Office of Emergency Management

The next time disaster strikes, you may not have much time to act. Please prepare now for a sudden emergency.

Emergencies can be broken down into several categories. Those that can cause you to take shelter in your home for days, even weeks, those that cause you to evacuate your home and those that can trap you in your vehicle or a sheltering place away from your home.

Saddle River emergency managers, working closely with federal, state, county and local officials have put together this compendium of emergency information and checklists for different types of emergencies, to get you started as you plan ahead for emergencies that can occur in our area.

A weather emergency or disaster and its after-effects can last for days, during which you may be without heat, water, power, or telephones.

Use the Emergency Preparedness Checklists included on our website to make sure you have everything you need to stay inside your home for as long as a week if necessary.

To prepare for an emergency that requires you to evacuate your home:

Make arrangements to stay with a relative or friend who lives 10 to 50 miles away, in case you have to evacuate your home during an emergency. If you cannot make these arrangements, locations of temporary shelters where you can stay during an emergency, can be obtained from the American Red Cross or the Saddle River Office of Emergency Management.

An "All-Purpose" Checklist:
Use the following checklist to be sure that your family is prepared for any type of emergency:

Warm clothing that can be worn in layers

Extra blankets/sleeping bags
Portable radio / flashlight / extra batteries
First aid kit & prescription medications
An extra pair of eyeglasses, and lists of items and important family papers to take with you
Non-perishable, high energy food that can be eaten without cooking
A supply of drinking, cooking & bathing water
Extra towels or paper toweling
Extra baby supplies, if caring for infants
Extra prescription medications and supplies, if caring for elderly or infirm
Extra food and supplies for pets
A fully charged fire extinguisher and battery powered smoke detectors that work

The Emergency 9-1-1 telephone system should be used "When Seconds Count." In other words; ONLY if Life or Property is threatened.

For Non-Emergency questions and information concerning the preparations for an emergency, please call the appropriate number during business hours, Monday through Friday.

Emergency Alert Sign-Up

Emergency Medical Dispatch

In Saddle River calls for help will be answered by a 9-1-1 dispatcher. The dispatcher will ask you for specific information needed to dispatch Police, Fire, or Ambulance EMTs and, if needed, a Paramedic Unit.

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.

Always wear your seatbelt when riding in a car, and a bicycle helmet when cycling. These two preventive measures save thousands of lives each year.

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.

Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials are part of our everyday lives. When properly stored and handled, products such as household detergents, swimming pool chemicals, lawn fertilizer, and propane grills provide us with enjoyment in a safe and healthy environment. However, because and other products may be poisonous, flammable or corrosive, the public must be protected in the event of an accident involving a hazardous material.

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
If you smell a strong odor of 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.

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.