The members of the Bergenfield Volunteer Fire Department would like to thank the residents of Bergenfield for their support, and ask for continued support this year.  The month of May is fund drive month and every resident should soon be receiving a letter with information about the fund drive and the department.  Kindly make checks payable to the Bergenfield Volunteer Fire Department, and remember all donations are tax deductible. Donations can be mailed to: Bergenfield Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 45, Bergenfield, NJ 07621

The Bergenfield Fire Department was dispatched on Wednesday, April 18, 2007 at 4:55 AM for a report of smoke in a residence on Moos Lane.  Upon arrival firefighters worked to determine the source of an increasing smoke condition and shortly after arrival a fire was located in a concealed ceiling area of the basement.  The fire was quickly extinguished and fire damage was confined to the area of origin while smoke had spread throughout most of the upper two floors of the home.  Mutual aid units from neighboring towns provided manpower and stand-by coverage while Bergenfield units were committed to the scene.  The incident last approximately 2 hours and was concluded without any injuries to firefighters or the residents.

The positive outcome of this fire can be directly connected to the performance of a battery-operated smoke detector in the second floor hallway.  The residents had been asleep for several hours and were awakened by the detector activating from the rising smoke condition.  Once they were awakened the residents quickly called 9-1-1 to report the alarm and smoke condition.  It clearly would have been a different situation had there not been a working detector in the home and had the fire continued to grow before being detected.

Fire Chief Greg Polandick reminds all residents to install and properly maintain smoke detectors on each level of your home.  Detectors should be tested monthly and batteries changed at least twice a year, typically when you change the clocks for Daylight Savings Time.  Smoke detectors in the home have an unbeatable record of life safety when they are maintained in working order.  This incident further proves that early detection and prompt notification to the fire department is key to a successful outcome.  Any resident seeking additional information on smoke detectors or fire safety matters should contact the Bergenfield Fire Department via email at info@bergenfieldfd.org.

At 15:12 hrs, the Oradell FD requested the Bergen Regional Special Operations team to respond to their borough to shore up a one car attached garage as a car crashed into a garage and the building inspector was concerned it might collapse.

Members of the team responded with the BRSO trailer. Englewood, Dumont, Tenafly and Fort Lee units responded as well. The team leaders assessed the situation and shored up the structure. The vehicle was removed and units were released at 17:12.

The Bergen Regional Special Operations Team is comprised of specially trained members of the Bergenfield, Dumont, Englewood, Fort Lee and Tenafly Fire Departments.

The Ridgefield Park FD hosted a Mid-Bergen drill at 85 Challenger Blvd. in their town. The Ladder and Rescue went as part of the high rise task force along with South Hackensack, Bogota, Ridgefield Park, Little Ferry and River Edge.

The structure is a 9 story office building and the ladder crew was sent to the 8th floor to conduct a search of the floor. Captain Kneisler was the officer and they searched the area with negative results.  In the next scenario, the Rescue was the Rapid Intervention Team and they were sent to the 8th floor after a “may day” was transmitted by a South Hackensack Firefighter. Captain Lodato and his crew conducted a large area search and found two civilian victims and a downed firefighter. All victims were removed from the smoke filled floor.

Overall the various scenarios offered valuable information for all of the towns to bring back and discuss.

The Bergenfield Fire Training Center, Inc. (BFTC) will be having a tricky tray as their next fund raising event. The tentative date and location will be Wednesday evening October 24, 2007 at the Colonial Inn located at 575 Tappan Road in Norwood, NJ. Please feel free to visit their website at www.colonialinnnj.com  

As we move closer to the event, the BFTC will be making additional announcements on our website. Please check back for updates.