Capano v. BOUND BROOK RELIEF FIRE CO.

• Decision Date: 17 December 2002
• Citation: 356 N.J. Super. 87,811 A.2d 510
• Parties: Frank CAPANO, Petitioner-Respondent, v. BOUND BROOK RELIEF FIRE CO. # 4, Respondent-Appellant.
• Court: New Jersey Superior Court

811 A.2d 510

356 N.J. Super. 87

Frank CAPANO, Petitioner-Respondent, v. BOUND BROOK RELIEF FIRE CO. # 4, Respondent-Appellant.

Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division.

Submitted October 1, 2002.

Decided December 17, 2002.

Convery, Convery & Shihar, attorneys for appellant (Bernard H. Shihar, Metuchen, of counsel and on the brief).

Vogel & Gast, Watchung, attorneys for respondent (Theodore E. Gast, of counsel and on the brief).

Before Judges STERN, COBURN and ALLEY.

The opinion of the court was delivered by

STERN, P.J.A.D.

Respondent Bound Brook Relief Fire Company appeals from an award of workers' compensation benefits to petitioner, Frank Capano, as a result of an accident on February 19, 1994. The benefits included $2,431.41 for "temporary disability" and $115,722.86 for "permanent disability" for a total of 251 4/7 weeks from the time of the accident to the time of petitioner's death in January of 1999. Although not without difficulty given the nature of the services petitioner performed for respondent volunteer fire company and the nature of his relationship with the squad, we conclude that the controlling statute and our scope of review mandate affirmance of the judgment.

I.

Petitioner, age 93 at the time of the accident in question, became a volunteer fireman for the Borough of Bound Brook when he turned eighteen in 1918. He served as chief of the fire company twice, in 1939 and in 1959. He also founded the Borough's rescue squad in the mid-1930's.

By 1994, petitioner no longer attended drills nor responded to the scene of a fire, but he spent considerable time at the firehouse. He would typically arrive at the firehouse early each evening, clean up a little, and then "watch TV and talk with the other members."

In 1994, David Dombey was respondent's president. Dombey testified that petitioner was a "life member" of the company, which meant that he had been an active member for more than twenty-five years. "Out of honor for his years of service, ... by far the longest standing member of the fire company," respondent kept petitioner's name on the "roster" of active firemen, although petitioner's purpose in going to the firehouse was essentially "social." Fire Chief David Czarcinki also testified that no duties were assigned to petitioner. On the other hand, there was testimony that petitioner helped clean up, mop floors, clean the bathroom and "[took] care" of the wood burning stove used to supplement the heat in the firehouse.

At around 10:00 p.m. on February 19, 1994, petitioner's granddaughter arrived at the firehouse. She and her husband, Bruce Gorski, the company's first lieutenant, found petitioner on the floor next to a table in the back room. Bruce Gorski estimated that the table was about 11 1/2 feet from the wood burning stove which was located on a raised platform. Petitioner was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Somerset Medical Center. His son, Patrick, testified that his father told him, while at the emergency room, that he fell while "putting a log on the wood burning stove" and "stepped off the ledge" of the platform surrounding the stove. Fran Grabowski, petitioner's daughter, also testified that, while at the emergency room, petitioner told her that he got up to put a "log on the wood burning stove" and clean around the stove, but "slipped and fell on the waxed floor."¹

Petitioner had fractured his hip during the fall and had to undergo partial hip replacement surgery. Before the surgery, he had been living with his daughter, but after the surgery he moved to a nursing home.

According to petitioner's expert, Dr. Earl C. Shaw, the fall resulted in a total permanent orthopedic disability. Dr. Shaw opined that nursing home care was necessary, and he believed that respondent "had lost the ability to perform [his normal] acts of daily living."

Respondent's expert, Dr. Francis DeLuca, also diagnosed respondent with a fractured hip, but estimated petitioner's loss due to the hip fracture at 10% of partial total. Dr. DeLuca concluded that the surgery to repair the hip was successful and attributed the balance of petitioner's condition to the normal "aging process."

II.

We find no abuse of discretion by the admission of petitioner's statements to his children regarding what he was doing when he fell. See Cestero v. Ferrara, 57 N.J. 497, 503-504, 273 A.2d 761 (1971)

; Truchan v. Sayreville Bar & Restaurant, 323 N.J.Super. 40, 48-50, 731 A.2d 1218 (App.Div.1999). In any event, there was independent evidence to sustain the finding that he was attending the fire when he fell. Petitioner stated in his deposition, which was admitted into evidence, that he fell due to an "elevation." Bruce Gorski, one of the witnesses who found petitioner on the night of the accident, testified that the wood burning stove is "elevated maybe 14 inches on a brick base." He further testified that the stove sits "set back," about a foot and a half, on the raised platform and that the wood for the stove was kept on a rack next to the stove.

Gorski also testified that he found petitioner "lying on the floor on the far side of the table," which he estimated to be "approximately 11 and a half feet from the stove." Gorski marked the location by placing an "X" on the picture. Petitioner's granddaughter, Lisa Gorski, also drew a diagram showing where petitioner was found.

Based on this evidence, the judge of compensation found that it was "obvious that the Petitioner was much closer to the stove [than] he was to the television located in an opposite corner." Accordingly, the record supports the finding that petitioner had been maintaining the fire incident to his fall.

III.

N.J.S.A. 34:15-43 provides workers' compensation coverage to "each and every member of a volunteer fire company doing public fire duty ... who may be injured in line of duty." As used in this section, "doing public fire duty" and "injured in line of duty" include "participation in any authorized construction, installation, alteration, maintenance or repair work upon the premises, apparatus or other equipment owned or used by the fire company..." (emphasis added.)

The judge of compensation concluded:

that because Frank Capano had a key to the firehouse, a pager to receive fire calls and was in almost daily attendance at the firehouse tending a wood burning stove which was the primary heating source for that firehouse, that Capano was "doing public fire duty" by maintenance of the firehouse premises.

Respondent contends and its witnesses testified that no one in authority ordered Capano to perform any duties of maintenance. The line and corporate officers of Bound Brook Relief Fire Company # 4 provided the key, the pager, and knew the wood burning stove had to be stoked. While it may be true that no direct order was ever given to Capano to perform the maintenance functions he undertook, which also included "cleaning up" the firehouse, their acquiescence in his activity and the benefit conferred upon the fire company by his activity brings Capano within the protection of the provisions of N.J.S.A. 34:15-43.

Respondent contends that because the testimony showed that petitioner was ten to twelve feet from the wood burning stove when he fell, it is more likely that petitioner was watching television than tending the stove. Factually there is no basis for this contention. The exhibits in evidence show that petitioner was much closer to the stove than the television when he was found by his granddaughter.

Respondent raises as a defense an ordinance of the Borough of Bound Brook that establishes criteria for membership in a fire company. This ordinance includes among other requirements that a volunteer fireman over the age 65 must obtain a doctor's certificate that he is physically capable of performing the functions of a volunteer fireman. Respondent would have us apply this ordinance to deny Frank Capano his workers' compensation benefits. However, there is no evidence that this provision has ever been complied with or enforced as to any Bound Brook fireman. To apply this ordinance for the purpose of denying compensation benefits to this injured volunteer fireman would do an inequity.

Respondent introduced in evidence several rosters produced by the borough clerk entitled "Active Fireman's Membership Report" that did not include Frank Capano's name. These rosters did not include[] very many names at all. For the year 1997 the list included four names—in 1996 six names—in 1995 eight names—in 1994 fourteen names or 16 names. No list was produced for 1993. According to the clerk these lists are provided to him by the State of New Jersey and he knows nothing about the reason for or method of preparation. A review of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-56, Exempt Fireman Certificate of Eligibility sets forth the criteria required to qualify as an exempt fireman, seven years of membership attending at least 60% of fire duty in each year, good moral character, citizen of the United States, resident of the municipality, and being between the age[s] of 18 and 40 when membership commenced. N.J.S.A. 40A:14-57, Verified List of Non-Exempt Members requires the filing of a list of non-exempt fireman with the municipal clerk. The lists marked in evidence are lists required by this statute. Since the petitioner was qualified as "exempt" many years before the preparation of the lists in evidence[,] his name would not be included therein.

For the reasons set forth above I find and determine that Frank Capano was "doing public fire duty" at the time he suffered his accident on February 19, 1994. Therefore the Borough of Bound Brook is responsible for workers' compensation benefits as provided by statute.

We find no basis for disturbing this fact-finding which includes an assessment of the credibility of the relatives who found petitioner in proximity to the wood burning stove and heard his nearly contemporaneous explanation of the event, before there was any...