Today (Sept. 11th), at roughly 3:30 in the afternoon, MFD Co’s 1, 2 & 4 were dispatched to Interstate 287 northbound (@ MM64) for the reported rolled over truck on fire and possible entrapment.
Mahwah PD units arrived on scene and reported no fire but that the driver was still in the cab of the dump truck. They immediately began patient care as fire units started arriving.
With Squad 2 providing protection with a handline, the firefighters from Rescue 1 and Engine 117 went to work stabilizing the dump truck and extricating the driver.
After approximately 30 minutes of work, the driver was freed from the wreckage and turned over to Mahwah EMS.
There’s an old saying “when it rains, it pours” and that couldn’t have been more literal for this accident.
While firefighters worked to free the driver, nearly 3″ of rain fell on them in a veritable deluge from the severe thunderstorm overhead. Not only did this significantly hamper rescue efforts through mud and rushing water, but the sheer volume and intensity of rain made even simple voice communications difficult.
Thankfully, Mahwah firefighters have been in this exact scenario before, in nearly that exact spot on I-287.
Hats off to all the responders that assisted today. While it seems like the Rescue company is the “star” of the show for entrapments, it really takes a huge team to pull it off.
And a majority of that team comes from the other MFD units and agencies that respond with us.
Well done by all.
Here are a few other recent extrications…

Route 202 & Brakeshoe Pl Entrapment
On Monday (Sept. 18th), MFD Co’s 1 & 2 were dispatched to the intersection of Route 202 and Brakeshoe Pl for the reported MVA with entrapment.

Another Tractor Trailer Roll Over
Today, MFD Co’s 1 & 2 were dispatched to Route 17 NB at Mountainside for the reported tractor trailer rollover.

Route 17 South Entrapment
This morning, Co1 Firefighters responded to Route 17 South for a motor vehicle accident with entrapment. Upon arrival, our team of highly trained firefighters found that the one passenger was entrapped inside, our team carefully removed the passenger side door which enabled them to exit. Following the extrication, both individuals were expertly treated by the competent medical staff from Mahwah EMS and then transported to a nearby medical facility for further evaluation and care. picture was taken after both individuals were transported off of the scene

Franklin Turnpike Entrapment
Earlier this evening, the Co1 Firefighters responded to a reported motor vehicle accident with entrapment on Franklin Turnpike. Thankfully, all occupants were able to exit the vehicles unaided by the fire department. Upon arrival of Rescue 1 & Rescue Engine 117, Firefighters promptly secured the batteries to both vehicles and quickly addressed the fluid spill to prevent any further harm. Concurrently, our partners from Mahwah EMS were diligently administering treatment to those in need and while Mahwah Police provided vital traffic control to ensure the safety of all present.

Edison Road Entrapment
At 7:45 this morning (02/23/23), Mahwah FD stations 1, 2, and 4 were dispatched to the intersection of Edison Road and Leighton Place for a motor vehicle accident between a garbage truck and a box truck, with the box truck driver being trapped in the vehicle. This is the third entrapment for Rescue 1 in the last 45 days, with the previous 2 entrapments happening just six days apart. Like clockwork, the firefighters of Station’s 2 & 4 deployed a protective hose line and assisted, while the firefighters of Co 1 went to work extricating the driver. Despite the driver’s legs being tightly trapped by the crushed-in cab of the truck, the driver was freed and turned over to Mahwah EMS in just under 13 minutes.

Two Vehicle Extrications in 6 Days
Co 1 firefighters were busy the last week with two vehicle extrications in 6 days.
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