Sunday, April 21, 2013
Several vehicles catch fire at Mullen Roofing Company on Saturday afternoon.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Sunday, April 21
The West Caldwell Fire Department prevented a fire that broke out in the yard of a roofing company from spreading to a nearby building Saturday afternoon, fire officials said. The department responded to a fire at Mullen Roofing Company on Fairfield Place at 3:25 p.m. The fire was reported by employees of the roofing company who were in the process of cleaning out tar kettles when they ignited due to windy conditions. Chief Jim Alvine was the first to arrive to find heavy black smoke encompassing the building and the street. Several vehicles, including a forklift, as well as several propane tanks were on fire on the right side of the building. West Caldwell firefighters worked to fight the fire, which melted windows at the back of the …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Sixteen members of WCFD recognized for a combined more than 300 years of service at annual awards dinner.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Tuesday, January 15
West Caldwell Fire Department members past and present were joined by township officials and mutual aid representatives, as well as family, friends and supporters at the annual awards dinner held at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell in November. Sixteen members were recognized for a combined more than 300 years of service. Jeff Mostwill was honored for 50 years of service with the West Caldwell Volunteer Fire Department, the longest tenure of any living member, along with Charles Krueser (40 years), Ben Hershkowitz (35 years), Rich Douglas (25 years), Chris Flint (25 years), Tom O’Hern (20 years), Karl Otterbein (15 years), Hugh Albanesius (15 years), Jared Fout (10 years), Megan Stout (10 years), Erik Otterbein (10 years), Tom …
40.849119
-74.291576
West Caldwell Fire Department
6 Fairfield Ave, West Caldwell, NJ
/articles/west-caldwell-fireman-honored-for-50-years-of-service
74548
/locations/8602316
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Firefighters open walls and fight blaze in walls of Parkview Terrace home.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Firefighters responded to a chimney fire in West Caldwell Wednesday night that started with a smoky fireplace, officials said. No one was injured in the fire, which took place at 49 Parkview Terrace. West Caldwell Fire Chief James Alvine said the homeowner called in the fire at 6:45 p.m. when smoke from her fireplace filled the house with smoke. When firefighters arrived, Alvine said, the house was smoky. However, the smoke soon became heavier and firefighters were forced to open up the walls surrounding the fireplace. Once the walls were opened up, Alvine said firefighters saw flames in both the interior and exterior walls and extinguished the blaze. "Everyone did a great job as the fire was stopped before the ridge line of the roof,” …
40.848922
-74.309269
49 Parkview Ave, West Caldwell, NJ
/articles/west-caldwell-fire-department-extinguishes-chimney-fire
/locations/8461821
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Two contractors were taken to the hospital after the electrical panel they were working on exploded, fire chief said.
- POLICE & FIRE
- Zak Koeske
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Saturday, December 8, 2012
An explosion Saturday morning at a West Caldwell meat processing plant sent two contractors to the hospital with serious burns and forced an evacuation of the smoke-filled building. West Caldwell Fire Chief Jim Alvine said two contractors were working on an electrical panel at Al & John Inc. on Clinton Road when it exploded, sparking a fire in the electrical room on the building's right side and filling the entire rear of the building with smoke. Contractors Francois MacFarlane, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Jason Defaoite, of Oak Ridge, N.J., were treated at the scene and transported to St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston with serious burns, West Caldwell police chief Michael Bramhall said. Their injuries are believed to be the result of …
Friday, December 7, 2012
Caldwell and West Caldwell Volunteer fire departments play friendly football game on Saturday after Thanksgiving.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Friday, December 7, 2012
Members of the Caldwell and West Caldwell Volunteer Fire Departments met at the Kiwanis Oval to participate in their yearly "Turkey Bowl." Held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, this 10-plus year tradition has grown from a few members getting together for some fun recreation on a cool November morning, to an organized touch football game at the Oval in Caldwell, complete with a scorekeeper. Several fans rotate in and endure the cold to catch a glimpse of who may have the upper hand this year in the friendly game. The game is traditionally followed by a turkey fry at the fire headquarters of either Caldwell or West Caldwell. Caldwell held the honors after this year's game, as several players and fans waited anxiously to get a bit of …
Friday, November 16, 2012
Chief calls hurricane's impact the worst destruction he has seen in the township.
- NEWS
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Friday, November 16, 2012
The West Caldwell Fire Department responded to 85 Hurricane Sandy-related calls, Chief James Alvine announced Friday. The storm’s strong winds hit the township in the late afternoon of Monday, Oct. 29, knocking down dozens of trees and power lines and leaving the majority of the businesses and residents in the dark, in some cases for more than a week. Downed wires, telephone poles and transformers posed a threat days after the storm had passed. "In my 39 years of being on this fire department, I have never seen such destruction in our town during a storm,” Alvine said in a release. “Thank God no one was hurt." According to the chief, the first call came in around 3 p.m. on Oct. 29 when a tree fell onto a house on Westview Road. The fire …
40.849119
-74.291576
West Caldwell Fire Department
6 Fairfield Ave, West Caldwell, NJ
/articles/west-caldwell-fire-department-responds-to-more-than-80-sandy-calls
74548
/locations/8153647
Thursday, November 8, 2012
High winds from Hurricane Sandy and Winter Storm Athena have caused low-lying power lines in West Caldwell.
A Waste Management garbage truck snapped dangling power lines at the intersection of Bloomfield and St. Charles avenues Thursday morning dragging one of the live wires down onto the truck. The 10:16 a.m. incident occurred when the truck was picking up garbage at an apartment complex on Bloomfield Avenue and hit the low-hanging wires. “The garbage truck pulled the electrical service off the building and a live wire was left on top of the truck, leaving the driver of the truck trapped inside,” said West Caldwell Fire Chief Jim Alvine. The West Caldwell Fire Department remained on the scene for two hours to check the building for signs of fire. PSE&G cut power to the damaged lines allowing the driver to exit the truck. “West Caldwell Police …
Friday, November 2, 2012
West Caldwell fire officials say no one hurt as van burns near Bloomfield Avenue Thursday night.
A transformer fell on a parked van during Hurricane Sandy and when power was restored to the transformer Thursday night, it blew and the van caught fire, West Caldwell fire officials said. The van fire was at the rear of 585 Bloomfield Avenue, near the Atrium Apartments. No one was injured but the fire could not be put out for two hours until Public Service Electric & Gas arrived to shut down the wires, said Fire Chief Jim Alvine. At the same time the van was burning, a wire on Melrose Place that had fallen during the storm also set the street on fire when power was restored to that area. Both fires were extinguished and no one was injured, but a section of Bloomfield Avenue had to be closed temporarily while fire and police officials …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Natural gas flooded West Caldwell building Monday after contractors cut through gas line.
Contractors working inside a vacant building cut through a gas line, flooding the building with natural gas and creating the potential for a catastrophic explosion midday Monday, according to West Caldwell fire officials. The West Caldwell Fire Department and PSE&G reported to the scene just before noon and worked briskly to avert an explosion at a former medical office which is currently under construction on the corner of Bloomfield and Lougheed avenues. Gas service was cut off to the one-story stucco building and surrounding buildings, including garden apartments and a medical complex, were evacuated. Bloomfield Avenue traffic was shut down in both directions and traffic was diverted for about an hour until the building was cleared of …
40.846361
-74.28901
602 Bloomfield Ave, West Caldwell, NJ
/articles/fire-chief-calls-gas-leak-potentially-catastrophic
/locations/8015662
Monday, October 15, 2012
Fireman who eats most ribs takes home trophy.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Monday, October 15, 2012
The Caldwell Fire Department put on its first-annual rib-eating contest Saturday. Five-pound trays of ribs doused with barbecue sauce were placed in front of contestants—six local firefighters and a police officer—who lined up on the municipal parking deck near town hall in Caldwell. The contestants were Philip Young of West Caldwell, firefighter, Darren Sinclair of Caldwell, firefighter, Jarred Carlucci of Cedar Grove, firefighter, Mike Kraynanski of Caldwell Police, John Intili of North Caldwell, firefighter, John Kauffman of Essex Fells, firefighter, and Captain Don Jervis, Senior, of the Bloomfield Fire Department. When the five minutes were up and the trays were re-weighed, the lone officer—Mike Kraynanski—was proclaimed the winner …
Michael
8:32 am on Friday, December 14, 2012
I have been working on service panels for years and only a moron would work on it while it is energized or energize it before it was inspected. more ›