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Read the JJ, this guy has a history of violence and poor behavior on and off the job.

Bad apple has to go, don't waste the tax payers $$ on a useless case.

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I always like to mitigate risk and ask why ?

Was it the right thing to do by the Captain to performance manage the guy at that time of high stress and possibly infront of his peers ?

What stress management (counselling) policies do they have for the dept and what sort of rehab / training did he have for his previous 'pan over the head' incident ?

How often do they have drug tests (steriods etc) for suspected personnel ?

His Union should be behind him, to see who really is at fault for the outburst - Did the guy have a history of bad behavior before ever being approved to be a fireman and what has trigged this steady increase in aggression ?

This dude is an obvious bad apple and has to go.

Lets move on !

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I feel the same way about your posts.

In a case like this, I always think of 'steriods' or some form of mental health issue.
Do we all recall the guy who failed his psych test but was still allowed to be chosen to join the fire dept. ahead of others and the family relationship he had with our favorite Mayor to overlook that failure ?

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There's a bad pun here, screaming to get out. Don't encourage it.

Indict firefighter; say he punched captain

Tuesday, December 02, 2008
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Jersey City firefighter has been indicted on charges he punched his captain in the face while battling a three-alarm blaze in July, officials said yesterday.

It was also revealed that Firefighter Robert Verpent, 47, of Leonardo, had been disciplined before for clobbering a fellow firefighter with a frying pan.

Verpent was arrested at the scene of the South Street fire on July 18 after reportedly slugging Capt. Frances Reynolds in the face, officials said. A grand jury indicted him Nov. 12 on the charges of aggravated assault and official misconduct, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said yesterday.

Verpent faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, DeFazio said.

Verpent also faces Fire Department administrative charges and fire officials are seeking to terminate him, Fire Director Armando Roman said.

Roman said the internal charges are moving forward very slowly because the department has been unable to contact Verpent.

Fire Chief Michael O'Reilly, who was present at the Heights blaze, suspended Verpent without pay on the spot.

Roman said the 11-year member of the department was accused of striking another firefighter over the head with a frying pan in a firehouse a "couple of years ago," causing the victim to require medical attention. Verpent was disciplined for that incident, Roman said, but didn't elaborate on the punishment.

Verpent has had a number of run-ins with the law outside Hudson County. Those incidents involved disorderly persons charges, or misdemeanors, officials said.

Roman said that while fighting the South Street fire, Reynolds told Verpent to help other firefighters perform a task. Verpent resisted and then struck him.

Roman said he didn't know of any prior disagreements between the men. According to police, Verpent became enraged when the captain called him "a coward."

Verpent has been arrested and is being held in Hudson County jail in Kearny. He is to appear for a bail hearing at 9 a.m. tomorrow in the Jersey City courtroom of Superior Court Judge Barry Sarkisian.

While reviewing this posting I could not but help to cheer for the underdog...in this case the firefighterveteran who took on the Capt. after being "provoked and intimidated" by a superior officer (the word superior is not one I choose to use as a good word describing the Capt.)

I think that Mohamed Ali would aprove of the slugfest and the continuation after the bell into round two ie the court challenge and the boxing matche all the way through to round 15 of a heavy weight event.

That the capt saw fit to belittle demean and disrespect a "front line firefighter" by calling him a coward is sufficient to get the capt. exactly what he got....good on ......now about why the ff in question poked the capt in the face....do ya just think the man had it comming? Lets see...capt gets his head knocked off by giving a command to do something that could get the firefighter and his crewmates killed....sound so familiar? Yep....in da army yeah not the Salvation Army the other one....you would find the Capt. getting "fragged" ...ie taken out of the equation...for getting his people injured or killed with stupid orders that plain "don't mean nothing"...

.....If what it took was to tune the man up to the fact he was issuing orders that would get people hurt or killed and if the firefighterveteran ignored the order then I would say under the mandate of "Everyone Goes Home Life Initiative" the man deserves a medal and bedamed PRO CEED URES and Rules and Regs. If everyone went home after this particular call then I would say...."Good On Mate Well Done" do it again if ya hafta and let the judge decide....Oh yes...about the stress thing....have a look at the web site for firefighterveteran stress issues....on the internet...
firefighterveteran.com

Mayby the fellow who poked (that would be the poker) and the receiver.....the capt. (the pokeee) had an issue....It is relevant to point out the failure of "Incident Command" to recognize the "Inherent danger and stress levels" of this call and of the build up in tension levels of this particular firefighterveteran and the failure to send him to rehab and get another firefighterveteran to carry out his silly orders....

One would call that as it is....Command Guideance Failed and the Capt was chosen to receive the results of an issued order that the firefighterveteran made a descision to adjust and amend....to which he was called a "coward" by his commander....to which....action reaction...the universal laws of nature simply took over. Now as to the fall out....any firefighter who works with the capt. in the future should "boycott" the capt and any descision he makes....Seems to me....wrong orders getting people injured or killed deserve some sort of a reaction....calling a firefighterveteran a coward on the fire line is just pointing the finger back at the coward who issued something stupid from his filthy sewer and it got flushed as it should...


sign me a firefighterveteran 26 years with IAFF
Proud to have Served and proud to shake the hand of the firefighterveteran who punched the capt out....good job...
S. Pennington
North American Fire Fighter Veterans Network
on the web: firefighterveteran.com
care for the caregivers
stress education and information for First Responders/Fire

FIREMAN ON HOT SEAT
He may be canned for slugging captain

Saturday, August 02, 2008
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Fire Department officials are seeking to terminate the firefighter charged by police with punching his captain in the face while on the scene of a three-alarm blaze in the Heights last month, officials said yesterday.

After the July 18 incident on South Street, Firefighter Robert Verpent was charged criminally, as well as hit with a number of departmental charges that include insubordination, conduct unbecoming and violation of a criminal law, Fire Department Deputy Director Jerry Cala said yesterday.

Verpent, 47, of Leonardo, was arrested at the scene of the fire after allegedly slugging Capt. Frances Reynolds, officials said, adding that Fire Chief Michael O'Reilly, who was present at the fire, suspended Verpent without pay on the spot.

According to police, Verpent said he became enraged when the captain called him "a coward."

Police charged the 11-year veteran of the department with aggravated assault, officials said, adding that he was then released on his own recognizance.

Jersey City Firefighters Union President Joseph Krajnic said he has not been formally informed of the departmental charges against Verpent and he had no comment yesterday afternoon.

Fire Director Armando Roman said Reynolds had told Verpent to help other firefighters perform a task and Verpent resisted and then struck him. Roman said he didn't know of any prior beef between the men.

Cala said Verpent was formally served with the departmental charges last week and within the next 30 days a hearing on the charges will be held before a three-man panel. Verpent will be represented by union counsel.

The panel, consisting of two Fire Department officers and a firefighter, will give a ruling of guilty or not guilty, and that recommendation will go to O'Reilly and Roman. Should there be a guilty verdict, the personnel department will be notified of the prescribed punishment, which can include termination, Cala said.