Ridgewood NJ, The Village of Ridgewood, civilian per diem paid daytime EMS program has been in existence since the early 1990’s. This civilian per diem paid daytime EMS program supplements the 30 EMT Volunteers who respond to calls 7 PM to 6 AM, weekends and general alarms. In 2020, there were over 1300 EMS calls and 440 Emergency Services calls in the Village. The Volunteers donated over 18,000 hours, not including training.
Ridgewood NJ, at Wednesday Council meeting, Mayor Susan Knudsen read a written statement that, defending her position to reduce the role of emergency services and shift daytime emergency medical services coverage to the Ridgewood Fire Department. The latest budget calls for the addition of two more firefighters.
Paramus NJ, Ridgewood firefighters extricated the adult female driver of an SUV that crashed into a single family home in the 0-100 block of West Linwood Avenue, Paramus on Sunday afternoon, 05/02. A 911 caller who was unfamiliar with the area had reported the crash to Ridgewood Police, hence Ridgewood Police, Ridgewood Fire Department, and Ridgewood EMS units were the first to arrive at the scene. The victim was transported by a Ridgewood EMS ambulance to The Valley Hospital. A tow truck removed the heavily damaged vehicle from the scene. Damage to the structure required evaluation by a Borough of Paramus building inspector. Paramus Police , Paramus Fire Department, and the Paramus Rescue Squad also responded to the incident.
Ridgewood NJ, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Sharon Maes, 66, was found dead in the living room of her North Pleasant Avenue home,in Ridgewood. The fire started in the kitchen at around 1 a.m., but the cause remains under investigation. The prosecutor’s office stated fire does not appear to be suspicious.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police units and Ridgewood Fire Department personnel were dispatched to assist the driver of a refrigerated box truck that became entangled in a communications cable serving a multi-use building located at 305 East Ridgewood Avenue on Friday morning, 04/23. No injuries were reported in the mishap and damage to the building and cable was very minor.
Ridgewood NJ, Firefighters from Ridgewood Police quickly knocked down a fire in a detached garage located in the 100 block of Avondale Road, Ridgewood, on Monday morning, 04/05. No injuries were reported in connection with the blaze, which severely damaged the structure and caused minor smoke damage to the adjacent single family home. Ridgewood Police and Ridgewood Emergency Services personnel assisted Ridgewood Fire Department at the scene.
Last night we learned of a plan to disband the Ridgewood per diem EMS program, a program which has served the Village for over 30 years, via Chief Van Goor’s budget proposal to the Council. This decision appears to be not just a budgetary measure, but a retaliatory attack against Ridgewood Emergency Services and its EMTs. We feel you should be fully informed of this matter, as this is not a decision which should be taken lightly. We want to make it very clear:
Ridgewood NJ, in regards to your post today about Ridgewood EMTs – this is an issue manufactured by the Fire Chief in a time that they have been responding to less and less fires. These issues started in 2019 when we made a presentation to Susan Knudsen, who saw the writing on the wall that the fire department is too expensive when compared to EMS. She is working to protect her son’s job on the fire department. A letter was sent to the Village Council the day after the Chief of Emergency Services was blindsided at the public budget meeting. This will not provide 100% coverage of EMS, as the Fire Department has provided no plan of who would respond to EMS calls in town or handle fire rehab if there is a working fire – the firefighters are still being assigned double-duty on fire apparatus and ambulances, which has already caused issues in the past. Also, this will not be cost savings as stated by the manager. All per diem EMT salaries combined are under $70,000 a year ($20.83 max pay per hour, not all employees at max × 13 hours a day × 5 days a week × 52 weeks a year) while the announced salary of the new firefighters would be $37,000 × 2, plus pensions, benefits, and training costs, with raises up to $110,000 a year each for these positions, making them the most expensive EMTs in the state – triple the average EMTs salary. I would be happy to provide a copy of the letter via email if you contact me with a good address to reach you.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police, Ridgewood Fire Department, and Ridgewood EMS personnel responded to a single vehicle, Sunday afternoon, 02/28, crash at the underpass complex of NJ Transit’s Bergen/Main Line railroad. Both occupants of the crashed vehicle refused ambulance transportation to a local hospital. A flatbed tow truck removed the wreckage. Ridgewood Fire Department, personnel attended to a crash related fluid spill, and also secured loose wiring associated with a damaged street lamp. From the photos its does appear the car may have been going the wrong way. No word on what caused the crash, nor whether any summonses were issued in connection with the mishap.
Ridgewood NJ, a tree toppled by high winds Thursday morning on Knollwood Road. Several homes in the area are without power. Property damage appears to have been confined to one (1) automobile. Ridgewood Police , Fire and Emergency Services on location. No injuries reported. The power outage seemed to be interfering with several, residents remote work routines .
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Fire Department wants to remind everyone that if you have a hydrant on or near your property to make sure it is properly cleared of snow. This can be critical as any that are not clear will be precious minutes spent trying to clear them to gain access to water! Thank you for doing your part to keep everyone safe and keep them clear.
Ridgewood NJ, no injuries were reported following a Friday evening crash at the intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and Oak Street. Two (2) vehicles were removed by tow trucks. Ridgewood Police and Ridgewood Fire Department responded to the incident. Traffic was temporarily rerouted around the crash scene while emergency responders and tow truck operators worked.
Ridgewood NJ, a backhoe being transported on a flatbed tractor trailer struck the Linwood Avenue overpass of Route 17 southbound in Ridgewood on Wednesday afternoon, 01/27 before falling to the highway and blocking two (2) southbound travel lanes. A southbound passenger vehicle was damaged by resultant debris, but no injuries were reported in the incident. Ridgewood Police, Ridgewood Fire Department, and NJDOT personnel responded to the scene. A heavy duty tow truck righted the flipped backhoe, which was removed from the highway by the flatbed tractor trailer that it had fallen from.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police coordinated an intense, multi-agency search for an endangered adult female who had been observed entering the Saddle River County Park early Sunday evening, 01/24. A NJ State Police helicopter, a search dog & patrol officers of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, Ridgewood Fire Department firefighters, Ridgewood Police patrol officers, Ridgewood Emergency Services personnel, Paramus Police officers, and Paramus Emergency Management staff were all deployed in an effort to locate the individual. Approximately one (1) hour after the search began, Paramus Police located her in a residential neighborhood about 1/2 mile from where she’d last been seen. She was evaluated by Paramus EMS personnel before being driven home by a Ridgewood Police patrol officer.
Paramus NJ, Firefighters from Paramus FD Engine Company #1 extinguished a Thursday evening, 01/07, motor vehicle accident related car fire on Route 17 northbound near Linwood Avenue, Paramus. An SUV traveling on Route 17 northbound careened off the highway and caught fire after mounting a pedestrian bridge’s concrete staircase before coming to a halt. The vehicle’s adult male driver was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Center’s main campus with non life threatening injuries. A tow truck removed the charred vehicle from it’s predicament. Ridgewood Fire Department, Ridgewood Police, Ridgewood EMS, and Ridgewood Emergency Services personnel responded to assist their Paramus Fire Department, Paramus Police, Paramus Rescue Squad, and Paramus EMS counterparts. Traffic on Route 17 northbound at the crash scene was limited to a single lane as emergency and vehicle recovery responders worked.
