THE WESTWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT ANSWERS TWENTY-EIGHT CALLS DURING APRIL 2025

Under the command of Fire Chief Brian Kronewitter, the Westwood Fire Department was called 28
times for emergency assistance during the month of April 2025. Chief Kronewitter reports that none of
the calls turned out to be a serious fire in Westwood.
The 28 emergency calls, the busiest month so far in 2025, four training drills and one work/maintenance
sessions required over 375 hours of volunteer time.
The Westwood Fire Department was called out of town for seven incidents. To assist the Emerson fire
department three times, the Hillsdale fire department on two occasions and the River Vale and
Washington Twp. Fire departments once each. Westwood received mutual aid assistance from River
Vale Fire department on one occasion.
Automatic fire alarms were received ten times in April 2025. Although no fires existed at any of these
incidents, a full fire department response is required. Firefighters check the entire building to determine
if an actual fire exists. Workers in buildings doing a variety of tasks set off alarms on five occasions.
Alarm malfunctions accounted for three responses. Cooking and a room vaporizer in a child’s room
caused two additional alarms.
Natural gas emergencies caused four fire department responses. An underground gas line was struck by
a contractor. At this call fire crews assessed the damage and checked the area with meters to ensure the
gas did not enter nearby buildings. A caller reported a gas line struck on another occasion but when
firefighters arrived no struck line was found. A defective flexible gas line to a dryer caused a leak at a
borough residence. Fire crews shut the gas supply at this incident. The fire department was also called
to an outside odor of gas where after checking the area no gas was found. Westwood fire department
standard procedure require that these scenes are turned over to Public Service Gas Company
employees.
Two Carbon Monoxide (CO) calls were received. Readers are reminded that CO is an odorless and
colorless gas caused by malfunctioning heating or cooking equipment. It can be lethal at high levels.
Again, each of these calls require a full fire department response. Fire crews check the entire building
with meters. One incident was caused by a defective water heater. At this incident fire crews shut the
gas to the water heater and vented the CO with large fans kept on the fire trucks. At one call the CO
alarm was set off by an odor caused by floor repairs being made in the building.
Also, a large roll off type dumpster caught fire at a borough apartment complex. This fire was quickly
extinguished by responding fire fighters with no damage to surrounding properties.
A variety of other calls required the fire department to respond. A report of a person stuck in and
elevator (the person was out before the fire department arrived), a smell of smoke in an apartment
building was unfounded and a pole on fire was reported. At this call no fire existed when fire crews
arrived and the scene was turned over to PSE&G electric technicians.
The Westwood fire department and Fire Prevention Bureau would like to remind readers that fire safety
is still very important even when away on vacation. Just as two ways out of every area is important at
home it is very important when you are away at a vacation home, motel or hotel. As soon as you arrive
look for two exits. In a large hotel count the number of doors your room is away from the exit stairways.

Do not use elevators during a fire. Count the doors because you may need to use your sense of feel. Find
the emergency phone number for that city, or how to call 911 on the hotel’s phones. Feel any door
before you open it. If it is hot, do not open it, use the second way out or listen for directions from the
fire department. Once you are out, stay out, do not go back in until you are told to do so by fire officials.
This article was submitted by the Westwood Fire Department. Any Fire Department related questions
can be e-mailed to wwfdchief@westwoodnj.gov or by calling 201-664-0526. The fire prevention bureau
can be reached at dblankenbush@westwoodnj.gov or by calling 201-664-7100 ext 308. PLEASE NOTE;
THESE PHONE NUMBERS ARE BUSINESS/NON-EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS, FOR FIRES/EMERGENCIES
CALL 911.