At 0221 hrs. Mid-Bergen Mutual Aid requested Engine 745 to respond to Teaneck Fire Headquarters on a cover-up assignment while Teaneck battled a fire at 215 Carlton Terr.  Engine 745 under the command of Captain Lodato and a crew of four responded along with Deputy Chief Kneisler (DC1).  At approximately 0315 hrs. Mid-Bergen requested the Bergenfield Ladder to also respond to Teaneck Fire Headquarters.  Ladder 742 under the command of Captain Lopez and a crew four responded. 

 Bergenfield units remained in headquarters for approximately five hours before being released. 

The Bergenfield Junior Fire Department has been around for little more then 20 years.  The program was created to allow kids to get an early jump on their involvement with the fire department.  The junior program is currently overseen by Firefighter James McGoldrick and is open to residents between the ages of 16 to 18 years old.

Within the last three months the junior ranks went from one member to five members.  Members are issued gear and pagers and are allowed to attend all three fire companies’ drills and fire calls.  They are restricted in what they can do, but the opportunity to learn is invaluable.  The current members are Ryan Zadrozna, Pete Giannolla, Harsimran Jhim, Ryan Pesce and Tim Tedesco.

Fifteen current members of the Bergenfield Fire Department, including Chief of the Department Robert E. Byrnes, Jr., Captain Michael Lopez and Lieutenants Christopher Saito and Andrew McGoldrick got their start in the juniors.

At 2030 hrs the Alert Fire Company #1 was dispatched on a still alarm to the Bergenfield Swim Club for a child with their hand stuck in a wall.  When Deputy Chief Kneisler arrived, he found swim club staff as well as members of the Bergenfield Volunteer Ambulance Corps on location, but unable to remove a child’s finger from a block wall.  Upon the arrival of Truck 742 Lieutenant Saito and his crew, with the assistance of the B.V.A.C. keeping the child calm, started carefully opening up an area of block wall to expose the finger.  As soon as the appendage was in full view, Lieutenant Saito started to gingerly chisel small amounts of concrete away from the hand and finger.  After all the concrete was removed, the child was able to slide her finger out of the wall without injury.  A good job to Lieutenant Saito and his crew, as well as the B.V.A.C. for performing this delicate rescue.