Crime & Safety

First Responder's View of Hurricane Sandy

Over 50 calls logged during the 36 hours that Sandy struck.

Editor’s note: Chester Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Greco shares his experience with the devastating storm in his own words.

In response to the impending devastation to be caused by Hurricane Sandy, the Chester Volunteer Fire Company, First Aid Squad, and Police Departments stood at the ready to respond to any and all emergency calls within the communities of Chester Borough and Chester Township with their joint Emergency Response Center that was established at the Chester Fire House. 

Height of the Storm

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Over the course of the storm, 25 of the fire company’s bravest responded to calls for wires down, vehicle accidents, gas leaks, generator fires, and damage caused to residents home’s by falling trees.

The First Aid Squad, with 10 heroic members, responded to medical emergency calls and provided assistance to the police departments in evacuating residents from damaged homes or residents at risk due to power lines and gas leaks. In addition to responding to emergencies within the Chester communities, these volunteers also provided assistance to Mendham and Flanders in areas unreachable due to fallen tree and wires or due to high call volumes.   

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At the height of the storm, the Fire Company and First Aid Squad had up to five fire trucks and three ambulances on the road braving the falling trees, wires, wind, and rain caused by Sandy. Some of these members encountered close calls from falling trees and wires while also sustaining personal injury and damage to vehicles during their response in protecting our town.

In total, the fire company and first aid squad responded to over 50 emergency calls from Tuesday into Wednesday having stood by at their station prior to the height of the storm for a total of 36 hours.

The Aftermath

In the aftermath of the storm, volunteer members of each organization worked from Wednesday into Saturday, taking it upon themselves to assist the town Department of Public Works employees in removing tree from road ways in order to restore emergency access to areas heavily damaged by the storm.

With so many residents without power, the fire company and first aid squad has seen a spike in emergency calls caused by running generators. These calls include carbon monoxide within residences and fires directly caused by the operation of these powering devices.

Preventative Measures

The fire company would like to remind the community that generators should never be operated within the home or within the garage. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions when setting up generators, keeping them as far from the residences as possible in order to prevent buildup of exhausted gases or accidental fires.

Smoke detectors and Carbon monoxide detectors are also a lifesaver when living in homes with little to no power. Carbon monoxide is a silent killer and only presents symptoms of headache, dizziness, weakness, and nausea eventually leading to loss of consciousness and death. Most of these detectors have a warranted life span of five years, and should be replaced at the end of their lifespan. Just about every detector within a residence will have a battery backup for times when the power is out.

Due to the extended time that residents have been without power within Chester, it is recommended that home owners check the batteries regularly until power is restored in addition to the bi-annual replacement of detector batteries recommended on daylight savings days. The Fire Company would also like to remind home owners operating generators tied into the home electrical system to have them installed professionally and to have the main circuit breaker shut off to prevent back flow of electricity to damaged wires located outside the home that can cause injury or death to family members or emergency responders.

Thomas C. Grego

Assistant Fire Chief


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