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33-630: The department is part of the Metro USAR Strike Team, which consists of nine North Jersey fire departments and other emergency services divisions working to address major emergency rescue situations. Discussions to consolidate the North Hudson fire departments began in the early 1980s. The North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue (NHRFR) was established on January 11, 1999. The former fire departments of North Bergen , Union City , Weehawken , West New York , and Guttenberg were merged to provide

66-462: A full team can respond to an emergency, USAR task forces have at the ready more than 140 highly trained members. A task force is often a partnership between local fire departments , law enforcement agencies , federal and local governmental agencies and private companies. In the United States , these can be federally endorsed teams or state teams activated through mutual aid agreements. In England,

99-625: A safer, more efficient fire department. A buyout was offered by the State giving any members with at least 20 years of service up to an additional five years towards their 25-year required time for retirement. Through this attrition the department was able to pare down the number of personnel in the newly formed department. Most Firefighters from all of the Departments that had the time, took advantage of it and retired under their own prior Departments retirement contract and benefits. The last member to retire from

132-527: A two-story firehouse in June 2010 at 4300 Kennedy Boulevard , purchased for $ 1.2 million, and renovated for $ 1.5 million, in part with a $ 500,000 federal grant. The building was constructed to house Engine Company 5, formerly housed in a building a block away that Union City Mayor Brian P. Stack described as "antiquated", as well as Rescue Company 1. Stack further stated that the Kennedy Boulevard location, which

165-495: A variety of ways, but they are often associated with firefighting services . The increasingly complex methods and procedures, and the modern ability to bring in teams from far afield has brought a very strong drive for standardization within nations and internationally, most obvious in the role of the United Nations ' International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) in large natural disasters. Urban search-and-rescue

198-457: Is actually located off Kennedy Boulevard, would give the firefighters easier access to the area, as Kennedy Boulevard is a four-lane road that runs through the entire county, whereas the previous location was situated in the middle of a block. The agency's dispatch center, which was formed 30 years prior, also moved to a new state-of-the-art facility at the new location, as the equipment at its former, less spacious location at 50th Street and Broadway

231-465: Is also equipped with infrared cameras and night vision googles. It joins a smaller, 27-foot-long quick response boat that was also acquired through a grant two years earlier. Both boats are docked at Lincoln Harbor in Weehawken. Official website Urban search and rescue Urban search and rescue (abbreviated as USAR or US&R ) is a type of technical rescue operation that involves

264-421: Is an ongoing procedure combining classes from the local fire and rescue services and government agencies. USAR task forces are expected to be totally self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of a deployment. The equipment cache used to support a task force can weigh more than 60,000 pounds and is worth more than $ 1.4 million US. USAR task forces can: In a disaster situation the goal of a search and rescue operation

297-400: Is considered a multi-hazard discipline, as it may be needed for a variety of hazards including earthquakes , cyclones , storms and tornadoes , floods , dam failures, technological accidents, terrorist activities, and hazardous materials releases. USAR task forces are often categorized for standardization. Depending upon the classification, there may be close to 70 positions. To be sure

330-635: Is the only licensed Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association plan in New Jersey , providing health insurance coverage to over 3.2 million people throughout all of New Jersey. It is a not-for-profit health service corporation with a 17-member Board of Directors which governs the company for its members. There are no shareholders. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is best known for their managed care and traditional indemnity plans for individuals and employers. Horizon BCBSNJ traces its history back to 1932 when Associated Hospitals of Essex County, Inc.

363-602: Is to rescue the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time, while minimizing the risk to the rescuers. In the United States, the organization of USAR operations is now standardized under the National Incident Management System , which was in scattered usage before Hurricane Katrina but has since become the standard under [Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5] ). Katrina proved the difficulty of coordinating multiple disaster response teams from around

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396-670: The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the departments hiring policy discriminated against African-Americans, because it only accepted residents of local towns, who are predominantly Latino and Caucasian. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2007 by the Newark branch of the NAACP on behalf of three black firefighters, was the latest development in a longstanding controversy over whether the NHRFR should hire applicants from outside towns. In July 2014,

429-629: The NHRFR launched Marine 1, a new fireboat obtained through a 2010 $ 1.2 million FEMA port security grant . Marine 1 was specially designed for the areas served by the NHRFR, which include buildings and walkways situated very close to the edge of the Hudson River. Manufactured by Metal Craft Marine in Ontario, Canada, Marine 1 can operate in less than two feet of water, and carries four hose guns capable of supplying 4,250 gallons of water per minute and 100 gallons of firefighting foam for combustible liquid fire. It

462-597: The NHRFR under a former FD city contract was Battalion Chief James McMains on December 31,1999 from the Township of North Bergen, under the NBFD Officers contract. From that point a new contract was negotiated for the NHRFR, and former city contracts no longer existed. The agency created a new headquarters on Port Imperial Boulevard in West New York in 2007 to serve the waterfront area. North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue

495-477: The United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses a different marking system on searched structures, as follows: These x-codes are used in a variety of situations and were prolific (and adopted and modified by other agencies) during post-Katrina operations. Horizon Blue Cross Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey , headquartered in Newark , New Jersey

528-463: The appropriate marking systems to indicate buildings which have already been searched, the results of the search, and to avoid duplication of search efforts. Trapped victims are removed and medical aid rendered as necessary. The triage system can be used to prioritize medical aid with those needing immediate attention aided first. Removal or stabilization of debris is often necessary to remove victims. This can be accomplished using leveraging to lift

561-452: The country when some used ICS and some used their own local organizational models. The first step is to gather facts and make decisions on the course of action. Factors include what types of structures are involved, the extent of damage, the layout of the building(s) involved, what hazards are present (such as downed power lines, natural gas leaks, flooding, animals, hazardous materials, or a structure susceptible to additional collapse during

594-442: The debris that can result in numerous casualties trapped under large amounts of very heavy and often unstable debris. USAR services can be faced with complex rescue operations within hazardous environments. Incidents experience shows that people are often found alive many hours and days after rescue operations commence, and the corresponding services should be planned accordingly. USAR teams in different countries may be organised in

627-410: The houses open. Turner stated that hiring would be considered, based on upcoming retirements. Turner later stated the intention to hire new members in early 2011. The agency's 2010 budget, which was passed on August 17, 2010, is $ 55.9 million, a 3% increase from the previous year's budget of $ 54.2 million, with the largest increase in health benefits, which are covered by Horizon Blue Cross . (The NHRFR

660-415: The left side and one team the right side of a building), or a bottom-up/top-down search pattern. Searchers should stop frequently to listen for noises or attempted communication from victims; often this can involve all searchers stopping activity at specified periods of time to listen. In situations where multiple structures are searched such as after a hurricane, the outside of buildings can be marked using

693-448: The location, extrication, and initial medical stabilization of victims trapped in an urban area , namely structural collapse due to natural disasters , war , terrorism or accidents , mines and collapsed trenches. The causes of USAR incidents can be categorised as accidental and deliberate. Structural collapse incidents can comprise unstable or collapsed structures in an unsafe position. Usually collapse incidents leave voids inside

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726-596: The newly implemented Strategic Reorganization Plan, which took two years to create, would also save additional funds. Though Turner insisted that this would not affect performance, Dominick Marino, the head of the North Hudson Firefighters Association, reacted to the closings by stating that this would sacrifice response time from certain locations, and that with the closing of Ladder 2, the agency would not have enough firefighters. According to Marino, "Evidence shows that [a ladder and engine] responding at

759-531: The object, or cribbing (constructing a rectangular wooden framework known as a box crib underneath the object to be stabilized). Leveraging and cribbing can be combined. Victims who are ambulatory can then self-extricate, or victims can be removed using lifts, drags, or carries. Removal of victims should be done so as to avoid any further injury: Where any neck or back injury is suspected, the cervical spine should be immobilized first before attempting to move victims, and dragging should be avoided in situations where

792-401: The pancake void (multiple floors of a building have collapsed diagonally onto each other), and the lean-to void (a single wall or floor has collapsed diagonally against another wall). Voids can also include spaces where victims may have entered for self-protection during a disaster - such as under desks or in bathtubs or closets. Once the potential areas of entrapment have been identified and

825-429: The potential number of victims sized up, search operations should commence in an orderly manner, beginning with verbally calling out for victims to identify their location if possible, and searching using a systematic search pattern. Possible search patterns include triangulation (using three searchers approaching a potential area of entrapment from three different directions), a right/left search pattern (one team searches

858-471: The presence of debris (e.g., broken glass) would cause further injury by doing so. Clear standards for marking searched structures are an important part of the process. There are two systems in widespread use, INSARAG and FEMA ( Federal Emergency Management Agency ). Internationally, markings on searched structures usually use the International Search & Rescue Advisory Group marking system: In

891-604: The rescue), and what rescue personnel and equipment are available. Structural damage can be categorized as light, moderate, or heavy. Sizeup is an ongoing process which should continue during all phases of search and rescue so operations can be modified as needed. Searchers should use a buddy system or two-in, two-out system and have backup teams available. Techniques for searching for potential victims are based on identifying possible locations of victims, or areas of entrapment. Areas of entrapment inside damaged structures are called voids. There are several types of voids, such as

924-696: The responsibility for USAR lies with local authority fire and rescue services. Equipment supplied to them is part of a government initiative known as the New Dimension programme , which provides the training and equipment. USAR teams bring together, in an integrated response: highly trained personnel from the emergency services along with engineers, medics and search dog pairs, specialised equipment effective communications established methods of command and control logistical support procedures to request international assistance if required under an international search and rescue framework. The training that teams receive

957-400: The same time eliminates the circumstances a lot quicker than having to wait." Marino further asserted that the closing of Engine 6 would mean that the entire west area of North Bergen would lose coverage, and that the promotion of 22 people to higher ranks in the last week of June, including 14 captains, five battalion chiefs and two deputies, meant that there was insufficient personnel to keep

990-484: Was among the many Hudson County agencies that responded to the January 2009 crash of Flight 1549 , for which they received accolades from the survivors. In July 2009, North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue began closing their Rescue Company and the rotational closings of three engine companies. The following January, two buildings adjacent to Engine Company 9 burned down while the company was closed. The organization opened

1023-400: Was deemed outdated. The agency rotated the closing of various firehouses for certain hours in order to save money until July 2010, when it closed two of its firehouses, according to NHRFR chairperson and Weehawken Mayor Richard F. Turner, in order to allow the remaining 13 to stay open 24 hours, and save $ 500,000 in overtime costs from July 1 until the end of 2010. Turner further disclosed that

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1056-614: Was formed as a multi-hospital prepayment plan. The company later became the nation's first Blue Cross Plan. The insurance provider has long been based in Newark , for many years occupying 33 Washington Street, and now owning its own building at Penn Plaza East . In January 2016, Horizon BCBS announced their newest endeavor to improve care quality and lower costs through their Omnia Health Alliance. The new Omnia health insurance plans provide access to all of Horizon's network hospitals with some of them being designated as Tier 1 with greater cost savings for consumers. This article about

1089-496: Was previously covered by Cigna .) The August 17 meeting also saw the passing of a resolution allowing the agency to pay contractual terminal benefits, or retirement packages, to firefighters over the course of the five years following their retirement, instead of entirely within the year of their retirement. This resolution followed the passing a New Jersey state law (N.J.S.A 40A:4-53 ) that NHRFR officials indicated supersedes contractual obligations with unions. On December 12, 2011,

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