July - August - September

SEPTEMBER 30
Chief of Department Mike Lalor is among 32 chief fire officers who will retire effective October 1. These retirements will coincide with the retirement of 60 other members of the department over the next three months. In addition, notices went out to all members of the department citing 96 lay-offs and 22 demotions over the next two years. Deputy Chiefs John Centanni and Fateen Ziyad are being considered to act as Chief of Department until a permanent appointment can be made from a Civil Service eligibility list. There is also talk of Battalion 1 being taken out of service, in addition to one or more fire companies. This remains to be seen, however.

SEPTEMBER 23 - From Greg Sereico
At 03:01 hours, Thursday, September 23, Box 4343 was transmitted for 110-12 Seymour Avenue, at Clinton Avenue. Battalion 4, Chief Peter Spann, was the first to arrive, and immediately transmitted the Signal 11. There was heavy fire in the rear of 110-12 Seymour Ave, a large, vacant, 2-1/2-story frame dwelling. Truck 5 members forced the front door of the building, and members of Engines 10 and 12 started to make entry into the building. Deputy Chief Robert Carter arrived on the scene and assumed command of the operation.

The first alarm engines: Engines, 10, 12, 18, and 6, had difficulty securing an adequate water supply, and with this, Chief Carter ordered the members out of the main fire building. Members now conducted an exterior operation. At this time Chief Carter also transmitted a second alarm.

Engine 10 brought a 2-1/2 inch line to the rear, along with Engine 29, who arrived on the second alarm. Due to the low water pressure, the heavy volume of fire now extended into the cockloft of exposure building, 114 Seymour Avenue. Also, Battalion Chief 4 requested that some of the exterior lines be shut down, because their water draw was affecting the interior lines in 114 Seymour.

After an extended battle, the fire was declared under control at 04:15 hours. Members remained on the scene until 08:30 hours to fully extinguish the fire. Both Deputy Chief Carter and Battalion Chief Spann plan on retiring on October 1, 2010. This may have been the last fire for them.

SEPTEMBER 12 - Story & photos by Ron Jeffers

OVER 100 RESIDENTS FORCED OUT OF THEIR ORANGE HOME

More then 100 residents were forced out of their apartments when a fire ripped through the upper floors of a five-story “H” shaped apartment building, on the morning of September 12. Numerous Essex County fire departments were called to the scene to assist their Orange brothers as thick black smoke, that could be seen for miles, rose above the structure.

Shortly before 09:00 hours, city fire companies were dispatched to 399 Lincoln Avenue, at Highland Avenue, for a report of smoke visible from the roof area of an apartment building. The deputy chief quickly arrived from Fire Headquarters, a few blocks away, and confirmed that a smoke condition was showing. Fire then blew out of windows on the “A” and ”B” corner on the top-floor. Mutual aid calls began, first for a FAST team, and then additional calls for county fire companies. Searches of apartments began as well as fire suppression operations.

The fire quickly traveled across the roof, eventually consuming the all of it. Flames began to vent out of numerous windows. At least twice, firefighters were ordered out of the structure.

As the fire consumed the top floor, dropping down to the 4th and 3rd floors in some sections, an exterior attack began with plenty of master streams. This included ladder pipes from Orange Truck 1, Montclair Truck 1 and Newark Truck 7. Tower streams came from Newark Truck 6, Millburn Tower 2, Roseland Tower 665 and Verona Tower Ladder 12. Bloomfield Engine 2's squirt was also placed into operation, as well as a deck gun from Irvington Engine 41.

The building contained 96 units, according to Mayor Eldridge Hawkins Jr. A NJ Transit bus was brought to the scene as a temporary shelter for residents to get out of the rain. Food and refreshments were provided by the Bell & Siren Club, Salvation Army and the nearby church.

In addition to the fire departments mentioned, other departments that operated during the height of the blaze came from East Orange, South Orange, West Orange, Belleville, Maplewood, Livingston, and Essex Fells. Additional mutual aid units came in to relieve these companies and operated throughout the night.

SEPTEMBER 2 - From Greg Sereico
On Thursday, at approximately 11:45 hours, Engine 15, Truck 7 and Battalion 3, Paul Bartelloni, were sent to Orange, NJ on mutual aid to report to their main fire headquarters. While responding, Engine 15 and Battalion 3 were re-directed to the fire scene, located at 15 Cleveland Street, just off of Main Street. The fire was in a large. 2-1/2 story frame dwelling. Approximately ten minutes after arriving, Chief Bartelloni requested Truck 7 to the scene, and asked Newark dispatch to send another engine. Engine 7 responded to Orange fire headquarters.

AUGUST 29 - From Greg Sereico
A call came in at about 14:30 hours, on Sunday, reporting a bus on fire, at Hawthorne Avenue and Fabyan Place. Engine 18 reported a heavy smoke condition in the area while responding. While rolling in, it actually looked like a structure fire.

AUGUST 18 - From Tommy McGovern
Yesterday, August 18, I attended the Retired Police & Fire Picnic, in Bayville NJ. It was great to see the entire history of the Newark Fire Department before my eyes. These were guys that shaped the the fire department during the years when being a firefighter meant more than a paycheck, because most of them started the job well below eight grand a year. These were good men, many are WW2, Korea, and Viet Nam vets, that went through the riots in Newark and never missed a day's work. The job has taken a toll... most had stories of operations, medical ailments, cancers, and thoughts of our dead brothers that could not attend. For some it would be the last picnic they will attend. It is gatherings like this that only a member of the brotherhood can appreciate. I salute them all. "Non Sibi"

JULY 5
Here's some of the latest  murmurings going around the NFD:

The fire dispatchers will be taken off tours and placed on eight-hour shifts, instead. This was to take effect on July 1, but there are issues that the union is addressing.

It appears that the two pumpers, which were put out on bid earlier in the year, will be supplied by Ferrara. A third pumper may also be included.

NFD officials will be traveling to the Pierce apparatus plant soon for a pre-construction meeting regarding the new haz-mat decon, and spill trucks. The decon truck will be on a Saber chassis, while the spill rig will be on a Freightliner chassis.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

JULY 16, 2010

Annual Buff Night At Newark

Hosted by the NFD, in conjunction with the

New Jersey Metro Fire Photographers

The place will be the NFD Training facility,

at 191 Orange Street, between Boyden and Nesbitt Streets.

JULY 5
At 13:48 hours, Box 4415 was struck after fire dispatch began receiving multiple 911 calls for a house on fire, at  57 Fabyan Place, at Voorhees Street. Engines 18-12-10-29; Trucks 5-10; Battalion 4; Deputy 1, and Rescue 1 rolled on the full assignment. Two minutes later, Battalion 4 reported smoke in the area, and police units on the scene confirmed a fire. At 13:50 hours, upon arriving at the scene with Engine 18, Battalion 4 reported he had a large, three-story frame building heavily involved, and ordered a second alarm. Engines 6-19-11-7; Trucks 11-12, and Battalions 1-5 answered the second, with Battalion 1 as the ISO, and Truck 11 as the FAST.  Battalion 4 then reported he had fire on all floors, and the cockloft, of a large, corner, three-story frame, six family OMD. He ordered Truck 5 to get to the top floor immediately to pull ceilings, in an effort to stop the fire from spreading throughout the 25-by-100-foot cockloft. An aggressive attack, with lines on all floors, quickly darkened the blaze down. Truckies then went to work on all floors opening up. Quick work with lines, and opening up the cockloft, cut off major spread of the flames, and at 14:04 hours, Deputy 1 declared the fire under control. Engine 29 broke down on Nye Avenue while en route to the fire, and was replaced by Engine 14. Rescue 1 secured the building's utilities, and all searches proved negative. With the temperature approaching triple digits, Engine 26 was special-called to the scene as the rehab company. The address was changed to 57 Voorhees Street, but 57 Fabyan is the actually the correct address. According to the Newark City Atlas, the building sits on the corner of Fabyan and Voorhees, its address being 57 Fabyan Place. It also occupies the addresses of 45-53 Voorhees Street. The fire reportedly started as a brush fire outside the building that rapidly spread to the structure prior to the arrival of firemen.

JULY 4
Shortly after 17:30 hours, Fire Dispatch began receiving multiple 911 calls for thick, black smoke coming from the rear of a house, at 10 Tillinghast Street, between Osborne Terrace and Reeves Place. Box 4341 was struck at 17:33 hours, turning out Engines 18-29-12-10; Trucks 10-5; Battalion 4; Deputy 1, and Rescue 1. While responding, Battalion 4 radioed in that there was smoke showing in the area.  A minute later, Engine 18 arrived at the scene and reported a working fire in the rear of a 2-1/2-story frame dwelling. Upon Battalion 4's arrival, he reported that there was an outside fire that had extended to the rear of the house on the 1st and 2nd floors, and the attic. One line had made a quick knockdown of the blaze, but it had been found the fire had extended into the building. A Signal 11 was sounded, bringing Battalion 1, as ISO, and Truck 11, as the FAST, to the scene. A line was stretched to the second floor and a quick knockdown was made. The building was not vacant, but it was unoccupied at the time of the fire. All searches proved to be negative. The utilities were shut down, and salvage covers were thrown on the first and second floors. Deputy 1 declared the fire under control at  17:48 hours.

JULY 2
At 21:40 hours, Box 4569 was struck upon fire dispatch receiving a 911 call for a house fire, with people trapped, at 77 Aldine Street, at Forest Place. The alarm assignment consisted of Engines 29-18-12-10; Trucks 10-5; Battalion 4; Deputy 1, and Rescue 1. A minute later, Engine 29 radioed in that they had a working fire on the second floor of a 2-1/2-story frame dwelling, with an exposure problem, and that they had power lines arcing. A few seconds later they requested a second alarm. Simultaneously, Deputy 1 ordered a Signal 11, followed by Battalion 4. When advised that Engine 29 had requested a second alarm, both chiefs concurred. Truck 10 advised Battalion 4 they had fire on the second floor of Exposure D and requested a line. Battalion 1 responded to the scene as the ISO, along with Truck 11 as the FAST. The second alarm assignment consisted of Engines 19-6-11-7; Truck 12, and Battalion 5. An aggressive interior attack was made on the blaze, and within a half-hour, all visible fire had been knocked down, and companies began opening up. At 22:10 hours, Deputy 1 reported the fire to be under control. The building of origin turned out to be 79 Aldine Street, which was vacant. Exposure D was #77, and that building was occupied.