APPARATUS OF THE MONTH

By John M. Malecky                                                            December, 2024

FIRE PROTECTION IN HAMMONTON

The Town of Hammonton is located in Atlantic County and is known as the “Blueberry Capital of the World.” It has two stations.

We chose to feature it in this month’s column because some of the trucks will either be replaced or modified soon. Featured in the photos are Engine 95, their newest. It is a Pierce Enforcer pumper. Next is nearly an identical pumper, which is Engine 98. Following that is Tanker 9, a Sterling Acterra/Pierce and Rescue 97, an interesting Spartan/Marion rescue pumper with the pump panel covered by a roll up door. It has an on board generator, as well as a portable one, an air cascade unit and a front-mounted winch as well as a portable one. Following that is Cascade 9, a Ford/Reading which is going to be repurposed into a brush truck soon by adding a brush fire skid unit. Then is Engine 99, a Pierce Impel pumper, and finally Tower 9, a 1999 Pierce which may have been replaced by the time this column is printed, as its replacement is on order. Their Engine 93, a brush/utility unit, will appear in a future Little Big Guys feature. Not shown this month is a military style high water rescue unit because it is not part of their fire protection of which the title of the column is. It also will appear in a future issue.

Perth Amboy (Middlesex County) has in service a 2024 MetalCraft Marine FireStorrn 38, a 39-foot fireboat replacing their 2006 MetalCraft boat which was traded in. This boat has two 3000-gpm pumps with an ultimate pumping capacity of 9000-gpm and four monitors (one on the roof, one at the bow and two aft.) They also have two used apparatus. Their Engine 4 is a 1994 Pierce Lance 1500/1000 pumper formerly from Green Township (Sussex County) and Truck-3, a 1994 Pierce Lance 1250/300/75-foot quint formerly of Harrington Park in Bergen County. This is a spare. They will be receiving new apparatus soon.  

Stillwater Township (Sussex County) has in service a 2024 Seagrave Marauder II pumper. It has a 2000-gpm pump, 1250-gallon water tank and a 6 kw generator. Also in the county, Vernon Township’s Highland Lakes FC is using Mahwah’s 2004 Seagrave 2000/2500 pumper/tanker that was recently replaced by a new Ferrara apparatus, until their custom pumper/tanker is delivered. Montgomery Township FC 2 (Somerset County) has received a Seagrave 95-foot Aerialscope with 1000-pound payload. 

In Union County, the volunteer fire department at Merck Labs in Rahway added a gear van to their roster. This truck transports turnouts to the scene of an incident as their volunteers are all Merck employees. It is a 2022 Ford F59 step van with Utilimaster P1100 body. Also in Union County, the Hillside FD has in service a P.L. Custom Classic, Type 1 ambulance on a Dodge Ram 5500 chassis. A reliable source from there informed us that they have on order a Ford/Horton ambulance.

The Milltown VFD in Middlesex County has ordered an E-ONE Typhoon pumper with 2000-gpm pump, 780-gallon water tank and six bottle air cascade system. It will replace a 1998 ALF Eagle/Saulsbury pumper which also has a cascade system. Also, Chatham Township (Morris County) has ordered an E-ONE Cyclone HR100 aerial. It will have a Cummins X15 diesel engine, 2000-gpm pump, 470-gallon water and 30-gallon foam tanks. Jersey City (Hudson County) placed in service an E-ONE Typhoon pumper at Engine 2. Engine 18’s Typhoon is still being prepped. 

Fire & Safety Services has received the following Pierce orders: for East Hanover, an Enforcer 107-foot aerial ladder and for New Vernon an Enforcer pumper (both Morris County); for Hackettstown (Warren County) a stock Saber pumper; and for Cape May City (Cape May County) a stock Enforcer mid-mount tower. The City of Plainfield (Union County) has ordered a stock Frontline Critical Response Unit (CRU). Pierce deliveries include to the Tewksbury/Oldwick FC (Hunterdon County) a stock BX 3000-gallon tanker on a Kenworth chassis; an Enforcer pumper to the City of Vineland (Cumberland County) and to the Pochuck Valley FC in Vernon Township (Sussex County) an Enforcer pumper.

Emergency Equipment Sales & Service received an order from Rutherford (Bergen County) for an HME rescue with 19-foot Marion non-walk-in body. Specs include a Cummins L9, 450 hp diesel engine, custom cab with six seats and 12-inch raised roof, 15 kw PTO driven generator, Will Burt light tower, oil dry hopper, upper walk area, ground ladders mounted in a rear compartment and transverse compartments with dual direction slides.

Campbell Supply Co., LLC has delivered a Spartan ER pumper with FC-94 chassis to the Middlesex County Fire Academy. It has a 2000-gpm Hale Qmax pump, 500-gallon water tank and a 5 kw Honda gasoline generator that powers a cord reel. It is the first FC-94 chassis that Campbell has sold on a fire apparatus.

Atlantic City (Atlantic County) has ordered a Rosenbauer mini pumper on a Ford F-550 4x4 chassis for use as a boardwalk unit.