Instagram Updates
Tonight the @somerville54rescue held their annual dinner. Numerous members of the squad who are also Somerville Fire members received life saving awards for their efforts the night Ida wrecked havoc across our borough. Congrats to those members for their heroic efforts!
*New Apparatus Delivery* Somerville Fire has taken delivery of a special custom piece of apparatus known as TAC-57. Built by Lee’s Emergency Equipment and designed in house. This unique truck was specifically designed to gain access to every one of the numerous parking decks located within the Borough. With the boom in construction of residential light-weight apartment buildings all around town, parking decks with access doors to each floor of the new buildings are being built as well. Especially in the developments being built around the train station. TAC-57 will give us the option to rapidly deploy manpower and hose to tie into stand pipes located within the parking decks and immediately reach the floor of the fire. If there is a fire located within the deck itself, quick access can be made to reach the fire up to the floor below. The unit will also be used to respond to smaller incidents such as mulch and brush fires. The truck utilizes a Hale HPX275-B35 pump, a UPF Poly-tank 180 gallon water / 20 foam tank, and a Hannay aluminum reel with 200' 1" hose. There are 2 SCBA cylinder compartments, 2 pike pole tubes, high-rise pack and supply line hose storage, and numerous other hand tools. A unique and innovative apparatus designed to meet our ever changing current challenges as our borough continues to rapidly grow in size.
This afternoon Somerville and @raritanfire52 were dispatched to Williams St. for a reported dryer fire. Upon arrival, it was confirmed the fire was extending to the structure down the hallway. A 1st alarm working fire was transmitted. After lines were stretched, the fire was quickly knocked down and smoke was ventilated. @squadco23 responded to the scene as the RIT team while @findernefirestation30 @manvillefireco1 @greenknollfire and @svfrc1 stood by to provide further coverage if needed to the borough and surrounding area. This was Somerville Fire’s 92nd fire call of the year and 5th fire responded to either in town or mutual aid since the start of 2022
Yesterday afternoon Truck 1 was requested mutual aid into Bridgewater Township to the scene of a well involved 2nd alarm house fire off Rt. 28. Somerville crews operated on the second floor of the home’s addition assisting in cutting off the fire’s spread. Walls and ceilings were breached to reach pockets of fire. The truck was secured and returned to the borough after approximately 2 hours on scene.
This morning at 3:55am, Somerville and @raritanfire52 were dispatched to Fairview Ave. for a reported dryer fire in a second floor apartment. Units arrived to find smoke showing and a working fire. Crews made an attack and encountered zero visibility on the second floor. Once the fire was found in a laundry room area, it was quickly extinguished. Units remained on scene for approximately an hour afterwards ventilating and checking for further extension.
Apparatus Progress Update: Currently in production at Lee’s Emergency Equipment is a unique custom fabricated unit that will be known as TAC-57. This low profile unit is being special built on a 2020 F-350 to fit into any of the numerous parking garages throughout the borough. It will have a water tank, pump, and small foam cell. Numerous other tools, air packs, and hose/hi-rise packs will be mounted as well. This unit will be able to access incidents up to the floor below in a parking deck getting resources and manpower to up to the incident ASAP. It will also be able to respond to any other small brush and mulch fires throughout the rest of town such as along the Greenway. The unit was designed in house along with Lee’s with inspiration from the Millburn FD. Also pictured is our “new” 1996 Pierce engine acquired from the @scotchplainsfire department to serve as a reserve engine while a new E-1 is ordered and then after.
Yesterday evening at 7:52pm Engine 3 and Truck 1 were requested into Raritan Borough for a reported dryer fire in a laundromat with a heavy smoke condition. The fire was quickly controlled via extinguishers. Smoke was ventilated from throughout the 2 story structure.
We would like to welcome our new Chief of Department Robert Wortman who was sworn in at the Borough 2022 Re-Organization Meeting on January 1st. New Assistant Chief Jose Rodriguez was also sworn in, and Deputy Chief Dave Vallone Sr. and Assistant Chief Joseph Stitley renewed their oaths. 2021 was a memorable year and a tough one for our Borough. The Somerville Fire Department finished the year with 635 fire calls. Those calls included 9 building fires, 29 other non-structural fires, and 22 calls for mutual aid including working fires in surrounding towns. The past few months were especially taxing as our members had to contend with Ida and a recent tragic house fire on Eastern Ave. As we usher in 2022, we would like to congratulate Ex-Chief Brian Iselin on his past 9 years as Chief. Ex-Chief Iselin had a lot thrown at him from the pandemic to many major fires to blizzards to floods. Under his direction, the department made many strides forward in technology, mutual aid agreements, and operations. He guided the department valiantly.