Fire Department Offers Free Fire Safety Surveys to Millburn Residents

The Millburn Fire Department recently announced that it is offering free, comprehensive fire safety surveys to residents of Millburn and Short Hills.  “Our job is to fight fires, but we’d much rather prevent a house fire from happening at all,” said J. Michael Roberts, Chief of the Millburn Fire Department.  “By taking advantage of this complimentary inspection, many township residents will dramatically decrease the chances that an accidental fire will endanger them, their families, and their homes.”

Information about the inspection program is outlined in a glossy brochure that accompanied the recent distribution of township property tax bills.

Chief Roberts’ idea to begin offering the safety surveys came after the Stanford, Connecticut fire of Christmas Day 2010, which tragically claimed the lives of three young girls and their grandparents.  “Something that seems harmless and innocuous — a flat-screen television placed too close to a wall, or a cardboard box stacked atop a radiator — can in fact be a recipe for disaster,” Chief Roberts said.  “We urge township residents to schedule their free visit.  At the resident’s convenience, we will dispatch a courteous, certified fire inspector to check fire extinguishers, ensure that smoke alarms are in working order, and look for hidden dangers that might lead to potential fire hazards.”

“I was enormously impressed by the thoroughness of the survey,” wrote Sagamore Road resident E. Betty Levin in a letter to the editor at The Item.  “My electrical outlets were overloaded, particularly the one connecting my air conditioner, the box for the extension cord already exhibiting signs of a meltdown.”  Levin wrote that with guidance and hands-on assistance from fire safety inspector Rick Staeger, she was able to put safe new power strips in place and install up-to-date smoke detectors.

To Chief Roberts’ knowledge, very few townships nationwide are offering a free inspection program of this kind.  “There’s simply no reason not to take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.  “Your safety and peace of mind, and that of your family, are well worth the time it takes to give us a call.”

Millburn-Short Hills residents are encouraged to contact the Fire Department, at (973) 564-7043, to schedule their free home fire safety survey.