WESTWOOD FIREFIGHTERS ANSWER TWENTY-THREE ALARMS IN MAY 2026

Fire Chief Bryan Wiecenski reports that the Westwood Fire Department was called 23 times for
emergencies during the month of May 2026. Chief Wiecenski reports that none of the calls
turned out to be a serious fire. A dumpster fire broke out on one occasion which was quickly
extinguished by fire crews without any problems.
These 23 emergency calls, two training events and three maintenance nights required
approximately 400 hours of volunteer time.
The mutual aid system was activated five times during May. On two occasions Westwood
received assistance from Hillsdale and rive vale fire departments. On one occasion Westwood
firefighters were called to Hillsdale, once to river vale for a possible kitchen fire. Westwood also
sent a crew on the tower ladder truck to Garfield to cover surrounding south Bergen towns who
were fighting a major alarm fire in Belleville.
Automatic fire alarms were received nine times in May. 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. A variety of problems caused these automatic
alarms: cooking smoke caused five alarms, citizens mistakenly activating fire alarm pull stations
caused two responses. No cause was found at one incident and a citizen changing detector
batteries was responsible for one activation.
Gas emergencies required two responses, one for a malfunctioning water heater and once for a
malfunctioning stove. Fire crews checked the buildings for gas readings, shut the gas to the
equipment and turned the scene over to PSE&G gas technicians.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) problems caused four incidents. Carbon monoxide, CO, is an odorless
and colorless gas given off by improperly burning heating or cooking equipment. It can be fatal
at high levels. Again, each of the CO calls required a full fire department response. Fire crews
check the entire building with meters and determined that at three alarms no CO was present.
At the other call the occupant was changing the detector battery which caused an alarm.
Electrical emergencies required the fire department to respond on three incidents. At one call
fire fighters found an outdoor decorative light fixture was arcing and smoldering. Fire crews
shut the power and checked the area to be sure that there was no fire. At another a resident
called to say their main electrical panel was hot. Firefighters checked the surrounding area,
found no problem and advised the resident to have the panel checked by a licensed electrician.
Also, a passerby called to say a high-tension electric power pole was arcing. The fire
department responded but did not find any arcing. This scene was turned over to PS electric
tech for further investigation.

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 numbers 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 in a smokey hallway. 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 westwoodfdchief.gmail.com 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, NOT FOR FIRES OR EMERGENCIES. FOR FIRE, POLICE, AMBULANCE EMERGENCIES
CALL 911.