The fatal overdose of a Newark fire captain inside his firehouse in January rattled the department and shocked those who knew him as a popular leader dedicated to his job and family. The city characterized the death of Capt. Carlos Rivera, 49, at the Park Avenue firehouse on Jan. 15, as an isolated incident. But NJ Advance Media has learned that the episode resulted in the transfer of 89 department members, including all 40 firefighters and captains assigned to Park Avenue, plus their replacements from among Newark’s 15 other firehouses. The head of the firefighters’ union and rank-and-file me…
