FIRE SUPPRESSION DIVISION
The 53 members of our fire suppression division answered 2144 alarms in 2009. These alarms ranged from service calls such as motor vehicle lockouts to major structure fires such as a third alarm fire on Henry Street and a fifth alarm fire at Cross Creek Point in December. The employees assigned to this division are divided into four platoons. In 2010, each platoon will consists of one Captain (Tour Commander), two Lieutenants, and 10 firefighters. In 2009 City officials approved a new organizational structure that allowed our department the opportunity to implement a Tour Commander position on each platoon. The staffing of this critically important position will significantly improve our incident command capabilities, provide effective supervision of members operating at emergency incidents, and infinitely improve the safety of our fire suppression staff. The Chief, Deputy Chief, and Safety Officer are included within this division. Minimum staffing per shift is 2 officers and 6 firefighters. The work hours of the personnel assigned to this division are as follows: One (1) 24 hour period 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on duty followed by seventy two (72) hours off. The administrative officers (Chief, Deputy Chief) work a daily 9:00 am to 5:00 pm shift while the Safety Officer and EMS Supervisor work a four day 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. schedule.
The type of incident we respond to will dictate the type of apparatus response to an alarm. They are broken down as follows: Any incident involving a structure (fire, gas leak, active alarm) requires the response of 1 ladder truck and 2 engines. Brush fires, service calls, motor vehicle fires, and welfare checks require the response of one engine. The officer in charge of the on duty group has the discretion to adjust these responses to ensure that the proper manpower and apparatus are available to mitigate any incident.
The department utilizes a recall system to request our off duty members to return to quarters during various fire and emergency incidents. All department members are issued pagers and are responsible to carry this pager when off duty. The system is broken down into three different types of recalls:
1. Group recalls are necessary when apparatus and manpower is sent out of the city for a mutual aid request or during any incident within the city that the on duty group is out of service and unable to respond to additional alarms. Incidents of this type include minor structure fires, motor vehicle accidents requiring extrication, haz mat responses, and weather related emergencies.
2. Department recalls are utilized when all available Englewood firefighters are required to stabilize an incident or stand by in Fire Headquarters. Incidents of this type include: storm related emergencies or structure fires that do not require mutual aid apparatus.
3. Second alarms or greater are requested when the incident involves a serious structure fire requiring mutual aid assistance to the scene and to fire headquarters. These alarms recall all off duty Englewood firefighters along with the automatic dispatch of mutual aid companies directly to the scene and to headquarters. It is our practice that all Englewood personnel who return to headquarters during these alarms are utilized at the scene.
The Englewood Fire Department is a member of the Mid Bergen and East Bergen Mutual Aid Associations. Six communities including Teaneck, Hackensack, Bergenfield, Ridgefield Park, Bogota, and Englewood form the Mid Bergen organization. The East Bergen Mutual Aid Association consists of ten communities including Englewood Cliffs, Fort Lee, Leonia, Tenafly, Palisades Park, Ridgefield, Edgewater, Cliffside Park, Fairview, and Englewood. Our involvement in this group has led to improved fire protection on our eastern and southern borders, decreased response times of mutual aid assistance into the city, improved our communication operational capabilities on the fireground, and provided our department with a back up communications center.
The employees assigned to the Fire Suppression Division are highly respected by their peers in the fire service and are regarded as extremely educated, aggressive, and experienced firefighters. Throughout the year, our members performed their duties with exceptional skill and courage, at times extending themselves above and beyond their normal fireground duties in order to ensure the safety of our city’s residents. The citizens of Englewood are afforded a high level of professional and committed fire protection from these firefighters and should feel a great sense of security knowing that they reside in a community that is protected by a fire department consisting of such talented and proficient public servants.