Memorial Day 2017

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Memorial Day, formally know as Decoration Day was created in the years following the Civil War to commemorate all of military personnel who lost their life serving our country. In 1971 it became a federal holiday celebrated on the last Monday of May and to this day we still pay tribute to our Military and First Responders who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

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Today the Highland Park Volunteer Fire Department gathered for our annual Memorial Day Services paying special tribute to three of our own members who lost their lives in the line of duty. Firefighter John Quinn lost his life in 1948 as a result of a heart attack while operating at a structure fire in town. Ten years later in 1958 Firefighters Frank Molimock and William Graff perished in a collapse while battling a fire. Today among the dignitaries, members of the Highland Park Police Department, and Highland Park First Aid Squad, we where especially honored to have members of the Molimock and Graff Family in attendance.

To all of our Military, Firefighters, Police Officers, and EMT’s we thank you for your service and to those who have lost their lives we salute you. “All Give Some – Some Give All, Forget Not Their Sacrifice.”

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March Extrication Training

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Come rain or shine emergencies can strike at any time, so why not train in adverse weather to prepare for it? On a rainy March 28, 2017 members of the Highland Park Volunteer Fire Department gathered for their monthly drill. This months topic was vehicle extrication. Ex-Chief Doug Watt instructed the members in various techniques as well as safety concerns while responding to motor vehicle accidents.

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Crews practiced vehicle stabilization with cribbing and struts, creating purchase points, and the use of hydraulic combi tool to remove the doors and cut the pillars. The use of a reciprocating saw was also demonstrated to cut the roof pillars and fold the roof back. It was a great night of training for all. Special thanks to Metuchen Transmission for donating the vehicle and to George Logan’s Towing for transporting the vehicle!

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2016 Fire Prevention Week Recap

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During the 2016 Fire Prevention Week activities the Highland Park Fire Department was very busy. Firefighters spent two full days visiting our schools and day care centers teaching our youth about fire safety. They covered all aspects of the subject from who to call in an emergency to mapping out and practicing home fire drills and finally stressing this years theme of Fire Prevention Week Don’t Wait, Check the Date. This years theme was to inform you that smoke detectors do expire and that their life expectancy is no more then ten years.

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The week built up to our open house in which the public was invited in to see our apparatus and equipment. The Old Bridge Fire Prevention Bureau brought their Fire Safety Trailer which is set up to teach the various aspects of home fire safety. Firefighters performed a brief demonstration of how our Ladder Truck can be used to perform roof rescues. In this situation to lighten the situation Sparky the Fire Dog was rescued from the roof of fire headquarters.

A special thanks to all of our firefighters and their families, The Highland Park Police Department, the Middlesex County Fire Marshal’s Office, and Old Bridge Fire Prevention Bureau for helping to make this week a success!!

Every smoke alarm has an expiration date: What’s yours?

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Highland Park Fire Department urges all Highland Park residents to know how old their smoke alarms are, and to replace them every 10 years

Does your home have a smoke alarm? According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the answer is likely yes: NFPA research shows that most American homes have at least one. But do you know how old your smoke alarms are? If you’re like most people, you’re probably not so sure.

A recent survey conducted by NFPA revealed that only a small percentage of people know how old their smoke alarms are, or how often they need to be replaced. That lack of awareness is a concern for the Highland Park Fire Department and NFPA, because smoke alarms don’t last forever.

“Time and again, I’ve seen the life-saving impact smoke alarms can have in a home fire, but I’ve also seen the tragedy that can result when smoke alarms aren’t working properly,” says Chief Jay Littman of the Highland Park Fire Department. “That’s why we’re making a concerted effort to educate Highland Park residents about the overall importance of smoke alarms, and that they do have a life limit.”

NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code®, requires smoke alarms be replaced at least every 10 years, but because the public is generally unaware of this requirement, many homes have smoke alarms past their expiration date, putting people at increased risk.

As the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 90 years, NFPA is promoting this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Don’t Wait – Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years,” to better educate the public about the critical importance of knowing how old their smoke alarms are and replacing them once they’re 10 years old. Fire Prevention Week is October 9-15, 2016.

The Highland Park Fire Department will be visiting local schools and daycares to educate children about fire prevention this week. Also, there will be an open house at the Highland Park Fire Department, 220 S 5th Ave. on October 13th from 6-9PM in support of Fire Prevention Week and this year’s campaign. The event will include fire safety demonstrations, snacks and drinks, a bounce house, a chance to see the fire engines and meet the firefighters of Highland Park. All residents of Highland Park are invited to attend.

To find out how old your smoke alarm is and its expiration date, simply look on the back of the alarm where the date of manufacture is marked. The smoke alarm should be replaced 10 years from that date (not the date of purchase). The Highland Park Fire Department also says smoke alarms should be tested monthly, and that batteries should be replaced once a year or when they begin to chirp, signaling that they’re running low.

For more information on smoke alarms and this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Don’t Wait: Check the Date! Replace Smoke Alarms Every 10 Years”, visit www.firepreventionweek.org.

Emergency Ladder Bailout Training

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On August 28, 2016 the Highland Park Volunteer Fire Department gathered for specialized emergency ladder bailout training. Emergency ladder bailouts are used when conditions inside a building become untenable and firefighters have no other way out. This training is something we hope to never have to do at an actual fire, however if conditions warrant it our firefighters are now trained and prepared to keep themselves safe. Our training was held at the Piscataway Fire School and started with the use of a prop to simulate a window approximately six feet off the ground. This enabled firefighters to learn proper techniques and get used to working off the ladder at lower angles.

Next firefighters performed these same maneuvers out of a second story window. For the sake of safety during these evolutions firefighters were tied off to prevent from falling. All in all it was a great day of training for all. Thank you to the Highland Park First Aid Squad for accompanying us to the drill and to the East Franklin Fire Department for standing by in our quarters to cover the town while we where away.

 

 

 

 

 

April Live Fire Training

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On Sunday April 17, 2016 members of the Highland Park Fire Department gathered for their monthly training. This month took the to the Middlesex County Fire Academy where our members along with members of the River Road Fire Department gathered for live fire training. They utilized the residential burn building to perform three evolutions. During these evolutions firefighters practiced hose line advancement, search and rescue techniques, pump operations, and the incident command system. It was a great day of training for all and a special thank you to the Highland Park Volunteer First Aid Squad for providing EMS at the academy and to the East Franklin Fire Department for providing in town coverage!

National Volunteer Appreciation Week Continued; New Members

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This week for National Volunteer Appreciation Week we have highlighted all of the various membership tiers of the Highland Park Volunteer Fire Department. We have members of all ages, races, religions and genders. We have our engine companies and truck company, our “old” guys and new guys but at the end of the day we are all one Department. The men and women of the Highland Park Volunteer Fire Department are committed to saving life and property. We are a family, and just like brothers and sisters growing up together we may not always get along or see eye to eye on things, however we are always striving to move the Department in the right direction.

This week we’ve tried to accomplish two things, pay appreciation to our members for all they have done and are currently doing, and to give the public an idea of what we are all about. Chief Edward F. Crocker of the FDNY once said “When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work.” My question to is, do you have the bravery in you? If you like what you have seen and are interested in membership visit our “Volunteer” page at: http://hpvfdnj.com/volunteer/ or call Chief Jay Littman at 732-672-9879 for additional information.

On behalf of the Fire Line Officers, and Chair Officers I thank all of our members for their hard work and commitment to our Department and our Community.

National Volunteer Appreciation Week Continued; Life Members

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An old picture but many Ex Chiefs and Life Members Larry Thiel, John Byrne, Jeff Morris, Hector Malave, Doug Watt, and Mike McMahon can be seen above.

For today’s National Volunteer Apreciation Week post I’d like to recognize our Life Members. Life Members are the roots of our department. These individuals have maintained call percentages, attended meetings, and participated in fund drive for a minimum of 20 years. Nope, that’s not a typo, these guys have given it their all for 20 years! They have given our department an unthinkable amount of time and have built it to  what it is today. Though few Life Members are still active on the fire line, many of them are still active on our business side and religiously attend our monthly meetings to contribute their years of experience and knowledge to help the department grow. A very sincere thank you goes out to all of the below Life Members!

John BaldwinSteve BerardoEmil BobevRaymond Buck
Charles ByrneJames ByrneJohn ByrneGarry Gorran
Dennis JohnsonMike KerseyFrancis KinneyJay Littman
Bob MacKinneyHector MalaveCarmon ManeroCharles Manero
Mike McMahonDaveid MerrillJeff MerrillJeff Morris
John Nicolski Sr.Peter ProdromoJerry RomanoJoseph Romano
Lester RosenhouseNorman ShamyJames SheperdGerard Schultz
Larry TheilSue ThielEd TroikeCharles Tucker
Doug WattMarc Robinson

If you see a Volunteer Firefighter this week remember to thank them for their service, it’s the little things that mean the most! Or if you are interested in learning more about volunteering feel free to visit our “Volunteer” page at: http://hpvfdnj.com/volunteer/ or call Chief Jay Littman at 732-672-9879.

National Volunteer Appreciation Week Continued; Probationary Members

 IMG_1382aPictured Above are Probationary Members Ayodele Orlando-Price and Matt Flower

 

Today for National Volunteer Appreciation Week I’d like to talk about our newest Probationary Members. Currently Matt Flower, Tzvi Tietelbaum, and Ayodele Orlando-Price are our Probationary Members. These individuals will serve one year as a Probationary Member and during this time must maintain their call percentages, graduate from the Middlesex County Fire Academy with a Firefighter I Certification, attend Departmental Meetings and Drills, and attend Probationary Member Drills. The Probationary Member Drills are specially tailored to help develop these members into full fledged Firefighters.  These members work extremely hard to complete their requirements and achieve their “Black Hat” and firefighter status. These three individuals so far show a lot of promise, good luck on the rest of your probationary period and thank you for joining our brotherhood.

2015_MVX_Drill_053Pictured above is Probationary Member Tzvi Tietelbaum

 

If you see a Volunteer Firefighter this week remember to thank them for their service, it’s the little things that mean the most! Or if you are interested in learning more about volunteering feel free to visit our “Volunteer” page at: http://hpvfdnj.com/volunteer/ or call Chief Jay Littman at 732-672-9879.

National Volunteer Appreciation Week Continued; Firefighters

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Continuing on with National Volunteer Appreciation Week today I’d like to give credit to our Volunteer Firefighters. Within the structure of the department, these members are our “black hats” or full fledged certified Firefighters. They selflessly give up their time dropping what ever they are doing day in and day out to answer the call to duty. In doing so they may miss family events, dates with significant others, ball games, and even sleep prior to work, but they keep coming out to provide our community with fire protection. They train together monthly in department drills and then get together in smaller groups brushing up on basic skills and learning to operate the apparatus.

Many people in Highland Park have always assumed that our Department is fully paid because when you call 911 for an emergency a fire engine always shows up and all on scene show professionalism and a firm understanding of what they are doing. The truth in the matter is that there is one part time Firefighter on duty at all times, all other Firefighters that you see out responding are volunteer. So far this year our top responding Firefighters are FF Mordy Gershen, Ex Chief Tony Szemereta, FF Dave Seiden, FF Andy Schwartz, and FF David Dopkin. Thank you to all of our Firefighters for your continued service to provide a safer community.

If you see a Volunteer Firefighter this week remember to thank them for their service, it’s the little things that mean the most! Or if you are interested in learning more about volunteering feel free to visit our “Volunteer” page at: http://hpvfdnj.com/volunteer/ or call Chief Jay Littman at 732-672-9879.