Newark mayor Ras Baraka is speaking out for the first time addressing criticisms over the recent deaths of two City Firefighters the veteran members lost their lives while battling Ablaze earlier this month aboard a cargo ship at Port Newark Baraka who's never been one to shy away from defending his administration vowed to wait until the funerals were held for the Fallen firefighters before talking publicly well the firefighters Union has since raised questions around understaffing and proper training creating tensions with the city mayor baraka's remarks came on a day of mixed emotions with the division welcoming nine new recruits at a graduation ceremony helping to fill some of the 48 current vacancies and add a much needed boost to morale Ted Goldberg reports without it gives me a great pleasure to introduce to you our newest firefighters as the city of Newark welcomes nine new firefighters fresh out the academy a Paul hung over today's Graduation Ceremony this was just two weeks after the funerals for Augusto akabu and Wayne Brooks Jr two firemen who died after responding to a fire on a cargo ship at Port Newark still fresh on our hearts and minds are to the deaths of Captain Acabou and Captain Brooks Jr and we still the city is still mourning the families are still mourning and trying to figure that out mayor Ras Baraka has heard people criticize training protocol for Brick City firefighters in responding to ship fires after today's graduation ceremony he pushed back against that criticism some of which has come from the city's own firefighter unions there's been training on lithium batteries and and all other kind of things that happened at Deport norcas responded to the fires on the port in the past uh two or three times responding to issues even at the airport so our relationship with the port in the airport is not new there is not a blame that's going to be laid around but I'm disheartened by them saying that we were extensively trained the training only went out for an hour and a half it was a tabletop exercise that basically just gave awareness we've had training a few weeks ago and Richard supporting the ships in general but the reality of it is every single vessel that you may board is totally different you have hundreds of vessels that are made in other countries in this case this was an Italian ship we go on board the ship we have the plans and we react and adjust to that fire so you're never going to be have an idea of what you're going into until you see the floor plans real time so this is real-time decisions these guys are making Split Second newark's fire unions have also brought up understaffing as being an issue for the Department according to the latest census Newark grew by more than 30 000 people from 2010 to 2020. on the night of the event I do not think while I'm sure that they were not understaffed at that incident and that they had the proper equipment that we provided at the incident as well those men didn't die because we didn't have enough trucks that's just not true those men didn't die because there was not enough personnel there that's just not true those men didn't die because people were cowardly or they didn't act the way they should act everybody did what the hell they were supposed to do based on their training we're city leaders and union leaders agree is that Newark needs more people to attend Academy and become firefighters mayor Baraka says there have been discussions for months to bring a station to downtown Newark and expand the department and that around 50 more firefighters will be hired this year because of vacation personal days sick leave it falls short sometimes and when it falls short we feel of what I feel a void with overtime and FPA standards for like the chief said smaller towns may be of a lesser requirement for the size of the city of Newark each engine and ladder company should be at least staffed with one officer and five firefighters we have not had that Staffing level in over 10 years this latest Academy started with 20 firefighters fighting for a spot in Newark only nine of them made the cut and heard their names called today knowing that there is a stigma becoming a police or fireman instead of asking 20 guys to join the department they should ask 200. as for Port Newark Baraka says City Firefighters will continue responding to fires on ships there in Newark I'm Ted Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight News