EMERGENCY Preparedness Information

Emergency Medical Services

Each year millions of Americans require immediate medical attention for sudden illness and injuries. Responding to the needs of Saddle River are the members of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. Pre-hospital EMS team members consist of dispatchers, police officers, firefighters, first responders, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) & paramedics.

Some of these individuals are paid while some volunteer their time, but all are highly trained, dedicated professionals who will respond to your calls for help any time of the day or night.

Often working under difficult and hazardous conditions, our EMS personnel respond providing swift, specialized care for seriously ill and injured persons.

Emergency Medical Dispatch

Please stay on the line with the dispatcher so they can give you instructions to assist the patient until emergency responders arrive.

What Should You Do?

• If you become aware of someone needing Emergency Medical assistance, immediately call 9-1-1 to get help on the way. Do not waster valuable time trying to assist the patient before calling.
• After calling for help, assist the patient if you can. So not move the patient unless they are in immediate danger. It is usually best to wait for trained help to arrive before moving injured patients from automobiles, stairwells, roadways and similar situations.
• Purchase or assemble a first aid kit for your home and automobile. The kit, at a minimum, should contain such items as sterile adhesive bandages, sterile gauze pads, adhesive tape, scissors, sterile roller bandage, antiseptic, moist cleaning towelettes, triangular bandages, latex or plastic gloves, and chemical ice packs.

Law Enforcement Services

The Saddle River Police Department, in an effort to better serve the residents, offers the following safety tips for you, your children, and your home.

• Trust your instincts. If you do not feel comfortable in a place or situation, leave right away and get help if necessary.
• Stay alert at all times and "tuned-in" to your surroundings
• Stand tall and walk confidently, especially if you are in unfamiliar territory.
• Walk and jog in places that have plenty of traffic - avoid deserted areas. At night, go to places that are well lit and have plenty of traffic, and try to have a companion.
• Keep names and phone numbers of relatives or friends on your person in case of emergency or accident.
• Purses should have flaps that fold over & interior pockets with zippers. They should be carried close to the body. Do NOT carry large amounts of cash and be vigilant at ATMs.
• Separate your car keys from your house keys. Women should keep their keys in a place other than their purse.
• If someone asks for directions, answer from a distance. Do NOT approach the vehicle.
• Keep car doors locked, even when driving. Check the area around the car and inside the car before entering it.

Saddle River Police Department

• Know where your child is at all times.
• Never leave a small child alone at home or in the car.
• Make sure your child knows his full name, address, and phone number.
• Know your child's friends & where they live.
• Teach your child who a stranger is, and teach them to never accept anything from or go anywhere with a stranger.
• Tell your child to run away and scream if approached by a stranger.
• Teach your child that no one has the right to touch any part of his or her body that is covered by a bathing suit.
• Teach them to tell you if anyone talks to them about sex or love or if anyone exposes private parts to them.
• Teach them to never open the door to strangers when they are home.
• Teach them, when answering the phone, never to give out personal information or say they are alone.
• Teach them to never ride their bikes alone. Always ride with a buddy & wear a helmet.
• Teach them to never play in the street and to watch for cars when entering the street.
• Develop a secret password if someone unfamiliar must pick them up.
• Have solid core doors with good locks. Lock the doors even if you are only going to be out for a few minutes.
• Do NOT hide keys outside - burglars know the best places. Leave them with a trusted neighbor instead.
• If someone asks to use your phone, do NOT let them in - make the call for them.

Saddle River Fire Department

Fire is a fundamental force in nature. Without fire, life as we know it today would not exist. Friendly fires heat our homes, cook our food and help to generate our energy. Like any force in nature, however, fire also carries with it the potential for great destruction.

Civilian fire deaths in the United States have declined fairly steadily over the past decade from a high of over 7,700 per year in 1978 to an average of about 6,000 per year in 1982. The Saddle River Fire Department urges each resident to practice the following:

What Should You Do?

• Install smoke detectors on every level of your home - outside bedrooms, either on the ceiling or high up on the wall, at the top of open stairways, or at the bottom of closed stairs, and near but not in the kitchen.
• Clean and test them regularly, and change batteries at least once a year.
• Plan two escape routes out of each room.
• Practice escaping from each room with your eyes closed, since during a fire, the house will fill with thick black smoke.
• Teach family members to stay low to the ground when escaping from a fire.
• Teach family members never to open doors that are hot. In a fire, feel the bottom of the door with the palm of your hand. If it is hot, do not open the door. Find another way out.
• Pick a place outside your home for the family to meet after escape.
• Keep all matches and lighters out of reach of children. Teach them about the dangers of playing with matches.
• Teach children about "Stop, Drop and Roll" to put out a fire on their clothing.
• Have a collapsible ladder on each upper floor of your house.
• Consider installing home sprinklers and/or carbon monoxide detectors.
• Purchase and learn how to use a fire extinguisher (5 lb., A-B-C type).
• Clean out storage areas. Don't let trash such as newspapers or magazines accumulate.
• Check electrical wiring. Inspect extension cords for frayed or exposed wires or loose plugs. Do not overload extension cords or outlets. If you need to plug in two or three appliances, get a UL-approved unit with built in circuit breakers to prevent sparks and short circuits.
• Never use gasoline, benzene, or other flammable liquids indoors. Store them approved containers in well ventilated storage areas. Never smoke near these flammable liquids. After use, safely discard all rags or materials soaked in flammable material.
• Check heating sources. Many home fires are started with faulty furnaces or stoves, cracked or rusted furnace parts, and chimneys with creosote buildup. Make sure your home heating source is clean and in working order.
• Know where your gas meter and electrical panels are so you can turn them off in an emergency.

For additional information call the Saddle River Fire Prevention Bureau at (201) 818-2015 during regular office hours Monday through Friday. Anyone interested in joining the Saddle River Volunteer Fire Department may call the Fire Chief at (201) 327-4713.

Hazardous Materials

What Should You Do?

• Store propane, gasoline, kerosene and other flammable materials away from your home.
• If you witness a hazardous materials incident, immediately call
  9-1-1.
• Stay away from the scene of the incident. Stay up wind of the incident.
• Never breathe fumes, smoke or vapors, even if they do not have an odor.
• If you are in a car, close the windows and shut off ventilation.
• Avoid contact with any spilled materials, airborne mist or condensed solid chemical deposits.
• Do NOT eat any foods or drink any water that may have been contaminated.
• Listen to your Emergency Alert Station.
• Carefully read all product warning labels and directions.

Utilities Emergencies - Natural Gas

• Do NOT do anything that will cause a spark:
• Do NOT turn off (or on) any switches
• Do NOT use the telephone
• LEAVE your home IMMEDIATELY!
• Call 9-1-1 from a neighbor's house.

Utilities Emergencies - Power Failure

• A power outage can be caused by storm activity or equipment failures or when a tree, animal or other object comes into contact with an electrical line. Once located, trouble spots can be isolated and repaired enabling service to be restored
• Check with your neighbors. If you are the only one without power or only a few appliances won't work, check to see if a fuse is blown or a circuit breaker is tripped.
• Call 9-1-1 to report downed power lines and other dangerous conditions. In the event of a power failure, a fire call box may be pulled for 9-1-1 emergencies.
• Listen to newscasts on a battery powered radio. During major power disruptions, announcers often will broadcast reports on the extent of the trouble and the approximate time electric service will be restored.
• Turn off major appliances that should not be in operation when the power comes back on. Do leave a light on so you'll know when normal service has been restored. Do NOT use appliances if the light is dim, indicating low voltage.
• Open refrigerator doors and freezers as little as possible. Food will keep for hours if door opening is kept to a minimum. If the outage is lengthy, contact a dry ice distributor.
• Stay away from downed power lines and never touch them under any circumstances.