Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • August 18, 2010 Franklin Lakes Borough council to address fire siren complaint by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Council will address a resident’s complaint about fire siren noise in the borough by seeking a written report from Fire Chief Charles “Chuck” Bohny on the reasons the sirens are needed. Dr. Ahmed Chaudhry, who lives at the corner of Ewing Avenue and Franklin Lake Road, attended a recent council meeting and complained about the noise from a fire siren located near his backyard which he says prevents him from enjoying the use of his property. Chaudhry said he understands the borough has four fire sirens and one of them has been broken for two to three years. “If one can be broken for two to three years, why have any? To me, that means we can live without them,” he told the council. Chaudhry said he pays a lot of taxes and yet he cannot use his backyard. “I can’t even enjoy my swimming pool,” he said, adding that he feels that beepers and cell phones should be used to alert the volunteer firefighters. He also advised the council that the town of Hillsdale has stopped using sirens. “I just think the council should do something about it,” Chaudhry said. Councilman Steven Marcus, chairman of the Public Safety Committee, said he thought this issue was resolved in the past when the fire chief said the sirens were needed. But Councilman William Smith asked if the council has ever received a report from the fire chief explaining why the sirens were needed and why some other towns, like Hillsdale, were able to stop using them. “I’d like to have something in writing,” Smith said, “so I would request the fire department to provide a written report on sirens and why we need them.” Mayor Maura DeNicola said the fire department did come to a previous council meeting when it was explained that sirens were needed to alert volunteers who live in Wayne and North Haledon, but she agreed the issue deserved to be revisited. In recent years, fire siren noise was a controversial issue in Mahwah, where neighbors of two sirens in that township filed an April 2007 lawsuit against the township in an attempt to force the town to stop using the sirens to alert firefighters. Their lawsuit was dismissed in Superior Court in October of 2008, when Superior Court Judge Robert P. Contillo made note of the fact that the sirens have been used in the township since the 1930s. The judge explained at the time that the evidence presented at the trial indicated the sirens are an effective system for notifying firefighters of a fire emergency, but he acknowledged that the sound experienced by human beings at the decibel levels of a fire siren creates a potential for hearing loss and injury and that the siren noise level can cause real injury to the health, welfare, well-being, and comfort of the plaintiffs. He ruled that the court was unable to find that the plaintiffs had proven by clear and convincing evidence that the sirens were an actionable nuisance and therefore, their claims were dismissed. Earlier this year, a three-judge panel of the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey affirmed Judge Contillo’s decision. Davidson named auxiliary president Nancy Davidson of Franklin Lakes, a member of the Franklin Lakes Branch of the Valley Hospital Auxiliary, was named president of the Valley Hospital Auxiliary at the gruop’s annual meeting. Davidson, who will serve a two-year term, has been active in the auxiliary for many years. She volunteered in Kurth Cottage Gift Shop for seven years, and was vice president of the gift shop, serving on the executive board for four years. Davidson cochaired Breakfast with Santa for two years, and was chairman of the Friendship Garden for five years. She has also served on several fundraising event committees for the Valley Hospital on behalf of the auxiliary, including Tiffany’s Pearls for a Cause, the Kitchen Tour, and the auxiliary golf outing at the Ridgewood Country Club. Davidson helped reinstate the Franklin Lakes Branch in 2007, and has sat on its board as recording secretary, and chair of the winter boutique fundraiser and spring celebration. Davidson (pictured at left) accepts the gavel from Sue Kelly, out-going president (right). 4 Out of 5 Ain’t Bad! One of my SAT Verbal-Writing tutorial students got into four out of five colleges he applied to…including his target school. College counseling too… 201-445-1343 • $60 per hour. ...not your community’s back. Local businesses are the backbone of your community and the trend to shop the big guys on the highway hurts us all.Your local businesses have what you want... at the right price... and close to home. So, why hassle with the highways? Break the Highway Trend! Save Time! Save Gas! Save Money! SAVE YOUR COMMUNITY! We Need You  SHOP LOCALLY. IT’S SMART. ...and besides, it’s so convenient!