Paramus fire department merges with local rescue squad
Now, the squad has essentially become the borough's fifth volunteer fire company.
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Two major emergency service providers in Bergen County are joining forces to save lives and potentially save taxpayers money.
The former Paramus Rescue Squad merged with the Paramus Fire Department at the beginning of this month.
"The fire department is our brothers and sisters. Before, they were called our cousins. Now, they're called our brothers and sisters," Battalion Chief Peter Braun, with the Paramus Fire Department said.
Braun heads up what used to be the rescue squad before the merger.
"The trucks are really a rolling toolbox. Anything that you can imagine someone could get themselves stuck in, on, under, next to, above, we'll get them out," he said of the squad's function.
Now, the squad has essentially become the borough's fifth volunteer fire company.
The other four companies are spread out around the borough.
"To the average person from the outside in Paramus, it should look absolutely no different. The only difference, your response time might be better because if we're not available to immediately get out... we'll instantly send out another piece of fire apparatus," Braun said.
According to the battalion chief, all firefighters are now versed in the rescue squad's specialized training and vice versa.
"The problem being in a volunteer world now, we're not paid. We're a volunteer department. Keeping up all that training in a small group of people is difficult," he said. "In theory, the fire department has now gained 28 new firefighter trained people, and we've gained 119 new people that we can work with directly."
The merger is also expected to cut costs for the borough, and those savings could eventually be passed on to residents.
"We expect to be able to deliver some form of cost savings because now we're not duplicating the efforts," Braun said.
The Paramus Fire Department told News 12 it can always use more volunteers to fill its ranks, and it hopes the news of the merger will encourage more people to sign up.
