Town Officials Unveil New Emergency System Fire Book Is on the Way Police Visibility High for the Holiday Season Congregants
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Volume117 Number 51 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2004 75 Cents Town officials unveil new emergency system person, road and bridge closings, launched on a moment’s notice, a By Patricia Harris gas leaks or flood conditions. The point-click-call operation.” of The Item system will deliver a recorded mes- Bate has been instrumental in sage to a live person or an answer- researching and selecting the emer- Municipal employees intro- ing machine, making three gency notification system the duced and demonstrated the town- attempts to connect to any num- township purchased. Three sys- ship’s new emergency notification ber. tems were reviewed for security, system Tuesday at the Township “In uncertain times, we as pub- dependability, user friendliness and Committee meeting. lic officials face a unique chal- cost, he said, and CodeRED was The CodeRED Emergency lenge,” said Committeeman Salva- most appropriate and least expen- Notification System will allow tore J. Bate in introducing the sys- sive. The township spent $6,000 to police and fire officials to tele- tem. “We want our residents and purchase up to 40,000 service min- phone all areas or targeted neigh- businesses to both be secure and utes, which can be used over a borhoods of the township in the feel secure. number of years. event of an emergency situation “Hundreds of thousands of calls The system is currently in oper- that requires immediate action. A can be made in a short time, as ation in Summit, he noted, adding prerecorded message will be sent well as follow up on unanswered police and fire representatives vis- to residents or businesses, at num- calls and tracking information and ited that city and liked what they bers they specify. feedback from the calls,” Bate con- saw. Some situations requiring calls tinued. “The parameters are set by might be a missing child or elderly computer and a call can be Continued on Page B9 Fire book is on the way Photo courtesy of Christ Church REHEARSING FOR PAGEANT—Students will play the main roles in Christ Church’s annual By Harry Trumbore Christmas Eve pageant tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. Among the players are, from left, front row, of The Item Nicholas Morgan, Kim Jones and Molly Reckford, and back row, Samantha Reckford, Katie McChesney and Amy Marchisio. For other cast members, see story on Page A6. A volunteer firefighter has taken on the task of chronicling the his- tory of the Millburn Fire Depart- ment in a forthcoming book. The book is the final piece of a Congregants gathering celebration of the department’s 125th anniversary. Two years ago, a commemorative coin was struck, and a brick walkway and memor- for Christmas worship ial bell were installed in front of department headquarters on Essex Street. Congregants of township 5:30 p.m. Mass tomorrow. Christ- The sidesmen will be Sandra John- The book’s author, Elizabeth churches will gather with their mas carols will be at 7 p.m., and a son and Owen Lampe. The first “Betsy” Gramer, said this week fin- families and friends tomorrow, Mass with the Family Music lesson will be read by Ann ished copies of “The Millburn Fire Christmas Eve, and Saturday, Group will be at 7:30 p.m. Choir Klemme, the second lesson will be Department, Then and Now: a Christmas Day, for worship ser- music will be at 10 p.m., and a con- read by Jill Draper, and the Prayers 125-Year Perspective” are expected vices celebrating Christmas. celebrated Mass with choir will be of the People will be read by Ter- after the holidays. St. Stephen’s Church will hold at 10:30 p.m. rence Finan. Gramer began writing in Sep- a 5 p.m. family service tomorrow, On Saturday, Masses will be On Saturday, Christ Church con- tember 2003 at the urging of Chief which will offer a simplified service held at 7:30, 9 and 11 a.m. and gregants will gather for a 10 a.m. Michael Roberts. Because she was of Holy Eucharist created with 12:30 p.m. service of Holy Eucharist. Stanley sidelined with a shoulder injury children in mind. Each person is At Christ Church, the Christ- will preach and celebrate at the and facing surgery at the time, she urged to bring a small bell to help mas Pageant will be given and service. The sidesman will be Jane agreed to take on the assignment. ring in the season. Holy Eucharist will be offered at Riedel. The lay reader will be Ann Her first task was to decide how The gospel and sermon will be 4:30 p.m. tomorrow. The Rev. E. Michels. to organize the information, presented in the form of an original Bevan Stanley will celebrate at the At Wyoming Church, family Gramer said. Initially, she thought Christmas play presented by the 4:30 p.m. service. The sidesmen worship tomorrow is at 4 p.m. The it might be a date book, a chrono- Harry Trumbore/staff photographer Youth Groups with younger chil- will be Patricia Shewmaker, Children’s Choirs, under the direc- logical lists of department mile- READY FOR PRINTING—Volunteer firefighter Elizabeth dren taking the parts of angels and Theodore Houlis, Benita Rountree tion of Katherine Innis, will sing stones. “Betsy” Gramer looks over the page proofs of the book she shepherds. The Junior Choirs will and Sam Reckford. The first lesson “Shepherds Came to Bethlehem,” a “But I wanted to write it for the wrote chronicling the 125-year history of the Millburn Fire sing. will be read by Richard Estes, the Polish folk tune arranged by public, not just the fire depart- Department. Two photos from the book appear on Page B9. At 10 p.m. tomorrow, a Festival second lesson will be read by Nan- Shirley McRae, “Donkey Small” by ment,” Gramer said. Eventually, Eucharist will be offered. The cy Harwood, and the Prayers of Katherine Innis, “Follow the Star” she broke the story of the depart- senior choir will present special the People will be read by Nancy by Robert Briggs, and “In Mid- ment into different topics such as insight into the lives of township departments were consolidated music augmented by several instru- Sammartino. night’s Silence” by Cynthia Gray. firehouses, training, equipment, residents. with Millburn in 1912. mentalists. The service concludes A festal music concert will be The Youth Choir, under the direc- and, of course, memorable fires Gramer’s narrative follows the Her text is supplemented with in candlelight, short after midnight. given at 10 p.m., and at 10:30 p.m. tion of Linda Eriksen, will sing “Do and natural disasters handled by growth of the fire department from photos and news clippings. On Saturday at 10 a.m., a simple a festal Holy Eucharist will be You Hear What I Hear?” by Reg- the firefighters. As she wrote, the its early days in 1876 when there Gramer said she spent a week spoken service will mark the day of offered. Stanley will preach and the ney/Shane, arranged by C. Baxter. story seemed to take on a life of its were three separate fire headquar- the Nativity of Our Lord. Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg will own, she said. The incidents give ters. The Wyoming and Short Hills Continued on Page B9 St. Rose of Lima will hold a celebrate at the 10:30 p.m. service. Continued on Page B9 Police visibility high for the holiday season because as many as 90,000 people “We pay particular attention to By Harry Trumbore can pass through the mall on a the parking lots on Morris Turn- of The Item busy day, having the officers on site pike and along Millburn Avenue,” makes sense. Besides being a deter- he said. Township police since the rent to criminal activities, he said, The increased vigilance may be beginning of November have police can respond easily to the working. The total number of car beefed up their presence at The number of accidents that occur thefts for the year to date is down Mall at Short Hills. However, daily. by more than 44 percent. Crime Chief Paul Boegershausen said this Crime doesn’t take a holiday, figures compiled for 2003 show a week Homeland Security issues however, and Boegershausen said total of 111 car thefts, while for are just as responsible as the holi- he is seeing a spike in the number 2004 only 62 incidents have been days for the heightened visibility. of cars that have been targeted by compiled with only two weeks Shoppers may have noticed thieves, a problem plaguing sur- remaining in the year. emergency service (formerly rounding communities such as Reviewing the crime statistics S.W.A.T.) team members dressed Chatham as well. his department is compiling for the in body armor patrolling the mall, As of Monday, the number of current year, Boegershausen said Boegershausen said. There is also a cars stolen—including cars that incidents of shoplifting are up greater presence of uniformed thieves attempted to steal— from approximately 24 percent for the police officers as well. The chief mall parking decks since the begin- year. At the same time, Boeger- said procedures established last ning of November is 14, Boeger- shausen made the point the num- summer require officers in patrol shausen said, compared to four ber of larcenies, which includes cars who are monitoring the park- thefts that occurred elsewhere in shoplifting, is down 12 percent. ing decks to park and spend time the township. The increased police The chief said shoplifting is difficult Photo courtesy of Township of Millburn walking through the shopping presence at the mall has resulted in to measure because the successful THANKS FOR SERVICE—During the township’s Annual Get-Together Dec.