Ridgewood November 9, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Chief Van Goor cites need for new fire engine by John Koster At last week’s Ridgewood Council meeting, Ridgewood Fire Chief James Van Goor provided a detailed summary of his case for a new fire engine. No price has been set for the new engine -- a platform mid mount ladder truck has been recommended -- but a large amount of money has already been put into the capital account for eventual purchase. “The purchase of the new ladder truck will provide us with an additional safety net since we can also use the 1991 Pierce ladder truck as a reserve ladder truck in emergency situations,” Chief Van Goor said. The 1982 Mack pumper truck to be replaced, the chief said, is no longer viable for the department. The Mack pumper, he said, is unreliable, constantly breaking down, the open cab design is only able to carry two occupants safely, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find replacement parts. “It would cost $500,000 to $700,000 to refurbish the truck to meet today’s safety standard,” Chef Van Goor said. “The National Fire Protection Association requires that a refurbished unit meet current safety standards. Because of its age, NFPA Standard Annex D Section on refurbishing states that this is not a good candidate for this type of work. According to NFPA standards, if we wanted to refurbish the truck, we should have done it five or six years ago. Additionally, Ridgewood would be without a ladder truck for four to six months.” Van Goor said the Ridgewood Fire Department was analyzed by Technical Fire Service, an outside consultant, which recommended that an apparatus replacement schedule be established. The consultant recommended that front line fire engines be placed in reserve after 15 years of service and replaced after 25 years of service. The consultant also recommended that the existing ladder truck be maintained as front line for 20 years and then placed in reserve for five years -- and then eliminated. The Ridgewood Fire Department was analyzed in 2008 by Matric Consulting Co., another outside consultant, which recommended that the current national standards be followed. These standards state that apparatus remain as front line equipment for 15 years and then as reserve equipment for five years before elimination. “Nation Fire Protection Associations standard is also 20 years,” the chief said. “As such, if we replace the ladder truck now, we will be in compliance with the safety recommendations.” The Ridgewood fire chief said he has spoken to the all-volunteer departments in Glen Rock and Ho-Ho-Kus about a possible joint purchase, but that neither department was interested in a shared-purchase Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion and members of the Ridgewood Village Council had some tough questions for David B. Hollenbeck, regional public affairs manager for PSE&G in the aftermath of the October snowstorm that knocked out power to 69,000 households in Northwest Bergen County and its environs. Over the entire PSE&G grid, 571 households had been knocked out, and 37,000 were still without power Wednesday night. The council members and Ridgewood Village Manager Ken Gabbert told of fielding telephone calls from residents demanding to know when they would have their electricity restored. “Our residents are patient, but they’ve run out of patience” Mayor Killion told Hollenbeck. “They’ve run out of patience with us and they’ve run out of patience with PSE&G fields tough questions Public Service.” Hollenbeck, the point man for a panel of experts that also included Ridgewood Director of the Office of Emergency Management Brad Mason, had numbers for the council, but no real answers as to how such a catastrophe could be prevented by viable methods. “We didn’t expect, any more than anyone else did in this room, to have this come down the way it did,” Hollenbeck said. “It was worse than (Hurricane) Irene in terms of utilities...but every storm is totally different.” The PSE&G representative said his company had to deal with 1,100 “tree jobs” in Bergen County alone, and that each rewiring was followed by cutting and removal of the trees or branches that fell and tore (continued on page 17) agreement. “Both towns have ladder trucks and they are not ready for replacement,” Van Goor said. “They both agreed that we should continue to look for ways to share services.” The chief said that early arrival of the ladder truck at the scene of a fire was crucial in initiating three key actions: ventilation, search and rescue, and fire suppression. “By having a ladder truck in Ridgewood the average response time is four to six minutes,” he added. Van Goor also said the layout of the ladder truck features a platform that creates a safer work environment, and that the truck type he wants is faster and safer to set up with less manpower. The council will study the proposal before decided to authorize a request for proposals. Chief Van Goor said he could not comment on the price until the proposals came in. Residents at past meetings have suggested that Ridgewood investigate joint purchasing to save on high-ticket items, but some council members have expressed concerns over whether this is the best way to cover items related to public safety.