| Since 1909, the all-volunteer members of the Oakland Fire Department have spent countless hours servicing the Residents of this great community by actively responding to emergency service calls and attending training. In addition to responding to emergency service calls, we provide our Community with public service information through tours of our firehouses, participation at School events and through our annual Fire Prevention week program.
As well as serving the residents of Oakland, we are also members of the North West Bergen Mutual Aid Group which means we help our neighboring communities, who are also volunteers, when they need assistance and they likewise do the same for Oakland.
The men and women that make up the Oakland Volunteer Fire Department are very dedicated to servicing this great community do in large part to the fact that we all are residents of Oakland. As first responders we work closely with the members of the Oakland Police Department, volunteer members of the Oakland First Aid Squad and Oakland DPW.
Thankfully many of the calls we respond to are not life-threatening. A typical call lasts approximately 51 minutes and averages 26 responders and two support apparatus. However there are times when calls are more serious or the Community as a whole requires the entire departments’ efforts such as during hurricanes Sandy and Irene. During Hurricane Sandy our entire department was mobilized and we ran a continuous shift for 36 straight hours.
In just the past three years, our department has averaged close to 470 emergency service calls per year. That means that on an annual basis our members put in over 10,000 man-hours responding to emergency service calls. In addition to these service calls, we will spend over 3,100 man-hours training on the latest fire rescue techniques and learning how to efficiently and effectively provide emergency services to Oakland's residents. And this does not include the time spent inspecting and servicing our equipment to keep things in good operating order.
Through the generosity of our great Community during our fundraising efforts, we have been able to purchase many pieces of equipment as well as perform improvements at Borough owned facilities without asking for funds through the Municipal Budget process. Some of the equipment purchased and building improvements that we funded through your generous donations include: purchasing of the Scuba truck, two new Assistant Chief's cars, the Suburban support vehicle, the reconditioning of the Scuba truck into a Swift Water response unit, the refurbishment of the service kitchen at Company 1 (as it serves as a Town shelter as needed) and the construction of the Radio Dispatch Fire Desk and its associated equipment.
The Oakland Fire Department is always looking for additional volunteer firefighters to protect the lives and property of our neighbors. To become a member of the Oakland Fire Department you must be at least 16 years old, be a US Citizen, be in good physical condition, be a legal resident of Oakland for a minimum of six months and have not been convicted of a felony. Once accepted, you will need to complete an 18 week basic Firefighters course - Firefighter 1 - at the Bergen County Fire Academy in Mahwah.
For more information and a membership application, come to the Yawpo Ave firehouse any Monday night at 7:00 PM and ask to speak to one of the our Chiefs or Officers.
We want to thank the Residents of Oakland, and the Mayor and Council, for your continued support of our efforts. |
