a kink in a fire hose disoriented a Newark firefighter last summer as he was using the line to lead him to safety during that fatal Blaze on the Grande Costa D'Avorio at Port Newark the testimony of Newark fire Captain Oswald Roberto Tuesday afternoon added to the disturbing picture being painted for federal investigators who were leading a public hearing into the response of the cargo ship fire that took the lives of two firemen that testimony continued today and as Ted Goldberg reports the fire hose error was just one of many critical issues during the response what limiting factors do you think challenged this response um I don't know Newark fire chief Rufus Jackson was questioned for more than three hours today explaining the division's protocol in Wake of last Summer's deadly fire at Port Newark Jackson said there were a Litany of issues in fighting this fire but Manpower wasn't one of them I didn't say it was an issue the man the the weather and the beating that this got the men and women if they were there uh were taken from the heat people were just exhausted um and trying to do whatever they could to to help Chief Jackson testified that newark's firefighters haven't received much training for shipboard fires in the nine years since 2014 up until the time of the fire um none of your members have been to ship for firefighting training um no according to Jackson there are a lot of obstacles that can interfere with scheduling training like the cost and the absence of too many firefighters all at once he testified that the last in-person training was in 2014 9 years before the fire at Port Newark there was supposed to have been another course in July which was a walk through of a of of an actual uh ship um and it was from what I got through correspondence from uh VC lent that was cancelled because of Labor issues they were having there what if any standard operating procedures or policies does the Newark fire department have related to shipboard firefighting um there I I looked there is none do you feel like you were equipped to conduct shipboard operations um no Captain Oswald Robetto was fighting the Flames along with Wayne Brooks Jr and Augusto Acabou the firefighters who died aboard the Grande Costa D'Avoria Captain robetto testified yesterday that the scene on board was hectic and disorganized was anybody at the door taking accountability firefighter Maresca was at the door okay and how was the accountability being taken I guess mentally I or memory but there wasn't like a a tag system no my understanding is sometimes firefighters will use tags and a physical board was that being used that day or was it just paper they do have a uh tag they do have a and they supposed to I'm not sure Chief Jackson repeated what other firefighters said earlier this week firefighters on board had trouble understanding the crew of the Italian cargo ship and as confusion built up so did the fire it was a tough language barrier with them the mat was was big and it was I don't know the lighting was was bad in there first of all on that first level and the map was just so involved according to Jackson's testimony the Newark fire division doesn't have a translator at the ready in case something like this happens in fact Jackson said up until last summer the response for a cargo ship fire wasn't terribly different than a response to a building on fire so when the Call Comes in there's a shipboard fire in Port of Newark right are the assets that are sent to the scene any different than the assets that sent to a scene for structure fire prior to this I would say yes but knowing now what I know no the hearing is scheduled to wrap up tomorrow but if the Coast Guard wants to hear more about last Summer's tragedy at Port Newark they could call more witnesses on Friday in Union I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight news