Prospect Fire Apparatus Company

Shashank Joshi: A conflict haunted by echoes of the past

When Syrian tanks stormed Hama at dawn, they swept through like haunting echoes of the forces that destroyed the city in 1982.

On that occasion, several hundred times as many residents perished. Bashar al-Assad has not yet penetrated Hama’s centre, as his father did nearly thirty years ago, but his army’s loyalty suggests that it has every chance of doing so.

The Assad dynasty’s strength is rooted in decisions taken long ago by the occupying French, who built up Syria's Alawite sect after the First World War as a counterweight to the Ottoman-backed Sunni majority. Alawite officers dominated the military from the 1960s, seizing power in coups in the latter part of the decade. They built up a cohesive and sprawling military and intelligence apparatus – pitiful against Israel, but lethally efficient against Syrians. 

Syria has therefore followed an entirely different trajectory than Libya or Egypt. Its army is neither fractured (like Gaddfi’s) nor independent (like Mubarak’s), and is therefore both able and willing to act with overwhelming force against compatriots.70 percent of

Syria's full-time soldiers, and 80 percent of officers, are Alawite. The 4th Mechanized Division and Republican Guard, along with the influential air force intelligence, are drawn entirely from that sect. The

Shabiha, an Alawite militia, has also been a key repressive tool. The consequence of transforming Syria's military into a confessional militia is that its commanders see little future in a post-Assad Syria. And in fighting for their institutional survival, they fight hard. 

The 4th Division, led by Bashar Assad's brother Maher, was used to quell Deraa in the south. It was employed against the besieged town of Jisral-Shughour, pushing thousands of refugees into Turkey, and it is now punching through Damascus’ suburbs to crush protests before Ramadan. It is operating with speed and efficiency.

Nonetheless, the bulk of Syrian conscripts are Sunnis. Parts of the largely Sunni 5th Division defected early on in the south, even firing on their counterparts in the 4th Division. Other units, like the 9th Division, have also seen troops peel away, particularly where Sunni conscripts from poor agricultural regions have been ordered to fire on co-sectarians. The bloodshed at Hama will accelerate this process.

Powerful Storm Rips Through Station 55′s Local Area « Welcome to ...

An intense storm with concentrated high winds, heavy rain, and lightning ripped through the northeast section of Jackson Township during the evening of July 29 resulting in a deluge of emergency calls for Jackson Stations 55.  In all, during those eight hours a total of 72 emergency incident fire calls — including a severed and leaking residential service gas main — were received between the hours of 6:40 p.m. Friday evening July 29 and 2:30 a.m. Saturday July 30 morning. Mutual aid assistance was provided to Station 55 by Jackson Mills Station 54, Whitesville Station 57, and Cassville Station 56.  Early on in the storm, Jackson Station 55 Chief Timothy J. Carson established an emergency command post at the North New Prospect Road Fire Station.  Firefighters from all four Jackson stations helped numerous residents and business owners deal with the crippling effects of the storm.  Large trees toppled on cars and some houses, with some structural damage evident to a few homes. There were countless trees, large branches and wires down in many neighborhoods. Firefighters from Station 55, 54, and 57 evacuated all of the nearby houses due to the leaking gas, and also provided a stand-by hoseline in the event of an explosion.  New Jersey Natural Gas repair crews dug a hole in the street to close a nearby valve, ending the leak.  Several displaced residents from the neighborhood involved were transported by firefighters to Station 55 until they could secure temporary housing. Chief Carson stated “although there was significant damage to a large portion of our fire district and town, we were thankful that no one was injured on Friday.  We thank our nearby neighboring fire departments, Jackson Police, Jackson First Aid Squad, Jackson Emergency Management, New Jersey Natural Gas, and JCP&L, families of our firefighters, and many friends and neighbors for their immediate help during and after the storm.

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