Canadian firetruck responding to U.S. call held up at border
Upstate New York firefighters asked nearby Canadian units for help with blaze
Firetruck that responded held up at U.S. border for eight minutes
Government source says one firefighter’s criminal record caused the delay
U.S. firefighter calls it embarrassing, says it delayed relief for tired firefighters (CNN) – A Canadian firetruck responding with lights and sirens to a weekend fire in Rouses Point, New York, was stopped at the U.S. border for about eight minutes, U.S. border officials said Tuesday. The U.S.-Canadian border is more than 5,000 miles long.
Fire officials battling the blaze called for help from fire departments in nearby Quebec, using a longstanding and often-used mutual aid agreement. But the first truck that arrived at the small Rouses Point border crossing was delayed as officials checked documentation of the firefighters and their truck, officials confirmed.
Two other trucks that arrived at the crossing next were cleared in less then two minutes each, a time that one fire official said was still too long considering the situation.
“It’s embarrassing,” said Chris Trombley, chief of the Champlain [New York] Volunteer Fire Department and deputy fire coordinator for Clinton County Emergency Services. “We’re calling for help from another country and the first roadblock they hit is at our border.”
The Canadian firefighters “were asked for IDs,” Trombley said. “I believe they even ran the license plate on the truck to make sure it was legal.”
In the past, firetrucks on emergency calls cleared border checkpoints in 30 seconds or less, Trombley said, although he said identification is sometimes checked upon their return.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said the eight-minute delay at the Rouses Point crossing was caused “when one of the firefighters’ admissibility was brought into question.” He declined to elaborate, citing immigration and privacy laws.
A government source familiar with the case said one firefighter had a criminal record, raising questions about whether he could enter the United States.
Kevin Corsaro of the border protection’s Buffalo field office said the agency’s primary responsibility is to protect the homeland. He called the event an “isolated incident” and said agency officials were meeting with local fire officials to “develop a plan to prevent the possibility of any delays.”
No one was seriously injured in the fire, but The Anchorage Inn restaurant – a landmark in the village of Rouses Point – was destroyed. A firefighter who suffered minor smoke inhalation was treated at the scene, said Michael LeBlanc, chief of the Rouses Point Volunteer Fire Department. The cause of the blaze has not been determined, he said.
Ten fire departments, including the Canadian departments, responded to the fire.
“Would it [quicker passage at the border] have changed the outcome of the fire?” Trombley asked. “Would the building have been burned? Of course it would.” But he said firefighters were getting fatigued fighting the fire and relief was delayed. “Just the fact that it could happen and it could happen again is what has us worried,” he said.
Clinton County has mutual aid agreements with fire departments in Vermont and Quebec, Trombley said, and the county requests help from Quebec fire departments about 30 times a year. It sends help to Canada a similar number of times, he said.
Trombley and LeBlanc said they planned to meet with authorities on Wednesday to discuss the incident. LeBlanc declined to comment. “I don’t have all the facts and I don’t want to mistake what happened,” he said.
“We’ve had a mutual aid system in place since the '50s and I can’t remember anything like this happening,” said Trombley.
So an emergency response vehicle comes charging at the border, lights and sirens blazing. The border patrol agent tries to do a quick ID check of the men on board and puts up a fight when one of them has a criminal record he refuses to explain, and the border patrol is being criticized?
So an emergency response vehicle comes charging at the border, lights and sirens blazing. The border patrol agent tries to do a quick ID check of the men on board and puts up a fight when one of them has a criminal record he refuses to explain, and the border patrol is being criticized?
Sounds like they were doing their job. :gotme:
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i agree they were doing their job, but i dont see where the guy put up a fight, and the deal with running the license plate was a bit excessive. from the sounds of it, theyve been doing this for 50 years, i think its jacked up that this just now happens
So an emergency response vehicle comes charging at the border, lights and sirens blazing. The border patrol agent tries to do a quick ID check of the men on board and puts up a fight when one of them has a criminal record he refuses to explain, and the border patrol is being criticized?
Sounds like they were doing their job. :gotme:
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Exactly. They did what they should have done and I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s good to hear that someone is actually doing what they are supposed to do.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said the eight-minute delay at the Rouses Point crossing was caused “when one of the firefighters’ admissibility was brought into question.” He declined to elaborate, citing immigration and privacy laws.
So an emergency response vehicle comes charging at the border, lights and sirens blazing. The border patrol agent tries to do a quick ID check of the men on board and puts up a fight when one of them has a criminal record he refuses to explain, and the border patrol is being criticized?
Sounds like they were doing their job. :gotme:
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no were did they say the firefighter refused to explain. US customs refused to elaborate about his criminal past. Thats it.
A government source familiar with the case said one firefighter had a criminal record, raising questions about whether he could enter the United States.
Firemen are not above the law. Just because the fire company allows you to be a fireman with a record doesn’t not mean the border gets to ignore your criminal past. It’s an unfortunate situation but I don’t think customs did anything wrong.
it doesnt say that he refused, my guess is he was middle eastern or something like that so they took exception to it. which i can see the point of that, only if maybe the whole engine was full of middle eastern people.
+1 on agreeing they were doing their job, great, glad to see it
-20 on common sense, surely if they were doing a joint service, border patrol had to have been contacted by dispatch that they were coming through
edit: ok, i didnt see the whole criminal record thing. my bad on that… but i still stand firm on the -20 portion
The story said that the border patrol dude wouldn’t tell the reporter about the fireman’s record. I read it as meaning that the fireman wouldn’t tell the border patrol dude about his criminal record.
if the firefighters record was bad enough i see no problem with the delay. otherwise something like this with joint aid should be handled a tad different.
Firemen are not above the law. Just because the fire company allows you to be a fireman with a record doesn’t not mean the border gets to ignore your criminal past. It’s an unfortunate situation but I don’t think customs did anything wrong.
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Well put.
If they want a quicker response call for US backup or have all the border area firefighters get Nexus.
Could have been handled a little better but it was them doing their jobs. If i were in the situation i would have that guy stay behind and make sure he got back to canada safely.
Could have been handled a little better but it was them doing their jobs. If i were in the situation i would have that guy stay behind and make sure he got back to canada safely.
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also, if this guy had a criminal record, he shoulda never been allowed to get on the truck to begin with knowing they were going across the border
The U.S.-Canadian border is more than 5,000 miles long.