Unsanctioned volunteer crew operating in Rockland County, New York. Arrive and put the Fire put out before the official fire department arrives.

Photos by Hillcrest fire Chief Kim Weppler.

From Jenna Carlesso at LoHud.com:

A continuing dispute over fighting fires in this small Hasidic village once again boiled to the surface when firefighters from Hillcrest yesterday responded to a blaze at the grand rabbi's home and found that a group of unsanctioned local volunteers with a makeshift firetruck had already begun dousing the flames.
Hillcrest Fire Chief Kim Weppler said he was concerned that the volunteers, who are part of New Square Emergency Services, may injure themselves or others because they have tried to battle blazes without proper training or equipment.
"This could have been a deadly situation. One of their members or someone from the community could've gotten hurt, and it delayed us getting in there," Weppler said.
But village officials say their relationship with Hillcrest and Rockland County fire administrators has been friendly, and their volunteers were only trying to help.
"As of now our intentions are not to fight house fires," Deputy Mayor Israel Spitzer said. "We will sit down (with Rockland fire officials) and make sure we come to an agreement and get all the necessary training in order to qualify."

Spitzer said talks of arranging a meeting between village leaders and Rockland fire administrators had been in the works long before yesterday's fire.
"We are definitely eager and looking forward to making sure we are working together, and we are both working for the safety of the community," he said.
The Moleston Fire District, which oversees the Hillcrest department, took issue with New Square some two years ago because of building and safety violations there. The district threatened to stop providing emergency services to the village unless a meeting was held to discuss improving communications and setting time frames for building inspections and safety improvements.
A little more than a year ago, Weppler said, he began noticing a makeshift firetruck the size of an ambulance with a 200-gallon water tank turning up at fires across New Square.
Often, he said, volunteers would use it to fight flames without contacting the Hillcrest department. State law mandates that they report all fires to the chief of the fire district, in this case, Weppler.
"It's absolutely illegal," he said yesterday. "They are untrained personnel civilians participating in firefighting activities."

The village has set up its own emergency response system, said Gordon Wren, Rockland's fire coordinator. Rather than dialing 911, residents call a different number unique to New Square.
"Today is one of the first times they've had something potentially serious, but we don't know for sure because they don't tell us," he said yesterday.
Wren said he worries about the volunteers because they don't have equipment designed to protect them from smoke.
"I give these guys credit for being so courageous, but I don't think they understand the danger of what they're doing," he said.
Yesterday's fire at 10 Jefferson Ave. consumed a portion of the roof above a library.
As Hillcrest firefighters arrived, New Square volunteers were reeling in two hoses they had used to drench the flames, Weppler said.
No one was injured.
Aron Kaff, the village's public safety coordinator, said volunteers had grabbed fire extinguishers from a nearby elementary school to defeat the fire.
"They are here to help anybody in the community," he said. "They don't take it upon themselves to go after house fires."
Both sides expect to reach an agreement on policies and procedures once a meeting is established.
"There's been some discussion on this, but obviously much more needs to be done," Wren said. "The key here is to get all the appropriate parties together and come up with solutions."