City and we would look for resources," he said.

Inquirer staff writer Troy Graham contributed to this article.