Bloomfield Fire Department personnel frequently engage in programs to make the community safer. Three of those individuals are, from left, Deputy Chief Brian McDade and Firefighters Claudia Astudillo and Albin Okuniewicz.
At the Bloomfield Fire Department, risk reduction is the name of the game.
In November, the department participated in a cancer screening initiative, following a 2024 state law mandating free periodic screenings for full-time fire department personnel.
“It was a two-part exam,” Deputy Chief Brian McDade said at headquarters last week. “There was a skin and full-body check; blood was taken and there was an ultra-sound screening. The second part of the screening was a CT scan at various locations.”
Firefighter Albin Okuniewicz, who spoke alongside McDade and Firefighter Claudia Astudillo, said screenings took place over five days. In the group to which he is
assigned, all 17 firefighters participated.
The state bill mandates that firefighters be checked for a multitude of cancers: colon, lung, bladder, oral, thyroid, skin, blood, breast, cervical, testicular and prostate.
“This initiative is because cancer is a leading cause of death among firefighters,” McDade said. But a firefighter need not wait three years for a screening, he added. They can sign up through the Fireman’s Benevolent Association, which represents them.
The BFD is also busy, every first Saturday of the month, showing parents the correct way to install a child’s car seat. Last year, 215 car seats were installed in the program which began four years ago.
“Believe it or not, there’s a certification required to teach how to install these seats,” McDade said.
When the program began, four firefighters were certified by Safe Kid National and they made housecalls. But as the program caught on, parents were asked to come to BFD headquarters. Twenty-two firefighters are now certified.
“You would think you just have to put in a car seat to become certified,” Okuniewicz said. “But it’s two days of tests and hands-on performance and continuing education every two years.”
Besides being compatible with the car, seats have expiration dates. They usually remain compliant for 10 years.
“But every seat is better than no seat,” Okuniewicz said. “And most manufacturers will replace it if the car is involved in an accident.”
The use of a car seat is based on the weight and height of a child.
“You have to be at least 30 pounds and 30 inches to go from a rear-facing to a forward-facing seat,” he said. “We encourage parents to do best practice to keep their kids safe. And it’s New Jersey law that any child over eight-years-old or 57 inches must be properly secured with a seat belt.”
Since 2021, all new BFD firefighters must be certified as installation instructors. Okuniewicz, who coordinates the program, said the goal is to empower the parents.
“We also want to train the public to respond to any life-threatening emergency such as choking or cardiac arrest,” McDade said. “A lot of fire departments provide programs and we held our first public CPR session in May 2024. We took classes with the intention to train the public. We advertised our first class and in two hours we had over 60 responses. We originally had one class, but expanded it to every quarter.”
There is no charge to take the training and a person gets a two-year certification. Instructions are sponsored by the Heart Saver Program of the American Heart Association.
“The biggest thing I try to impress upon a person, to give them confidence, is that anyone can do CPR while help comes,”
he said.
A person will also learn how to use an automated external defibrillator.
“You can do no harm with an AED,” McDade said, adding that AED’s now talk to people, providing them with step-by-step instructions.
But there is a difference between a heart attack and a cardiac arrest.
“A person having a heart attack doesn’t need CPR,” he said. “A person is clinically dead if they have a cardiac arrest. They need CPR.”
People should know that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is not required for CPR, but getting a heart pumping blood to the brain again, pushing down on the chest cavity, is strenuous work and against the clock.
“A cardiac arrest, outside of a hospital without CPR, the person has a 10 percent chance of survival,” McDade said. “With CPR, there’s a 40 percent chance or higher.”
Chief Lou Venezia said the department is dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of the community through its Community Risk Reduction programs.
“By offering free CPR training and car seat installation services, our goal is to create a safer environment,” he said. “And because our firefighters face significant exposure risks, the screenings are a vital step in ensuring their long-term well-being.”
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