Office of Emergency Management
Skip to page content
Borough of Saddle River
Emergency Preparedness
Prepare your home, your vehicle and your household before an emergency happens. Know what each weather warning means.
Emergency
Call 911
Call 911 when life or property is in danger. Do not call 911 to ask for information.
Checklists
Three checklists to work through
Anything that can fall, break or start a fire is a hazard in a disaster.
-
Your home
- Store propane, gasoline and kerosene outside your home.
- Keep weed killer, pesticide and other flammable products away from heat.
- Have faulty wiring and leaking gas connections repaired.
- Fasten shelves to the wall. Put heavy objects on the lower shelves.
- Hang pictures and mirrors away from beds.
- Brace overhead light fixtures.
- Strap the water heater to the wall studs.
- Keep oily rags in a covered metal can.
- Have chimneys, flue pipes and vents cleaned and repaired.
- Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.
-
Your vehicle
- Keep enough fuel in the tank, or enough charge in the battery.
- Carry a blanket or a sleeping bag.
- Carry a hat, gloves, socks, rain gear and an extra coat.
- Carry a first aid kit.
- Carry a flashlight and extra batteries.
- Carry drinking water and food that needs no cooking.
- Carry a shovel, a windshield scraper, booster cables and a tow rope.
- Carry a bag of sand in winter.
- Carry a charger or a charged battery pack for your phone.
-
People who need extra help
- Ask your care agency what it does in an emergency.
- Learn how to start backup power for medical equipment.
- Make more than one exit usable with a wheelchair or other mobility device.
- Teach the people who would help you how to use your equipment.
- Ask a relative or a neighbor to check on you.
- Choose one contact nearby and one outside the area.
- Consider a medical alert system that lets you call for help.
Extra help
Tell emergency planners what you need
-
Register Ready
Register Ready is New Jersey’s confidential registry for residents who may need extra help in a disaster. Registering does not guarantee help. Call 211 for help to register.
-
Planning questions
Call Saddle River Police and the Office of Emergency Management about transportation or shelter needs. Call 911 for an emergency.
Weather terms
A watch means prepare and a warning means act
-
Watch
Dangerous weather is possible. Be prepared and stay informed.
-
Warning
Dangerous weather is happening or is about to happen. Take action now.
-
Advisory
The weather is not expected to reach warning level. It can still be dangerous, so take care.
-
Current warnings
The National Weather Service issues the watches and warnings for Saddle River.
By hazard
What to do in each kind of weather
Follow the instructions of public safety officials even when they differ from this general guidance.
-
Flooding
A Flash Flood Warning means a flash flood is happening or about to happen. Move to higher ground at once.
Never walk or drive through floodwater. Never drive around a barricade.
-
Thunderstorms
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning means a severe storm has been reported or shows on radar. Take shelter in a sturdy building.
Stay away from windows, water, tall trees and metal objects.
-
Tornadoes
A Tornado Warning means a tornado has been seen or shows on radar. Take cover at once.
Go to the lowest level of the building. Use a small inside room away from windows.
-
Hurricanes and tropical storms
A Hurricane Warning means hurricane conditions are expected in the area. Sustained winds are 74 miles per hour or more.
Bring loose outdoor items inside. Refill prescriptions and fuel your vehicle. Be ready to leave if officials tell you to.
-
Extreme heat
An Extreme Heat Warning means extremely dangerous heat is expected or happening. Stay in air-conditioned places and drink water.
Check on older neighbors. Never leave a child, a person with a disability or a pet in a parked car.
-
Winter storms
A Winter Storm Warning means heavy snow, sleet or ice is expected. Travel can become very hard or impossible.
Stay off the roads when you can. Do not park where a vehicle blocks Borough plowing.
On the road
Stay with your vehicle if snow traps you
-
If you are stranded
- Pull off the road and turn on your hazard lights.
- Stay in the vehicle. Do not set out on foot in deep snow.
- Keep snow clear of the exhaust pipe.
- Open a window slightly while the engine runs to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
-
Before you travel
Keep a winter kit in your vehicle. Check the roads before you leave.
Calling for help
Call 911 first, then help
-
When you call 911
- Call before you try to help the person.
- Give the address and say what happened.
- Stay on the line. The dispatcher can tell you what to do until help arrives.
-
While you wait for help
- Help the person if you can do so safely.
- Do not move an injured person unless the person is in immediate danger.
- Keep a first aid kit in your home and in your vehicle.
More
Alerts, contacts and emergency management
-
Emergency Information
Sign up for local alerts. Find emergency contacts and what to do when officials tell you to leave or to stay indoors.
-
Office of Emergency Management
The office plans the Borough’s response to an emergency. It also trains the volunteer Community Emergency Response Team.
Index
Emergency Medical Dispatch
In Saddle River calls for help will be answered by a 9-1-1 dispatcher. The dispatcher will ask you for specific information needed to dispatch Police, Fire, or Ambulance EMTs and, if needed, a Paramedic Unit.
Please stay on the line with the dispatcher so they can give you instructions to assist the patient until emergency responders arrive.
What Should You Do?
- If you become aware of someone needing Emergency Medical assistance, immediately call 9-1-1 to get help on the way. Do not waster valuable time trying to assist the patient before calling.
- After calling for help, assist the patient if you can. So not move the patient unless they are in immediate danger. It is usually best to wait for trained help to arrive before moving injured patients from automobiles, stairwells, roadways and similar situations.
- Purchase or assemble a first aid kit for your home and automobile. The kit, at a minimum, should contain such items as sterile adhesive bandages, sterile gauze pads, adhesive tape, scissors, sterile roller bandage, antiseptic, moist cleaning towelettes, triangular bandages, latex or plastic gloves, and chemical ice packs.
Always wear your seatbelt when riding in a car, and a bicycle helmet when cycling. These two preventive measures save thousands of lives each year.
Emergency Medical Services
Each year millions of Americans require immediate medical attention for sudden illness and injuries. Responding to the needs of Saddle River are the members of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. Pre-hospital EMS team members consist of dispatchers, police officers, firefighters, first responders, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) & paramedics.
Some of these individuals are paid while some volunteer their time, but all are highly trained, dedicated professionals who will respond to your calls for help any time of the day or night.
Often working under difficult and hazardous conditions, our EMS personnel respond providing swift, specialized care for seriously ill and injured persons.
Some of these individuals are paid while some volunteer their time, but all are highly trained, dedicated professionals who will respond to your calls for help any time of the day or night.
Often working under difficult and hazardous conditions, our EMS personnel respond providing swift, specialized care for seriously ill and injured persons.
Hazardous Materials
Hazardous materials are part of our everyday lives. When properly stored and handled, products such as household detergents, swimming pool chemicals, lawn fertilizer, and propane grills provide us with enjoyment in a safe and healthy environment. However, because and other products may be poisonous, flammable or corrosive, the public must be protected in the event of an accident involving a hazardous material.
What Should You Do?
- Store propane, gasoline, kerosene and other flammable materials away from your home.
- If you witness a hazardous materials incident, immediately call 9-1-1.
- Stay away from the scene of the incident. Stay up wind of the incident.
- Never breathe fumes, smoke or vapors, even if they do not have an odor.
- If you are in a car, close the windows and shut off ventilation.
- Avoid contact with any spilled materials, airborne mist or condensed solid chemical deposits.
- Do NOT eat any foods or drink any water that may have been contaminated.
- Listen to your Emergency Alert Station.
- Carefully read all product warning labels and directions.
Utilities Emergencies - Natural Gas
If you smell a strong odor of gas Do NOT do anything that will cause a spark
- Do NOT turn off (or on) any switches
- Do NOT use the telephone
- LEAVE your home IMMEDIATELY!
- Call 9-1-1 from a neighbor's house.
Utilities Emergencies - Power Failure
- A power outage can be caused by storm activity or equipment failures or when a tree, animal or other object comes into contact with an electrical line. Once located, trouble spots can be isolated and repaired enabling service to be restored
- Check with your neighbors. If you are the only one without power or only a few appliances won't work, check to see if a fuse is blown or a circuit breaker is tripped.
- Call 9-1-1 to report downed power lines and other dangerous conditions. In the event of a power failure, a fire call box may be pulled for 9-1-1 emergencies.
- Listen to newscasts on a battery powered radio. During major power disruptions, announcers often will broadcast reports on the extent of the trouble and the approximate time electric service will be restored.
- Turn off major appliances that should not be in operation when the power comes back on. Do leave a light on so you'll know when normal service has been restored. Do NOT use appliances if the light is dim, indicating low voltage.
- Open refrigerator doors and freezers as little as possible. Food will keep for hours if door opening is kept to a minimum. If the outage is lengthy, contact a dry ice distributor.
- Stay away from downed power lines and never touch them under any circumstances.
Law Enforcement Services
The Saddle River Police Department, in an effort to better serve the residents, offers the following safety tips for you, your children, and your home.
- Trust your instincts. If you do not feel comfortable in a place or situation, leave right away and get help if necessary.
- Stay alert at all times and "tuned-in" to your surroundings
- Stand tall and walk confidently, especially if you are in unfamiliar territory.
- Walk and jog in places that have plenty of traffic - avoid deserted areas. At night, go to places that are well lit and have plenty of traffic, and try to have a companion.
- Keep names and phone numbers of relatives or friends on your person in case of emergency or accident.
- Purses should have flaps that fold over & interior pockets with zippers. They should be carried close to the body. Do NOT carry large amounts of cash and be vigilant at ATMs.
- Separate your car keys from your house keys. Women should keep their keys in a place other than their purse.
- If someone asks for directions, answer from a distance. Do NOT approach the vehicle.
- Keep car doors locked, even when driving. Check the area around the car and inside the car before entering it.