At 1157 hrs., Alert Fire Co. was dispatched on a still alarm to 155 S. Washington Ave. for the reported smell of gas.  Upon the arrival of Chief Kneisler he began to evacuate the three story mixed use commercial building.

Captain Lopez and the ladder company and Lt. Saito and the engine company began to investigate.  They were met with high levels of CO throughout the building and notified command that PSE&G would be required.

Once PSE&G was on scene, they determined that the building’s HVAC was the cause of the CO and would need repairs.  The building owner contacted their HVAC vendor and the building was closed until repairs could be made.

All units were clear of the scene in a little over an hour.

At 2137 hrs, the Bergenfield Fire Department was dispatched on a general alarm assignment for a reported fire at 34 Georgian Court. While responding dispatch notified fire units that they were receiving multiple calls about the fire.

Deputy Chief Lodato (DC2) arrived on scene and reported nothing showing from a 2 story garden apartment building. Once DC Lodato made his way to the actual apartment he was met by a decent smoke condition and transmitted the working fire to Chief Kneisler who was arriving on scene.

Engine 745 under the command of Lieutenant Naylis and a crew of 6 arrived first. Due to the long distance from the street they stretched a preconnected thief line and attack line. Lt. Naylis forced his way into the apartment to search for the exact location of the fire.

Ladder 742 under the command of Captain Lopez and a crew of five handled forcible entry and primary and secondary searches, which turned up negative.

Captain Buehler and his crew from the RESCUE and Lieutenant Frino and his crew from engine 743 worked together to check for extension in the apartment above and next to the fire apartment. No extension was found and the fire was knocked down quickly. Units had to do extensive overhaul of the apartment.

PSE&G Gas and Electric responded and secured the utilities to the apartments affected. New Milford FD responded as the R.I.C. Team.

Members of the Bergenfield FD’s fire investigation team determined the cause of the fire was accidental in nature. No injuries to firefighters of civilians were reported. All units were back in service by midnight.

Chief Kneisler was extremely pleased with the entire operation and praised his members for a job well done. He would like to thank the BVAC, Bergenfield PD and New Milford FD for their response and assistance.


Thanks to Alex Kneisler for the photos.

At 1826 hrs., the New Milford Fire Department requested a FAST team from Bergenfield to respond to 438 Elizabeth Street.  New Milford had a working fire in a 2 story residential dwelling. The RESCUE under the command of Lt. Naylis and a crew of five, along with Deputy Chief Lodato (DC2) responded. 

Upon their arrival they set-up in front of the building.  The main body of fire was knocked down and units were conducting overhaul and checking for extension.  The remained on scene for 30 minutes and were released by command.

As you begin to clear your driveways and sidewalks of snow, the Bergenfield Fire Department asks the residents to not forget about their fire hydrants.  As the storm progresses, our members will be out on hydrant detail, but any assistance you can give is greatily appreciated.

Also, please don’t forget to look in on elderly neighbors they may not be able to deal with the storm as well as others.

At 1826 hrs., Alert Fire Co. was dispatched on a still alarm for a mutual call into Englewood Fire Headquarters.  Ladder 742, under the command of Captain Lopez and a crew of five responded along with Deputy Chief Byrnes (DC1).  

At 1118 hrs, the Bergen Regional Special Operations Team (BRSO) and their support units were requested to respond to 15 Piermont Rd. in Tenafly for a commercial building collapse.  Tenafly Fire was on scene at a grocery store whose roof had collapsed under the heavy weight of snow with workers and customers inside at the time of the incident.  It was believed that everyone inside had evacuated safely, but the entire structure needed to be checked.

Squad 732 with the trailer and 3 members of the team, the Rescue and Deputy Chiefs Byrnes, Sr. and Lodato responded to the call.  DC Byrnes was assigned to the command post and DC Lodato was assigned rear sector officer.  Members from the Rescue set up lighting in a rear entrance to the building while members of the team, led by Lt. Kirsch made entry.  Crews used cameras to search for any possible victims.

BRSO command made the decision that the NJ Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team as well as special search dogs were needed at the scene.  The building was very unstable and concern of a complete collapse was a major reason to request the State team be activated. After an extensive search of the building is was determined that everyone had safely made it out of the building. 

Tenafly Chief Philpott was in command of the incident and the BRSO command was led by Lt. Kirsch of the Bergenfield FD and Chief Moran of the Englewood FD. 

For more information about the Bergen Regional Special Operations Team, please see the link on our website.