Friday, January 25, 2013
Union firefighters make quick work of the single car fire.
A van burst into flames on route 22 in Union near the Springfield bordershortly after 3 p.m. today. While a column of smoke was visible from a mile off on the two-lane highway and traffic was backed up into Springfield, no one was hurt in the single car accident. An officer for the Union fire department said the driver reported that the van, a late model white Nissan, caught fire for no apparent reason. The driver was not injured in the incident and the accident did not involve other cars. Union firefighters made quick work of the fire, dousing it with water while members of the Union Police department directed traffic away from the accident. Springfield police also responded to the scene.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Department will have 22 members with the hires.
At the July 16 Springfield Township Committee meeting, officials approved making conditional job offers to three firefighters. Following the approval, conditional offers of employment will be made to Kevin Ruck, Peter Peros and Christopher Tutela. The conditional offers are designed to give the prospective new employees time to give adaquete notice from their current jobs before starting with Springfield. The new hires would bring the Fire department’s headcount up to 22, including Chief James Sanford and Deputy Chief Carlo Palumbo. Sanford said the staffing level was at its highest since 2006, when the Department had 25 firefighters. The Committee also approved the appointment of John Krueger as a volunteer member of the department.
Monday, July 2, 2012
David Maas and Michael Mastroeni move up in rank.
In a formal ceremony, Springfield firefighters David Maas and Michael Mastroeni were sworn in as Captains at the Township Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 26 Township Committee meeting. Both veteran firefighters were joined by their families in the ceremony. Officially, they had been promoted earlier in the month. Their appointment follows the recent promotion of Carlo Palumbo to Deputy Chief. Shortly before being officially sworn in, a beaming Maas told Patch he was grateful to the department and to Springfield for the opportunity to serve.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Fire broke out around 7:30 p.m., with firefighters from nearby towns helping to bring it under control.
A heavy fire tore through a two-story woodframe home at 21 Normandie Place in Cranford on Tuesday night. Cranford firefighters responded to the scene of the two-alarm fire at approximately 7:30 p.m. to find the home engulfed in smoke and flames. Westfield firefighters arrived just after 7:30 pm to provide mutual aid. Crews from the nighboring township used a ladder truck to access the roof of the home. Roselle firefighters were also called to assist in efforts to extinguish the blaze. The main body of the fire was reportedly extinguished at about 8:05 p.m. The cause of the fire is unknown.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Position paid for by decrease in overtime.
Springfield’s Fire Department expanded by one this week. The Department welcomed new fire fighter Jason Ropelski to the department on Wednesday, June 15. The Township was able to afford the hire because of decreased overtime pay. Public safety officials believe the hire will improve emergency response and free up resources in the department. Previously, Springfield’s Fire Department operated on four tours, with five people on one tour and four on two others. The new hire would allow for three tours staffed with five fire fighters. Springfield Public Safety Director Richard Rosell told Springfield’s Township Committee members that overtime had dropped this year to 60 percent below his projections. “It’s clear we’re able to afford this [hire…
Friday, May 20, 2011
Route 22’s Autoland hosts lessons on safety for new technology.
New technology brings often brings new challenges to emergency responders, and hybrid cars are no exception. This month, Autoland on Route 22 in Springfield held a series of classes for local emergency responders detailing the techniques needed to effectively deal with hybrid cars involved in accidents. Several Springfield Fire Fighters and First Aid Squad members attended alongside their counterparts from other area municipalities. While the cars are not more dangerous than gas-powered vehicles, firefighters and medical technicians have to learn how to handle them. Even an experienced responder would need new knowledge to navigate the cars. “The battery is in a different place in the car,” Autoland President Mark Montenero said. “The …
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
In collective bargaining agreement, the FMBA makes wage and other concessions.
On Tuesday, Sept. 28, Springfield's fire fighter's union and the Township Committee agreed to terms for the first contract fire fighters have had since 2007. Chief among the concessions made in the agreement is a wage freeze for 2011. The agreement also set salary increases for 2007, 2008, 2009, as well as 2012, 2013 and 2014. The past salary increases are consistent with the collective bargaining agreements with police in those years, alternating between 3.75 and 4 percent. The future raises are under the 2 percent cap mandated this spring by Governor Christie. In addition, the F.M.B.A. agreed to the government's plan to have public employee's health care coverage be provided by the state's health care system. ""This agreement is long …
Monday, January 11, 2010
More coverage of this weekend's conflagration.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Monday, January 11, 2010
According to a witness who watched the blaze from Springfield, the fire that flared up in an empty Millburn store on Sunday made everything "from Scottys to Weichert...just black." Fire departments from several towns, including Springfield, worked all afternoon to contain the fire. Millburn Patch editor Jen Connic took some video and photos to supplement our coverage of the fire from the previous day. In addition to capturing the firefighters battling the blaze, she spoke with Millburn's fire chief about the probable causes of the fire and other details.
Alan K
6:33 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Congrats to all three men, especially Peter Peros. Great hire! more ›