The members of I.A.F.F. 3260 & 3263 would like to thank everyone for their support in our fill the boot drive. In just 4 short days over $6200 was raised for the Muscular Dystrophy Association!
Last updated: Monday July 13, 2009, 5:45 PM
ENGLEWOOD — Poison traps don’t make a dent in the mouse problem. The basement pipes are rife with asbestos. The ceilings leak. The urinals are broken. And the shower is overrun with mold.
But the opossum foraging in the kitchen of the William Street firehouse was the last straw. The size of a house cat, the marsupial was waddling near the water cooler, forcing firefighters to put down their sandwiches and kill it.
“It definitely becomes a morale issue when you have to clean up possum blood near the water cooler the next morning,” said Patrick Florio, president of the local firefighter’s union.
The third-largest in Bergen County, the Englewood Fire Department operates out of an 85-year-old firehouse beset by leaks, faulty wiring and crumbling infrastructure.
After decades of debate over whether to renovate the dilapidated firehouse, or simply tear it down, Fire Chief Robert Moran said plans are in the works to build a new headquarters on city-owned property at the corner of South Van Brunt Street, adjacent to the police station.
A preliminary proposal for the new building, which will house the fire department, code enforcement officials and the ambulance corps, is likely to be heard by the council in the next few months, Moran said. City officials applied for $5 million in funds from President Obama’s stimulus package to pay for a portion of the project.
“There’s an overwhelming need for a new space,” Moran said recently as he pointed out the cramped locker room, the moldy shower area – intended to be shared by 52 firefighters – and the broken urinals in the bathroom.
“It’s tough to work here in this environment and it affects the morale… it’s not conducive to being happy and productive and wanting to come to work every day when you’re battling various issues, from repairing the toilet to dealing with the mice,” Moran said.
The mouse infestation is such a known problem, it has turned into a joke Continue reading »
A smoke alarm is critical for the early detection of a fire in your home and could mean the difference between life and death. Fires can occur in a variety of ways and in any room of your home. But no matter where or how, having a smoke alarm is the first key step towards your family’s safety.
This information is not intended to be all inclusive, but it is intended to inform the reader about some of the safety aspects and importance of having and maintaining working smoke alarms.
Why are Smoke Alarms Important?
Every year in the United States, about 3,000 people lose their lives in residential fires. In a fire, smoke and deadly gases tend to spread farther and faster than heat. That’s one reason why most fire victims die from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, not as a result of burns. A majority of fatal fires happen when families are asleep because occupants are unaware of the fire until there is not adequate time to escape. A smoke alarm stands guard around the clock and, when it first senses smoke, it sounds a shrill alarm. This often allows a family the precious but limited time it takes to escape.
About two-thirds of home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms are considered to be one of the best and least expensive means of providing an early warning of a potentially deadly fire and could reduce the risk of dying from a fire in your home by almost half.
Where Should Smoke Alarms be Installed?
Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas, and inside bedrooms.
A smoke alarm should be installed and maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When installing a smoke alarm, Continue reading »
It is with Deep Regret that We Announce the Line of Duty Death of Fire Fighter Gary Stevens – Elizabeth Fire Department I.A.F.F. Local 777.
Brother Stevens was tragically killed on January 2, 2009 at 4:00am while operating at a fire on Marshall Street in Elizabeth, NJ.
When more information is known we will advise.
