July 2022, UPS, page 2
DOWNS: A 5-alarm fire raced through the Waste Management Julia Street Transfer Station in Elizabeth, May 10th, resulting in the death of one employee. Officials said the fire may have been started from machinery inside the building. With heavy smoke covering the area due to gusty winds, nearby houses were asked to evacuate. Numerous mutual aid companies were involved at the fire and covering the city.
UPS: In May, two suspects were arrested in the shooting of an off-duty Trenton firefighter, according to CBS-Philly. The firefighter suffered a graze bullet wound, April 26th,when he was hit by a stray bullet that entered the Calhoun St. firehouse. He was treated at a local hospital and released. A second bullet went into the firehouse kitchen, but it did not hit anyone.
DOWNS: Elizabeth officials say a fire at a White Castle on Westfield Ave., April 29th, seems to have started with a landscaper spraying something that got into the electrical wires. Two people were sent to the hospital and the building's roof collapsed.
UPS: New firefighters in Hackensack are Alexander Tiago, Ronald Silvestri and Thomas Sharples.
DOWNS: Two firefighters were injured battling a two-alarm fire that destroyed one home and damaged another on William St., Perth Amboy, May 7th. Six occupants were displaced and two firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
UPS: At a recent luncheon, the South Plainfield Fire Department recognized Exempt Firefighter Charlie Siedenberg for 55-years of service. Also, past Chief John Mocharski for 45-years; Chief Tom Scalera for 40-years; President Jim Buckelen for 25-years; Firefighter Joe Altomare for 25 years. The Chief's Award was presented to Junior Firefighter Patrick Malhosky.
DOWNS: An estimated 137 residents of a three-story apartment building at Park Ave. & High St., Orange, were displaced as the result of a 5-alarm fire on the morning of May 3rd.
UPS: In May, Brick Inspector Rick Orlando was honored as the Fire Protection Inspector of the Year at the annual Building Safety Conference of New Jersey's Awards Luncheon in Atlantic City.
DOWNS: A fire that involved a Maplewood Ave. apartment building in Bridgeport, May 11th, sent three people to the hospital and killed four dogs, authorities said. Two of the residents suffered burns and one suffered from smoke inhalation.
UPS: Money from the federal American Rescue Plan will be awarded to fire departments in New Jersey in the form of grants of up to $75,000. The funds will be administered by the Division of Local Government Services, which is part of the Department of Community Affairs, “The Record” reported. The grants will prioritize volunteer departments and departments that were especially hammered by the pandemic, according to an adviser from the governor's office. The money will go toward the purchasing of new equipment that includes PPE and cleaning machines that protect firefighters from carcinogens that remain on their gear after returning from a fire.
DOWNS: A glider plane pilot was killed when the aircraft flipped and crashed into a field near Blairstown Airport, May 15th, police said. An off-duty police officer and bystanders worked to remove the pilot and began CPR, as the Blairstown Ambulance Corps and Blairstown Hose Company were called to the scene, but the efforts were unsuccessful. According to witnesses, the pilot was trying to land the plane when it hit the top of a few trees and crashed into the grassy area.
UPS: Calvien Cosentino has been appointed to the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue.
DOWNS: A fast-moving fire resulted in the death of a resident of a single-family home on Pelham Rd., in the Kendall Park section of South Brunswick, in May, authorities said.
UPS: Former and active firefighters, and many guests, celebrated the centennial for the Green Village Volunteer Fire Department in Chatham Township, in May. Present was Engine 3's 1928 American LaFrance pumper which is the first new piece of apparatus that the department purchased. Chatham Township Firefighter James Saccodato presented Green Village Fire Chief Mike Zalis with a golden ax to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the department.
DOWNS: A fire in a Grant Avenue dwelling in Westfield displaced five people, May 16th, according to Fire Chief Michael Duelks. Three occupants were treated for smoke inhalation.
UPS: Atlantic City Fire Station 2. at Indiana and Baltic Avenues, was awarded $500,000 from the African American Civil Rights Grant Program. The grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund and are given to states, local governments, tribes and non profits to preserve the history of African American struggles for civil rights. This includes providing grants for rehabilitation, for which Station 2 plans to use its money, according to The Press of Atlantic City. An additional $175,000 grant was awarded to the firehouse in October by the New Jersey Historic Trust, which will be used to complete exterior renovations. The building, rich in history, is over a century old.
DOWNS: A 3-alarm fire raced through a Myrtle Ave. apartment building in Camden, May 8th, which displaced at least two dozen people, and investigators say the fire is suspicious. The NJ State Fire Marshal's Arson/K-9 unit was investigating the multiple-alarm blaze.
UPS: In May, Garfield Fire Company 3's President Edward P. Stefanik, Jr., was honored for his 50-years of service with the Garfield Fire Department.
DOWNS: First responders recovered the body of a 15-year-old boy who drowned in a Woodland Park reservoir while swimming with friends, May 22nd, officials said. The Passaic County Sheriff's Search & Recovery SCUBA Team found the body in the area of the Great Notch Reservoir, off Old Rifle Camp Rd., where his friends saw him go under around 3:45 p.m., May 21st., Mayor Keith Kazmark said. Members of local police and fire departments, a state police helicopter and members of the county prosecutor's and OEM responded to the scene. Because there was no lighting in the wooded area, the search was suspended around 8:30 p.m. Searchers were back at 9 a.m. and made the discovery less than an hour later, the mayor said.
UPS: Lodi firefighters rescued a dog during a fire that involved a Harrison Ave. dwelling on May 25th.
DOWNS: Area firefighters battled a fire that involved the Bridgewater Diner, located in the center divider of Route 22, May 23rd. Fire companies from Green Knoll, Finderne, Bradley Gardens, Country Hills, North Branch and Bound Brook operated for some 30-minutes to knock down the fire, according to Taj Ford of the Green Knoll F.D.
UPS: In May, the Bernards Township Committee honored Firefighter Marc Friedman for his 48-years of dedication to the community.
DOWNS: A month to the day, another Trenton firehouse was shot up. Detective Lieutenant Bethesda Stokes said police responded to West State St., May 26th, for a Shot Spotter activation of eight rounds. They discovered that Engine Co. 9's quarters was struck. There were no injuries. On April 26th, a city firefighter was grazed by a bullet while on duty at the Calhoun St. firehouse.
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