Franklin Lakes October 26, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Council mulls need for fire department rescue boat by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Council has asked the department of public works to provide information about how that department’s personnel might be able to use a fire department rescue boat to clean the borough’s nature preserve lake of debris. The request was made at a recent council work session as part of a discussion of the potential purchase of a rescue boat for the fire department. Fire Chief Denny Knubel has recommended the $16,000 purchase to the council based on the recent opening of the nature preserve to the public. That area contains a 70-acre lake, formerly known as the Haledon Reservoir, and Knubel claims the low draft boat could be used to rescue drowning people from the lake and for other emergencies on that body of water. He advised that the boat would be kept connected to a vehicle in a carport at the Southside Firehouse on Franklin Lake Road, from which he estimated it would take five to seven minutes to get to the nature preserve lake. Based on information provided by Knubel and the comments of Mayor Frank Bivona and the council members, there are varying opinions about whether the boat should be purchased. The council, however, is not expected to make a decision on the $16,000 expenditure until more supportive information is provided by the department of public works and the fire department. Council President Paulette Ramsey, who also chairs the council’s Public Safety Committee, has emphasized her interest in getting the appropriate safety equipment for the fire department, but she doesn’t feel the borough can afford that expense at this time. “I want to give them what is needed to work safely,” Ramsey said at the last work session, “but I’m not convinced it will help the fire department, and I don’t think we can afford it.” Councilwoman Nathalie Lota said, however, she had a conversation with members of the DPW and they feel they could use the boat to clean the reservoir of debris. But Councilman William Smith has voiced concern about whether the boat could be made available in time to save a person drowning in the lake and he asked if there have been any incidents in which a boat like this one would have saved a life. Knubel said he remembered an incident at the Indian Trail Club when a man jumped into the lake, but no other incident that he could recall. Councilman Michael Friscia suggested there might be other uses for the boat, such as the use of it by the DPW as a more stable platform to work from when cleaning the lake of debris. Smith acknowledged that, if there were other uses for the boat, he would be willing to consider it. According to Knubel, Mahwah has two or three rescue boats, and Oakland and Wyckoff each have three rescue boats, while Wayne has four or five, but they would probably not be available in an emergency such as the recent flooding from Hurricane Irene because all those towns would have need of the boats at the same time. The matter will be discussed further at the council’s November work session when more information is available from the DPW. The Friends of the Franklin Lakes Public Library will offer a Halloween Spooktacular laser show on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. Open to families, Prismatic Magic captures the true Halloween spirit with a great mix of current pop music and Halloween titles, such as Friends offer Halloween laser show “Monster Mash,” “Purple People Eater,” and “Thriller.” Enjoy laser animations of popular Halloween personalities like Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and the Mummy. The library is located at 470 DeKorte Drive. For details, call (201) 891-2224.