DOWNS: One person was hospitalized and 40 displaced as the result of a 2-alarm fire that involved a five-story apartment house on Market St., Newark, April 29th. 

UPS: Firefighters rescued several people that were trapped inside of a burning home on Spring Garden St. in Palmyra, April 28th.  Firefighters made quick work of the fire on the second-floor, according to the Cinnaminson Patch. 

DOWNS: A 73-year-old employee was killed and four others injured after an explosion and fire at the Superior Signal business on Greystone Rd., Old Bridge, May 1st.  Police reported four employees suffered severe burns.  Two victims were flown to St. Barnabas Burn Center.

UPS: At the April 24th Morris County Board of County Commissioners meeting, county Fire Training Coordinator Louis “Lou” Pepe and Fire Marshal David Barter were honored by the board for their years of dedication and support, in advance of their May 1st retirements.  

DOWNS: Multiple families were displaced due to a fire that raced through a condominium in Bedminister, April 5th.  The fire, on Encampent Drive, caused extensive damage to five units, according to the Basking Ridge Patch.

UPS: Richard Kraemer has been named as the new Mercer County OEM coordinator.  Kraemer spent over 20-years in Hamilton Township, including serving as Executive Head of the Hamilton Township Fire Division.  Before the township fire districts consolidated, Kraemer served as chief of Fire District 6.  

DOWNS: The homeowner of a Secretariat Square dwelling, in Marlboro, was taken to a local hospital for treatment of burns to his arm as the result of a fire on April 25th.  The fire started in a shed and then spread to the home, according to News 12. 

UPS: On May 1st, members of Hackensack Engine Co. 5 rescued a cat that had slipped down a chimney clean out and found itself stuck at the bottom, according to the department Facebook page.  “With skill and care, our firefighters worked tirelessly to free the little adventurer without a scratch or without any damage to the chimney.” 

DOWNS: Responding to a fire at a Marin Blvd. high rise in Jersey City, May 2nd, firefighters located a 61-year-old man unresponsive in his smoke-filled apartment.  Firefighters performed CPR and the victim was transported to JCMC, where he was pronounced dead, prosecutors said.    

UPS: Three residents of a Dayton Cresent dwelling in Bernardsville safely escaped an early morning fire in their home thanks to a neighbor who alerted them, according to the Basking Ridge Patch.  Bernardsville firefighters found a fire at the rear of the house that had extended to the attic, around 1:16 a.m. The three residents were able to exit the building with no reported injuries, according to police Captain Dan Buttel.

DOWNS: On May 3rd, a South River home, on Continental Ct., exploded into pieces, killing one man and injuring a second.  The explosion forced the evacuation of the neighborhood, officials said.

UPS: New firefighters in Montclair are  Franco Camerota and Gordon Kohles.

DOWNS: On Mother's Day morning, firefighters in Trenton battled a 3-alarm fire that burned through three row houses on South Cook av.  Some firefighters had to bail out of the buildings to avoid being caught in a flash over. Two suffered burns and were taken to a local hospital, according to Mid Jersey News.       

UPS: Latham John has been promoted to fire captain in North Hudson.

DOWNS: An explosion and fire in a Commercial Twp. dwelling injured at least one person, according to WCAU-TV.  A 60-year-old man was taken to a hospital for treatment, according to the state police. 

UPS: Bayonne firefighters, from Tower Ladder 2, rescued a man from the third-floor of a burning East 15th St. dwelling on May 13th.  Firefighters raised a ground ladder to a third-floor window and brought the man down to safety.  The fire extended to an adjacent home.  The victim was taken to a local hospital and treated for smoke inhalation.  “Under hectic conditions they (firefighters) performed a dangerous ladder rescue from approximately thirty-feet in the air on a ground ladder, then quickly extinguishing a large fire, which could have been much worse,” Fire Chief Keith Weaver said. 

DOWNS: One man was killed and one woman rescued at a fire involving a Cooper Folly Rd. dwelling in Waterford Twp., May 9th, according to WPVI-TV.

UPS: In New Brunswick, Teddy Wright has been promoted to fire captain.  The department's new lieutenant is Oneill Martinez. 

DOWNS: A dwelling fire fire on Joe Parker Rd. in Lakewood sent three people to the hospital and destroyed the home, May 2nd, according to News 12.  Authorities said the cause of the fire was due to discarded smoking material. A man was rescued from the home by a township police officer. The victim was transported to Jersey Shore UMC, and he was listed in critical but stable condition.

UPS: Roselle Park will receive $75,000 in American Rescue Plan Firefighter Grant funding, which will help provide first responders with proper protective and cleaning equipment. 

DOWNS: A 2-alarm fire consumed a 2.5 story Lenox Rd. dwelling in Wayne, May 4th.  Two firefighters were taken to the hospital.  One reportedly complained of chest pains and one suffered a possible broken leg, according to the South Passiac Daily Voice.  The residents escaped the flames, but a pet did not.

UPS: Bayonne Fire Captain Matt Kemple was recently honored for saving the life of a swimmer in Virgina Beach, according to News 12.  The captain attended marine firefighting training in Norfolk, Va.  After a training session ended, Kemple saw a woman in the ocean struggling to swim at Virginia Beach.  Kemple called for help and then jumped in and swam out 300-yards to rescue the woman, who was drifting further out into sea. Captain Kemple received the Virginia Beach Fire Department Life-Saving Award and a Letter of Commendation from the US Coast Guard for his heroic action.     

DOWNS: Two people died as the result of a fire at Northfield Townhouses in West Orange, May 14th.  Firefighters battled heavy flames to get inside the building and remove two victims.  Both were treated at the scene and taken to a local hospital where they died, according to WCBS-TV. 

UPS: Ridgefield Firefighter, and ex-Chief, Joe Greco has celebrated 45-years of service to the community. 

DOWNS: A fire displaced 20 people due to a fire in a mixed occupancy building on Elizabeth av., in Elizabeth, May 3rd, according to News 12. 

UPS: The New Jersey Fire Museum and Firefighter Memorial received their newest donation in May.  This is a Highland Park 1992 Seagrave pumper. 

DOWNS: A large industrial crane caught fire at the Gloucester City Terminal on Essex St., near the Walt Whitman Bridge, May 21st.  The fire did not extend to a ship, according to officials, who believed the fire cause was electrical in nature. 

UPS: New firefighters in Atlantic City are: N. Blakeley, M. Branco, D. Carpenter, H. Colon, M. Compton, A. Gibson, T. Manera, S. Morgan, K. Pruitt, P. Ruane and S. Steel, Jr. 

DOWNS: A fire at a Woodstown Dr. dwelling in Howell Twp. on May 21st destroyed the home.  The family inside was able to escape, according to News 12.  

UPS: In July, Ocean City Fire Department Deputy Chief Bernard F. Walker will succeed Chief James P. Smith as Chief of Department. 

DOWNS: A Cliffside Park man was facing charges for failing to report a fire burning in his Palisade av. apartment, according to Bergen County prosecutors.  Authorities said the man left his apartment, on April 28th, after the fire began.  Local authorities notified the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office Arson Squad that the fire appeared to be suspicious in nature.