Paramus Fire Prevention Bureau

04/06/2026

**UPDATE** - registration is now closed for this event! Please keep an eye out for our next clean up in September!

REMINDER: The deadline to sign up is next Friday April 10th by 4pm! Join us to help keep Paramus Clean!
Paramus Environmental Commission New Jersey Clean Communities Bergen County Clean Communities

04/05/2026

🌱 Spring Projects Are Coming — Here’s a Fire Safety Reminder You Need to See 🔥
As spring approaches and home projects ramp up, there’s a serious but often overlooked danger:
🧽 Oil‑soaked rags can spontaneously combust.
Rags used with linseed oil, wood stain, paint, finishing oils — and even cooking oils can heat up as the oil oxidizes. When those rags are piled up or tossed aside, the heat can build until they ignite all on their own — sometimes hours later.
⚠️ This is especially important to know:
•Never leave oil‑soaked rags in a pile, trash can, or garage
•Do NOT wash or dry them — oil‑soaked rags can catch fire inside the dryer
•This applies to cooking oils too (olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.)
✅ Safer handling:
•Lay rags flat outdoors to dry completely, OR
•Place them in a metal container with a tight‑fitting lid until proper disposal
🎥 This video shows just how long it can take — and why the danger is easy to underestimate:
👉 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1B7owAAyAe/
A single forgotten rag can lead to a devastating house or garage fire. Please share this with anyone planning spring cleaning, staining, painting, or woodworking projects.
🔥 One rag. One mistake. One fire. Stay safe this spring.

01/27/2026

Future firefighter Bryce, who comes from a long family line of Paramus firefighters/Chiefs, is out clearing his neighbor hydrants. Because he knows that when fighting a fire every second matters, clearing your hydrants can save the fire department minutes. Maintaining a 3 foot clear radius around your hydrants ensures they are readily available for the fire department incase of an emergency. The house you save could be your own. So even if the hydrant isn't in front of your house you should make sure the hydrants closest to your house are clear. The time it takes the fd to clear the snow from a hydrant could make the difference between saving your house or not.

01/04/2026

On the morning of January 1, 2026, while many were celebrating a new year, th… Julio Balmaseda needs your support for Support the Laci Family After House Fire

12/28/2025

Our friend here would like to remind everyone to please clear the snow from your fire hydrants. Maintaining a 3 foot clear radius around your hydrants ensures they are readily available for the fire department incase of an emergency. The house you save could be your own. So even if the hydrant isn't in front of your house you should make sure the hydrant closest to your house is clear. The time it takes the fd to clear the snow from a hydrant could make the difference between saving your house or not.

12/28/2025

Our little buddy would like to remind everyone to please clear the snow from your fire hydrants. Maintaining a 3 foot clear radius around your hydrants ensures they are readily available for the fire department in case of an emergency. Having to clear the snow from a fire hydrant could be the difference between saving a house or not. The house you save could be your own. So even if the hydrant is not on your property, please make sure the hydrant closest to your house has been cleared.

11/30/2025

A recall which affects 320,000 jeep SUVs has been issued. The recall includes 2020 to 2025 Jeep Wrangler 4Xe and 2022 to 2026 Grand Cherokee 4Xe vehicles.

Chrysler has identified an increased fire hazard and is urging owners to let the batteries fully deplete and not recharge them until a remedy has been applied to your vehicle. They are also urging owners to park their vehicles outside and away from other vehicles and structures.

Fires involving Li-Ion batteries come with a new set of challenges for fire departments. The batteries are capable of creating their own fuel and can burn for upwards of 24 hours. The gases from these fires are highly toxic and should not be inhaled. Their are a number of cases of emergency responders with permanent lung damage from these gasses. The gasses are also flammable, creating an issue should they find an ignition source. Should you observe a Li-Ion battery off gassing we recommend you call 9-1-1 immediately.

Damaged Li-Ion batteries should be disposed of properly as they have been known to catch fire randomly once damaged. To give an example, in 2023 we had a vehicle fire that damaged a Li-ion battery. The battery was properly secured and left for the insurance company, a week later the battery off gassed and ignited. The risk of keeping a damaged battery far outweigh the costs of replacing it.

Should you have any questions please feel free to ask, we are not experts in Li-Ion batteries but we will do our best to answer your questions and provide proper guidance.

Owners are being told to park outside and not charge the SUVs until repairs are made.

09/02/2025

We would like to welcome the newest member of our Fire Prevention Bureau. In keeping with the back to school spirit we took some first day photos. We wish you lots of luck during your career here.

12/06/2024

The safety of our community is our top priority. We are dedicated to protecting our citizens and businesses, which is why we've launched a new initiative called Community Connect. This program allows residents, homeowners, and business owners to share crucial information with emergency responders about their properties.

For more information or to sign up please follow this link

https://www.communityconnect.io/info/nj-paramus

11/20/2024

The Paramus Fire Prevention Bureau strives to educate everyone in fire and life safety. Last week, we visited New Concepts for Living, and provided an education and information session on the importance of smoke alarms, evacuations, the 911 system, and provided a tour of Paramus Fire Department apparatus. If you would like a presentation for your group, contact [email protected]

11/01/2024

We have received many phone calls regarding fireworks for Dawali celebrations. We would like to remind all of our residents that there is currently a statewide burn ban in effect which prohibits the use of fireworks. While we understand the importance of celebrating, we ask that residents find alternative ways to celebrate. The NJ forest fire service is currently battling a blaze that was ignited by legal 'ground' fireworks set off a part of a Halloween celebration last night. Dispite the light drizzle we had earlier, we are still experiencing extremely dry conditions which contribute to the rapid spread of fire.

Firefighters were battling yet another wildfire in Morris County that locals say was caused by fireworks set off on Halloween night.The multi-acre wildfire was still burning Friday morning, Nov. 1 at Craigmeur Lookout near Notch Road in Ro…