Paramus Fire Merger Boosts Personnel, Aims for Faster Response, Cost Savings

The Paramus Rescue Squad merged with the Paramus Fire Department at the start of December. This brought 28 rescue squad members together with 119 firefighters in Bergen County.

The rescue squad became the borough’s fifth volunteer fire company. Four other companies operate in separate parts of town.

“The fire department is our brothers and sisters. Before, they were called our cousins. Now, they’re called our brothers and sisters,” said Battalion Chief Peter Braun, according to News 12.

Braun leads what used to be the rescue squad before everything changed. He said the squad’s trucks work like a rolling toolbox for any situation where someone gets stuck.

All firefighters now have training in the rescue squad’s specialized skills, which means more people can handle tough situations when they arise. Members from the former rescue squad can work with fire apparatus across all five companies, giving them more flexibility than before.

“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,” Braun said, per News 12. “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.”

Response times could get better. If one unit can’t respond right away, another piece of apparatus can be sent out instead.

“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.

The change should cut costs for the borough, and those savings could be passed on to residents down the line.

“We expect to be able to deliver some form of cost savings because now we’re not duplicating the efforts,” Braun said.

Officials hope the merger will bring in more volunteers. The department continues to recruit new members to fill its roster.

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