Fires: 3

1^st Responder calls: 18

Hazardous Condition: 2

Service calls: 1

False/Malfunction: 2

Ambulance Runs: 75

The Belleville Fire Department responded to twenty-five (25) fire incidents and seventy-five (75) EMS incidents during the calendar week of January 16 to January 22, 2002. Here are some of the highlights:

• On January 17, at 1:33 p.m., Engine 3 was dispatched to the Professional Building on Franklin Avenue for a medical emergency. Firefighters arrived and found a woman in cardiac arrest on the first floor. They immediately began CPR and with the assistance of the paramedic unit and ambulance, transported the woman to Clara Maass hospital.
• On January 17, students from the Belleville High School WBHS Media group visited Fire Headquarters on Franklin Avenue. As part of an on-going learning series with the students, a hands-on training session was held on vehicle extrication. Students learned how firefighters provide basic life support to injured persons in car wrecks, and then got to operate the Jaws of Life cutting and spreading tools. Together they dismantled a junked car in several seperate exercises. The students wore turnout gear and worked under the guidance of a firefighter for each operation.
• On January 19, at 2:48 p.m., Truck 1 responded to a residence on Fairway Avenue for an odor investigation. Firefighters used CO detection meters, checked the entire residence inside and out, and determined the area to be safe. They were unable to detect any specific odor or source.
• On January 20, at 5:35 p.m., Engine 2 responded to a residence on Malone Avenue to assist a resident who was locked out of their house. After determining no feasible points of entry from the windows, firefighters used tools and pried the lock so the resident could gain entry.
• On January 22, at 5:36 p.m., all units were dispatched to a residence on Union Avenue for a reported fire. Engine 2 arrived on scene and reported a structure fire with smoke showing. Firefighters made their way into a room on the first floor and found furniture burning. The fire was extinguished with portable extinguishers and a hoseline was stretched as a backup. EMS 1 firefighters searched the house and evacuated all the residents. Additional firefighters from Truck 1 and Engine 3 opened up the walls and ceiling and used a thermal imaging camera to check for fire extension. The house was ventilated of smoke, and the residents were allowed to return. Damage was reported to be contained to the original room, and the cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

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