Thursday, May 9, 2013
Fire Chief Keith Davis said that members of the borough fire department will be going door to door to distribute free smoke detectors and offer a free fire safety checkup.
Don't be surprised if you get a knock on your door from a Collingswood firefighter in the near future. Thanks in part to a shared-service agreement with Pennsauken and an aid grant, the borough fire department is beginning a block-by-block home inspection tour to distribute smoke detectors, offer "pre-incident planning" assistance and offer solutions for any safety issues within the residence. The block inspections were a service the borough had to cut back about five years ago due to a lack of staffing, Fire Chief Keith Davis said, but the program is a valuable service. "It benefits the public and our residents, but it also benefits our personnel because you’re getting to meet our fire department and ask any questions," he said. "Instead…
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The borough fire department has responded to several calls in the past week alone. Dry weather and stray cigarettes are likely culprits.
Warm, dry weather and stray sparks don't mix, especially when you're around mulch piles that can fuel a fire. In the past week, the Collingswood Fire Department has been called out to the Heights of Collingswood apartment building four times to extinguish fires that started in mulch piles on the property. Two happened in the afternoon and evening of April 3 outside the "C" Tower, one in the afternoon of April 7 outside the "A" Tower, and two within an hour April 9, also outside the "A" Tower. Fire Chief Keith Davis says there is "nothing really suspicious" about the activity; when new mulch is laid, it can burn for a while if a spark is introduced. Lately it's been a common issue in surrounding towns, too, he said. "Every time when the …
Friday, March 8, 2013
You lose an hour of sleep, but it's not all bad news in Collingswood. There's even a free doughnut in it for you!
The worst part about losing an hour of sleep is...well, take your pick. But it doesn't have to be all bad. Here's five things that might take the edge off the change. 1. When you roll the clocks forward one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday (Saturday night for you party animals), Collingswood Fire Chief Keith Davis reminds you to take a look at your smoke detectors and change those batteries too. "We recommend you have a smoke alarm on every level and in every bedroom of your home," Davis wrote to Patch in an e-mail. "It is also a good time to practice a fire escape drill with the entire family," Davis wrote. "If anyone needs a detector or assistance changing batteries, they can contact the fire department." 2. For those who want a sweet escape from …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Like many labor negotiations of the day, new hires are going to find their salary and benefits reduced as the borough offsets the costs of salary increases within the 2 percent cap.
Collingswood firefighters are getting a raise. Not a big one, and not all at once—but any pay increase for taxpayer-funded work is no small feat to negotiate in an era of federal sequestration and the 2-percent state budget cap. At its monthly commissioners meeting Monday, the borough introduced an ordinance that would formalize a pay increase for Collingswood firefighters through 2015. In terms of numbers, it is structured identically to that negotiated by the Collingswood Police Department: retroactive to 2012, department staff will receive annual pay increases of 1.5 percent, 1.5 percent, 1.75 percent and 1.75 percent through 2015. Collingswood Fire Chief Keith Davis said those gains were earned at the cost of some concessions for …
Monday, March 4, 2013
Collingswood and Pennsauken inked a 3-year deal to share fire and property maintenance inspections. Collingswood leaders say the borough will save $50,000 with the deal.
The following announcement was provided by the borough of Collingswood. In another step to reduce costs and share services between municipalities, Collingswood and Pennsauken officials formalized an agreement in March to share fire prevention and housing inspection services for three years. The arrangement merges inspection services of the two fire departments to create a Fire Prevention Bureau which will share Pennsauken’s current fire official, one administrative secretary from Collingswood, and four licensed, part-time inspectors to be hired by both Collingswood and Pennsauken to handle the fire and property maintenance inspections for both towns. The Bureau will be headquartered in Pennsauken, but property owners can still contact …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Collingswood's head fire honcho reminds people about installing and checking smoke detectors, plus having as escape route in case of emergency.
Collingswood Fire Chief Keith Davis hosted an NBC10 reporter in his home to talk about the importance of smoke detectors in the wake of deadly fires in the region. Having an escape route is equally important, David told NBC, recommending people draw out a floor plan and practice escaping from their homes. View the full report at NBC10.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Borough authorities report the fire alarm system in the building has been maliciously and falsely triggered at least four times since the beginning of the year.
Collingswood emergency services personnel have been called out to investigate four false-alarm calls at the Heights of Collingswood apartment building since Jan. 3. All have occurred in the same wing of the first floor of the "D" Tower in the Heights of Collingswood in the same wing: According to Collingswood Police, knowingly triggering a fire alarm when there's no emergency is a crime of the fourth degree that maxes out at $2,500 full-cash bail. Police have said that once the identity of the responsible party or parties is known, he, she or they will be charged accordingly with all offenses. Those acts are not only criminally malicious, said Collingswood Fire Chief Keith Davis, but they're downright disrespectful to the thousands who …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Fire Chief Keith Davis says the county is providing new 700 MHz devices that will replace its existing technology at no cost to the borough.
It's the difference between talking to someone outside the building and talking to someone across the county, Collingswood Fire Chief Keith Davis said. That's the order-of-magnitude improvement that the new radios to which the department is upgrading offer. As part of an overhauled Camden County emergency communications system, Collingswood firefighters will receive a one-for-one replacement of their existing radios. Every firefighter is issued a radio, and every firefighting apparatus in the department has a mobile radio and four portable units, Davis said. The new equipment is being issued at no cost to Collingswood, Davis said. It was paid for by a $35 million allocation approved by the Camden County Freeholders in November 2011. The …
Friday, January 4, 2013
With temperatures around 25 degrees and 15 mile-per-hour winds, brace yourselves for a very cold weekend.
(The following announcement was issued by the Camden County Freeholders.) The Camden County Health Officer has extended the “Code Blue” severe weather advisory for Camden County effective from 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4 to 6 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 and from 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5 to 6 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 6. The latest forecasts obtained by Camden County are predicting temperatures around 25 degrees with winds up to 15 miles per hour over the weekend with a chance of precipitation Saturday evening into Sunday morning. “When the Camden County Health Officer declares a Severe Weather Advisory, municipalities with homeless populations, situational homeless or transient populations are expected to activate their Code Blue response plan to accommodate …
Saturday, December 22, 2012
The second kitchen fire in a week struck the 'D' building at the apartment complex overnight Friday.
A family of three was displaced in an early-morning kitchen fire at the Heights of Collingswood apartment building overnight. The incident was held to just one unit in the "D" Tower of the building, and there were "No injuries, no problems," said Collingswood Fire Chief Keith Davis. Collingswood F.D. was dispatched to the property at 2:31 a.m. Saturday. Within eight minutes, the fire had developed into an all-hands call, which Davis has said is standard procedure in a property of its size. He estimates the situation was under control within 20 minutes. "We knocked it down pretty quick," Davis said. Earlier this week, the same building on the property was struck by a kitchen fire in another unit. Despite the proximity of these events, such …
Peeches
10:29 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
That's very nice of Krispy Kreme. Even when they give you the wrong donut and you drive back to their store they don't even give you a free donut for the time, trouble, and gas you spend. more ›