THE WESTWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT ANSWERS 23 CALLS
​
The Westwood Fire Department was called 23 times for emergency assistance during February 2025.
Chief Brian Kronewitter reports that none of the calls turned out to be a serious fire in Westwood. The
23 emergency calls, three training drills and three maintenance sessions required approximately 370
hours of volunteer time.
The Westwood Fire Department was called out of town five times during the month. To assist the River
Vale fire department two times and the Hillsdale, Emerson and Oradell fire departments once each.
Automatic fire alarms were received twelve times in February. Although no fires existed at any of these
incidents, a full fire department response is required. Firefighters check the entire building to determine
if an actual fire exists. A variety of problems caused these automatic alarms: Contractors working in the
building caused one alarm activation. Alarm malfunctions required the fire department to respond on
seven occasions. Cooking caused alarms to activate on three occasions.
Natural gas smells were responsible for two fire department responses. At these calls fire crews respond
and check the area or building with meters. No gas was found at one of these calls. One occasion a slight
gas leak was detected. These incidents were turned over to Public Service Gas Company technicians for
further investigation.
On one occasion the fire department responded to a Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm. This alarm was
caused by testing the system.
An oven fire occurred in a borough home in February. This fire was contained to the oven. Fire crews
checked the area to ensure the fire did not spread beyond the oven. Firefighters also vented the smoke
with fans kept on the fire trucks.
Fire rescue crews responded to one motor vehicle crash. At this call firefighters spread absorbent
material to contain fluid spills. And on one occasion the caller thought a car was on fire but what they
thought was smoke turned out to be steam from a blown radiator hose.
The Westwood Fire Department and Fire Prevention Bureau would like to remind readers that
fire departments across the country encourage readers at this time of year to “Change Your
Clocks, Check your (smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector) Batteries”. On Sunday
March 9, citizens in New Jersey will turn their clocks forward for daylight savings time. Many
people will use this opportunity to change and/or check their smoke detectors.
The Following is information to help make sure all smoke alarms have
working batteries, accounting for the multiple types of smoke alarms on the
market and their varying battery requirements:
- Smoke alarms with non-replaceable 10-year batteries are designed to
remain effective for up to 10 years. If the alarm chirps, warning that the
battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away.
- Smoke alarms with any other type of battery need a new battery at least
once a year. If that alarm chirps, warning the battery is low, replace the
battery right away.
- When replacing a battery, follow manufacturer’s list of batteries on the
back of the alarm or manufacturer’s instructions. Manufacturer’s
instructions are specific to the batteries (brand and model) that must be
used. The smoke alarm may not work properly if a different kind of
battery is used.
- Also, when old smoke detectors are being replaced, they must be
disposed of according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
This article was submitted by the Westwood Fire Department. Any fire department related questions
can be e-mailed to wwfdchief@westwoodnj.gov or by calling 201-664-0526. The fire prevention bureau
can be reached at wfpb191@usa.net or by calling 201-664-7100 ext. 308. PLEASE NOTE; THESE PHONE
NUMBERS ARE BUSINESS/NON-EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS, FOR FIRES/EMERGENCIES CALL 911.