Caldwell Police, Fire Departments Gear Up for Thanksgiving Snowstorm

Caldwell Police and Fire Officials are gearing up for a snowstorm that could cause “plowable” snow to fall in Northern New Jersey on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day.

In anticipation of tomorrow’s snowfall, the Caldwell Department of Public Works has been reading the township’s snow removal and salting equipment, while monitoring the weather forecast, Caldwell Police Chief James Bongiorno said.

“In the event we get accumulating snow, we ask residents to please stay home and off of the roads unless they absolutely have to go out,” Chief Bongiorno told Patch. “We also request that residents please remove their vehicles from snow covered roadways so our road crews can clear the road from curb to curb and our emergency vehicles can get through.“

Caldwell Fire Official Mark Guiliano noted that all Caldwell fire trucks are equipped with automatic chains that can be deployed with the push of a button. This equipment ensures that rescue vehicles can move through snow in an emergency, although response time may still be slow.

“When parking your car, please leave room for our fire trucks to get through,” Guiliano said. “The quicker we can get to a fire and go to work the better. Obstacles such as buried fire hydrants and blocked access will make a tough job even tougher – possibly causing tragic results.”

Guiliano noted that while the township’s snow plows “do a great job” plowing the roads after a snow fall, many hydrants remain covered in snow, posing a serious risk to residents in a fire emergency.

“Last year out biggest problem was fire hydrants buried by the heavy snow,” Guiliano said. “We ask that residents help us by ‘adopting a hydrant’ for the winter season, and keep it shoveled out throughout the winter.”