WESTWOOD, N.J.—The Westwood Fire Department, led by Fire Chief Kevin Woods, was called 29 times for emergency assistance during December 2019.
Woods reports that one of the calls turned out to be a serious fire at Caffe Anello. This was contained to the room where the fire started and was quickly extinguished by firefighters. There were no injuries.
(See “Caffe Anello Reopens After Contained Fire, Chef Says,” Dec. 2, 2019.)
These 29 calls, two training sessions, and two maintenance nights required more than 385 hours of volunteer time in December.
This brings the total emergency responses by the Westwood Fire Department in 2019 to 295, an increase over the 288 calls in 2018.
These emergency calls, drills and equipment maintenance required more than 4,800 hours of volunteer time in 2019, up from 4,300 volunteer hours in 2018.
Last year the department escorted Santa Claus to every street in the borough for the 56th year in a row.
Three times during December the mutual aid system with neighboring fire departments was activated. The Westwood Fire Department responded out of town once to assist the Hillsdale Fire Department at the scene of a house fire.
Westwood received assistance once from the Emerson Fire Department and once from the Hillsdale Fire Department.
Automatically activated fire alarms were received 12 times in December. For every one of these incidents a full fire department response is required. Firefighters check the entire building to determine if an actual fire exists.
Three times the activations were caused by cooking smoke. Three times the alarms were activated in error by workers in the buildings. Once the activation was caused by a detector malfunction, one activation was caused by smoke from a candle and another alarm sounded from smoke from a fireplace.
Three carbon monoxide (CO) incidents occurred in December. CO, an odorless and colorless gas given off by improperly burning heating or cooking equipment, can be lethal at high levels.
Each of these calls required a full fire department response. Fire crews check the buildings with meters to determine the cause.
On one of these calls small levels of CO were found due to a boiler malfunction. Fire crews evacuated the homes, shut the heating systems, and vented the homes.
Another CO call turned out to actually be a malfunctioning smoke detector thought to be a CO detector.
Four natural gas calls turned out to be problems with a water heater, a stove, and a furnace. Again, each of the three calls required a full fire department response. Fire crews checked the entire building with meters, isolate the problem, vent the gas if needed and turn the scene over to PSE&G gas technicians if necessary.
The Westwood Fire Department and Fire Prevention Bureau remind readers that according to the United States Fire Administration more fires happen in winter than at any other time of the year.
During the cold months, we spend more time indoors and use different methods to heat our homes. It is important to keep fire safety in mind when you are heating your home.
If you are using a portable heater:
• Make sure the heater has an automatic shut-off so if it tips over, it shuts off.
• Keep anything that can burn such bedding, clothing and curtains at least three feet from the heater.
• Plug portable heaters directly into wall outlets. Never use an extension cord or power strip.
• Turn heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
If you are using a fireplace:
• Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace to prevent embers or sparks from jumping out and starting a fire.
• Do not burn paper in your fireplace.
• Before you go to sleep or leave your home put the fire out completely.
• Put ashes in a metal container with a lid. Store the container outside at least three feet from your home.
If you are using a wood stove:
• Have your chimney inspected and cleaned each year by a professional.
• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet from the stove.
• Do not burn paper in your wood stove.
Before you go to sleep or leave your home, put the fire out completely.
And important at any time of the year, have working smoke detectors on every level of your home.
Submitted by the Westwood Fire Department. Send your fire department-related questions to firechief@westwoodnj.gov or call (201) 664-0526. For the Fire Prevention Bureau, write wfpb191@westwoodnj.gov or call (201) 664-7100 ext. 308.