Bloomfield Township's Public Safety Workers Prepare for Every Emergency

The need for strong police and fire departments has long been recognized by Bloomfield Township officials and residents. The Township's public safety departments have had emergency response plans in place for years and regularly update and revise them. The continuing threat of terrorist attacks has caused the police and fire officials to scrutinize their practices and make adjustments specifically for heightened security needs. Today's emergency management strategies include intensive training, new capital projects, and major equipment purchases. Public safety personnel are prepared to respond to a wide variety of emergencies ranging from reports of suspicious substances, large scale weapon assaults, hazardous materials spills, and biological and chemical threats.

BTFD has entered into an agreement with eight neighboring communities to share resources in the event of a major hazardous materials incident. This agreement, referred to as Oakway, allows fire officials to access a vast array of equipment and trained personnel beyond that which is available in Bloomfield Township alone. Together, these fire departments have created the Oakway HAZMAT Team. With this team, highly trained members of each participating department can be mobilized to handle any type of hazardous materials incident within the borders of those participating communities.

The Bloomfield Township Police Department’s dispatch center and mobile in-car computer system have been improved to allow officers and dispatchers to send confidential messages via the computer system and avoid interception by non-police personnel. The in-car computer system allows officers to access state, county and federal criminal records, helping officers to quickly identify persons that are "wanted" on warrants.

The Police Department developed and conducted Rapid Deployment Training for immediate response to violent situations. All officers were trained in search and rescue techniques to prevent further injuries and aid injured persons as well as apprehend the attackers.

Police and Fire Departments jointly developed a procedure for investigating reports of suspicious substances which may be encountered in the mail, public buildings or other locations. They will protect citizens and property and then investigate the incident after the safety of citizens has been ensured.

Your police department has always been highly trained to investigate suspicious activities and especially now encourages all residents to participate in this new level of awareness by reporting any activity out of the ordinary.

Safe water supplies have been recognized as crucial to public safety as well. The Bloomfield Township Water & Sewer Division is in full compliance with federal government mandates to assess the vulnerability of the Township water supply and establish safeguards to protect it. Additionally, the Department implemented a policy that guards the release of information about our public water and sewer system.

For further information about Bloomfield Township’s emergency readiness, please use the Contact Us page of this website to call, fax or email the administration or any of the public safety and public works departments.