2015 Calls & Events

This page shows just a part of the more than 300 calls, events, and drills the Fanwood Fire Department responds to each year.

12/12/15 - Annual Santa Run

Santa visited kids of all ages on his annual ride through Fanwood.

Along with the Fire Department, thanks to the Rescue Squad and Police Department for helping get Santa safely through town.

12/10/15 - Oven Fire - Westfield Road

Fanwood units were dispatched to a reported oven fire at a home on Westfield Road. The fire was quickly extinguished and contained to the oven.

12/6/15 - Tree Lighting Ceremony

Arriving on a fire engine, Santa appeared at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the train station.

12/1/15 - Christmas Trees at LaGrande Park

Along with the Lions Club, FFD sold Christmas trees at the park. This is a Fanwood tradition that goes back to the 1950s.

11/30/15 - Kitchen Fire - Glenwood Road

At approximately 6:15 AM Fanwood FD was dispatched to a reported kitchen fire. The fire was quickly extinguished and the house had only minor damage. There were no injuries.

11/27/15 - Brush Fire - Berkeley Heights

Fanwood Engine 8 served as a standby water supply truck at this large brush fire near Route 78.

11/9/15 & 11/16/15 - Combined Drill w Scotch Plains FD

Members of Fanwood FD participated in drills with Scotch Plains FD at SP's Southside firehouse. Drills included victim search in zero visibility, self-rescue from entanglement and confined spaces, and bailing out from upper floor windows in the event of extreme fire conditions.

11/7/15 - Miyako Restaurant Fire - Garwood

In the early morning, Engine 8 was dispatched for mutual aid into Garwood at the Miyako restaurant fire on South Ave.

Numerous surrounding towns assisted with this fire.

10/31/15 - Halloween Costume Parade

Ladder 1 participated in the Costume Parade which starts each year at the Memorial Library and ends in LaGrande Park.

10/29/15 - Fire Prevention  at Westminster Preschool

Fanwood Firefighter Doug Germinder visited the Westminster Preschool in Fanwood to give a lesson on fire prevention and let the kids tour the fire engine. Doug is also a lieutenant on the Plainfield FD.

10/25/15 - Fanwood Family Fun Run and 5k

Fanwood FD was on scene to support the annual Family Fun Run and 5k.

This popular event requires assistance from several other town resources including the Police Department, the Department of Public Works and the Rescue Squad.

10/19/15 - Congratulations Chief, but we have to go!

Assistant Chief Dave Zawodniak (DZ) received the Volunteer of the Month award from the town council. Dave has been a Fanwood FD member for more than 35 years, and a Rescue Squad member for more than 20 years.

As the discussion turned to fire prevention month, all firefighters in attendance had to abruptly leave for a reported grease fire at a home on Trenton Ave. Fortunately there was no damage to the home and no injuries.

Congratulations DZ!

10/12/15 - Downed Primary Wire Causes Outages

FFD responded to a primary wire that came down near

North Ave and Nichols Court. Numerous Fanwood residents experienced power outages for approximately 90 minutes.

9/27/15 - Fanny Wood Day

Fanwood celebrated it's 20th annual Fanny Wood Day. Both the Fire Department and Rescue Squad attended. Children were given tours of the apparatus. 

Fanwood Fire's Ladder 1 displayed its large 10' by 17' flag over the event. 

9/17/15 - Assistant Chief Szanto Honored

The Fanwood Town Council honored Assistant Chief Steve Szanto by naming him Volunteer of the Month. Chief Szanto has been on the department for 18 years. He is responsible for much of the training in the department.  Congratulations Steve!

9/2/15 - Smoke In a Basement

Fanwood and Scotch Plains departments responded to reports of smoke filling a basement on Hawthorne Street in Scotch Plains. A surge protector and other plastic items were found smoldering and were quickly extinguished.

8/31/15 - Girl Scout Firehouse Visit - Fire Safety

Members of Girl Scout Troop 40337 met with Chief John Piccola at the firehouse for help with a project on fire safety. The girls were given a tour of the firehouse and even got some hands-on training (see images below). 

8/27/15 - Mutual Aid - Plainfield - House Fires

FFD's Ladder 1 was called to the scene on East 2nd St in Plainfield where two adjacent homes caught fire. Ladder 1's crew was assigned work in the second structure on the first floor and basement. More than 70 firefighters from Plainfield and surrounding towns helped fight this fire. 

8/19/15 - MVA w Extrication - North Ave near Midway

Fanwood FD extricated one victim from a car that hit a truck on North Avenue near Midway. The victim was transported to Overlook Hospital by the Fanwood Rescue Squad.

8/16/15 - Scotch Plains House Fire - Maple Hill Road

At approximately 2:00 AM, FFD responded to a request for assistance by the Scotch Plains FD to a structure fire on Maple Hill Road. The fire was contained to the attached garage of the house. There were no injuries.

8/15/15 - Clark Fire Department Wetdown

Members of the Fanwood Fire Department attended a wetdown at the Clark Fire Department to celebrate Clark's new fire engines - 2 Pierce Rescue Pumpers.

8/4/15 - National Night Out - LaGrande Park

A big crowd was in attendance for this celebration of the community's partnership with first responders.  The picture of the event below was taken high on top of Fanwood Ladder One.

8/3/15 - Mutual Aid  - Elizabeth 5 Alarm Fire

Fanwood FD and numerous other departments helped fight a fire involving two adjacent structures. The size of the fire along with the high heat and humidity required extra manpower. There were no major injuries but several families were displaced.

7/27/15 - High Pressure Hose Test

Watson Road in front of the firehouse was blocked off to conduct a yearly pressure test on our fire hoses. This important test identifies hose that needs to be repaired or discarded, reducing the chance of a failure during a fire.

7/24/15 - Maclennon Place - Car Fire

After being dispatched to a car fire, Fanwood Police Officer Dan Piccola kept the fire from destroying the car and extending into a garage by using his extinguisher. His quick thinking was in part due to him also being an active member of the Fanwood FD. Dan joined the Fanwood Police Department this year.

7/20/15 - Two New Firefighters Approved

The Fanwood Town Council approved a resolution accepting two new firefighters. Probationary Firefighters Tim Green and Sam Fourre will attend the Union County Fire Academy in the fall semester.

7/20/15 - First Responder's Exhibit at Library

FFD members attended a children's book club event at the Fanwood Memorial Library.

Captain Sean Manette along with firefighters Bill Mauer and Russ Marchica spoke about firefighting and gave kids a tour of Ladder 1. The Fanwood Police and Rescue Squad also attended.

7/14/15 & 7/15/15- Baltimore Fire Expo

Members of FFD attended two days of fire training at the Baltimore Fire Expo. Classes included basement fire operations, and approaches for fighting structure fires led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Fire Research team.

7/14/15 - MVA on North Ave at Quick-Chek

FFD responded to a single car accident on North Ave after a car hit a telephone pole. Fortunately the driver had only minor injuries.

7/12/15 - 7th Annual Waterson/Dunham Valor Run

Ladder 1 displayed an American Flag at Martine and Midway supporting this 60 mile police-escorted bike ride.

6/20/15 - FFD Boot Drive

The Fanwood Fire Department held its annual boot drive at the intersections of South & Martine and South & LaGrande.

We appreciate all the donations we received, the response was great!

6/9/15 - Congratulations to Fire Academy Graduates

Fanwood Probationary Firefighters Chris D'Amico and Max Jones completed their training and graduated from the Union County Fire Academy.  Chris attended the fall 2014 class and Max attended the spring 2015 class.

6/5/15 - Oven Fire w Smoke Condition

Fanwood units responded to a request for assistance at the Country Club Village Apartments in Scotch Plains for an oven fire. There were no injuries.

6/3/15 - Brunner PTA Auction Ride-Along

Several lucky children got a ride to school on the Fanwood Ladder Truck after winning an item in the Brunner PTA Auction.

5/28/15 - Tree limb lands on car

A large limb fell from a tree causing significant damage to a car on Russell Road. There were no injuries.

Memorial Day Weekend - 2015

Fanwood Fire Department attended several ceremonies during this year's Memorial Day weekend including the Concert for Fallen Heroes at the train station, the Memorial Service at the library and the parade.

4/29/15 - Lukoil Fire - North Ave

The Fanwood Fire Department assisted Scotch Plains FD at a huge fire at the Lukoil Gas Station. Several other towns provided assistance including Westfield, Plainfield and Mountainside. Fortunately there were no injuries.

4/20/15 - Fanwood Firemen Receive Thanks

Several Fanwood firefighters were recently noted for their contributions to the department and community.

On 4/20, ex-Fire Chief Russ Hamill received a Volunteer of the Month award from Mayor Mahr at Fanwood Borough Hall.

On 4/16, Firefighter Ken Gorman received a Shield award from the Knights of Columbus at St. Barts in Scotch Plains.   

On 3/17, Captain Frank Dietl was thanked by Jeff Downing on behalf of the Rescue Squad for his assistance entering a residence during a CPR call which helped save a victim's life.

3/29/15 - Cancun Fire Chief visits Fanwood Fire Dept and Rescue Squad

Cancun Fire Chief Tom Hurtado met with members of the FD and Squad while on a tour of New Jersey firehouses. He was here at the invitation of NJ first responders and instructors who have been to Cancun to help train personnel there.

3/24/15 - Roof Operations Drill

Fanwood firefighters drilled on rooftop ventilation procedures, a dangerous aspect of structural firefighting. Firefighters must climb a ladder to the roof with full gear and tools (about 60 to 75 extra pounds) and ventilate the roof over the fire. This ventilation helps victims and firefighters inside the structure by removing smoke and heat.

3/21/15 - MVA - Hetfield and South Ave

The Fanwood Fire Department and Rescue Squad responded to an MVA with two vehicles and leaking fluids. There were no entrapments and minor injuries. Two children strapped in car seats were unharmed. FFD contained the spill.

3/15 - Fanwood FF Brian Piccola Joins Westfield FD

Fanwood firefighter Brian Piccola was selected from a long list of applicants to join the Westfield Fire Department. The fire service is a big part of Brian's family... Brian's dad John is chief of our department, and Brian's brothers Kris and Dan are members of our department. Kris is also a member of the North Plainfield FD. 

Congratulations Brian!

2/25/15 - Oven Fire- Scotch Plains

FFD responded on a special request to an oven fire at Country Club Village in Scotch Plains.

2/11/15 - Furnace Malfunction - Willow Ave

In the early morning FFD was dispatched to a report of a house filling with smoke. The cause was determined to be a malfunctioning furnace.

2/2/15 - House Fire - Kempshall Terrace

On Monday, February 2 @ 1704 hrs, the Fanwood Fire Dept was dispatched to Kempshall Terr for a reported structure fire. Upon arrival, Chief Piccola reported heavy fire from division 2.

Engine 8, commanded by Lt. Kris Piccola, arrived within 4 minutes. Scotch Plains FD and Fanwood Rescue Squad were also dispatched.  Mutual aid was requested for a cover assignment. The fire was placed under control by 1755 hrs.

1/26/15 - Blizzard named 'Juno'

Forecasts predicted more than 20 inches of snow, and fire crews were on standby throughout the night. Fortunately, actual snowfalls were much less and FFD had light call volume.

1/19/15 - UCVTS - Machine Room Fire

The Fanwood FD assisted Scotch Plains FD at the Union County Vo-Tech campus for a fire in a machine room.

1/17/15 - Fire and EMS Awards Dinner

Fanwood FD and Rescue Squad held their annual awards dinner at the Berkeley Plaza in Berkeley Heights.

Firefighter Tony Grasso Jr was honored as the department's top responder for 2104. This was Tony's second consecutive year receiving this award.

Stan Yotcoski received a service award for his 45 years of membership in the department. Stan also served as fire chief in 1982.

1/1/15 - Officer Swear-In Ceremony

Fire department officers were sworn in by Mayor Mahr at borough town hall. As stated in the Fanwood Fire Company by-laws, officers are sworn in on the first day of each year.