October, 2024, Ups, page 2
DOWNS: An overnight fire burned through a strip mall along Fair Lawn av., in Fair Lawn, July 26th. It started inside the Green Dragon restaurant and spread through the complex, according to WCBS-TV.
UPS: The Hoboken Fire Department was awarded more than $64,000 through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program. The funds will be used toward firefighter training and new equipment, including 12 sets of turnout gear, according to the Hoboken Patch.
DOWNS: An unoccupied Tudor Oval home in Westfield exploded on the evening of July 29th. Police said it may have been caused by a gas leak, according to WCBS-TV.
UPS: The Ocean City Fire Department has placed into service a Yamaha G-3 Gator Tough 17 rescue boat. It is designed for rescues in shallow areas along the bay. A training session quickly turned into a lifesaving operation. “We assisted three people on a boat that got caught on a sandbar,” Fire Chief Bernie Walker said.
DOWNS: A fire in an apartment complex on Avalon Way in Pisacatway left 11 families displaced, Aug. 1st. Mayor Brian Wahler told the media that firefighters were able to rescue a pet dog from the burning building.
UPS: So far this year, more than 40 members of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service have traveled to California to assist Cal Fire battling wildfires, according to KYW-TV. With crews stretched thin, firefighters from out-of-state have been assisting in battling numerous wildfires in that state.
DOWNS: An overnight fire burned through three Morton St. homes in Camden, Aug. 4th, and injured one person. The all hands fire broke out in a vacant dwelling and extended to two adjacent occupied homes, according to the Gloucester Township Patch.
UPS: The Bloomfield Fire Department recently announced that they have received Accredited Agency status with the Commission of Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) for meeting the criteria established through the CFAI's voluntary self-assessment of accreditation program. The B.F.D. is one of only 300 agencies throughout the entire world to achieve this Internationally Accredited Agency status with the CFAU and the Center for Public Safety Excellence, Inc. (CPSE). Chief of Department Louis Venezia stated that the agency's achievement of accredited agency status, “demonstrates the commitment of our department to provide the highest quality of service to our community.”
DOWNS: Firefighters battled a fire at the Casa Taco restaurant on Park Rd., Sea Isle City, Aug. 14th. The property also contained other businesses, according to WPVI-TV.
UPS: In Hamilton Township, Firefighter Leonard Pope was recently promoted to captain.
DOWNS: An electric scooter possessing lithium-ion batteries appears to have been the source of a fire that damaged a home on Center St. in Roxbury Twp., Aug. 13th, according to the Mendham-Chester Patch.
UPS: In Hackensack, Vincent Caruso has been promoted to fire captain. Jason Conkle is the new lieutenant.
DOWNS: A dwelling fire on Drexel av. in Pennsauken, Aug. 18th, resulted in the death of a family dog, according to the Cherry Hill Patch. No people were injured, but the fire left the home with “significant damage.”
UPS: On August 16th, the Newark Fire Department re-established the 2nd Battalion on each tour. The duties for Battalion 2 include the designation Incident Safety Officer (ISO)/Special Operations Tour Chief. This is a full-time staffed position that does not get browned out to cover battalion openings. Battalion 2 is assigned to the Clinton av. firehouse, according to a department firefighter's Facebook page. Battalion 2 will respond to all fires, technical rescue incidents, mutual aid and other incidents where having a need for a safety officer officer will be beneficial.
DOWNS: Two Cherry Hill firefighters sustained minor burns while battling a fire at a Jobel Dr. dwelling in Haddonfield, Aug. 20th. The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire which significantly damaged the first and second floors, according to the Cherry Hill Patch.
UPS: According to Tap Into Nutley, a $500,000 grant was awarded to the fire departments of Nutley, Belleville and Boomfield. The funds will be used to build a state-of-the-art fire training tower in Belleville to train the members of the three departments. From the grant, $175,000 will go to the tower and $325,000 will go towards training classes, certification courses and the necessary equipment.
DOWNS: In August, Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., 87, passed away. He was a native of Paterson, who once served as the city's mayor. Pascrell was a nationally recognized leader in fire safety. He authored the Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) act of 2000, which established a federal grant program to provide funding for fire department's across the country. He also spearheaded the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program to help fire department's and volunteer firefighter interest organizations increase or maintain trained firefighters in their communities.