Representing the Career Firefighters of the City of Clifton NJ Fire Department
FMBA Local 21 is grateful for the contributions of countless Clifton residents that stopped into our fire houses over the past few weeks to donate gifts to our annual Toy Drive. Thanks to you, Christmas will be merrier for hundreds of Clifton children. Over 500 gifts were collected and donated to The Boys and Girls Club of Clifton for distribution to local residents in need.
Merry Christmas from Clifton FMBA 21
CLIFTON — A year after the heavy rains brought by the remnants of Hurricane Ida flooded and shut down Fire Station 1, it remains out of commission.
Unusable, the Clifton Avenue firehouse will remain closed for at least the next six months.
On Tuesday, the city opened the latest round of bids for repairs, which include removing utilities such as the hot water heater from the basement and reinstalling them higher, where future floods won’t touch them.
The lowest bid received for the work was for $390,000. A separate bid for roof repairs came in at $52,700.
The city’s engineers and attorney must still review the bids, but the city’s purchasing agent, James Jorgensen, said he hopes the paperwork to move forward will be ready for approval at the Sept. 5 City Council meeting. He said that once the contract is signed, the company with the winning bid has 10 days to get the project started and 150 days to complete it.
The city previously received one bid for both jobs for $696,000. That bid was rejected because it came in much higher than expected, Jorgensen said. After that, bids for the two jobs were taken separately.
“That told me that someone was just throwing it up against the wall to see if it will stick,” Jorgensen said,
Firefighters said ideally the fire station should be back immediately.
Since the station, at First Street about one block from Clifton and Main avenues, was shut down, the engine has been operating out of Fire Station 3, several blocks away and across Main Avenue.
Station 3 is also in an old building, built in the 1920s, and while it has bathrooms for men and women firefighters, it lacks separate quarters. Chief Frank Prezioso said the situation is also not optimal because Station 3 does not have a heated bay for the fire engines, an issue in the cold winter months.
Last winter the engine was housed at Station 6, off Broad Street.
Prezioso said he vividly remembers the night Ida hit. Fire crews were out rescuing residents and motorists during the multiple flash floods.
“By the time they got back here, they found things very difficult,” the chief said.
City Manager Nick Villano said it took just a foot of water to render the station inoperable. He said he’s hopeful that once the contract is awarded, things will progress quickly.
“We got it down to the studs at this point,” Villano said.
Retired Clifton Firefighter Rich DeLotto, who worked out of Fire Station 1 for many years, said it is imperative that work get done as soon as possible. It serves part of the oldest section of the city.
“You got to get there pretty quickly,” DeLotto said, “or else there’s going to be trouble.”
-Story by Matt Fagan for NorthJersey.com
From the Clifton Fire Department Office of Emergency Management:
If you do not have to be on the road stay home and allow the DPW to clear the roads.
If possible please move all vehicles off the road so the plows can remove the snow from curb to curb on the streets.
Once the roads are plowed and cleared please do not place any items in the road to save parking spaces. These items create safety hazards and will be removed and discarded.
Please assist the Fire Department by clearing any fire hydrants in front of your property. If you are elderly or unable to clear the fire hydrant please mark the location of the fire hydrant as best as possible to assist the fire department in locating it and shoveling it out.
Please be vigilant of your neighbors in case they need assistance.
In case of an emergency call 911 and the fire and police departments will respond to assist you with your needs.
Thank you for your assistance , and as always be safe.
