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They Brave It Out Every Day

By Joe Renna

Fire fighting has exceeded its traditional role of putting water on flames.
Fire departments are now involved in every aspect of public safety. Each day, Elizabeth's bravest put them selves in harm's way to ensure the safety of all residents by responding to emergencies and -more importantly-preventing them.

The Engine 3 and Ladder 3 companies of the Elizabeth Fire Department are centrally located on Bank Sreet, just off Elizabeth Avenue, and so they respond to every full alarm in the city. And since they are the closest fire house to Peterstown, they are also the "1st Due" to respond to an alarm in the neighborhood, designated their first alarm district.

The history of the companies goes back to the mid 1800's when they were located in Peterstown on Centre Street. Ladder 3 moved into its new location in 1911 when fire fighting apparatus was still horse-drawn. The Elizabeth Fire Department continues a tradition of being one of the best equipped and best trained units in the state of New Jersey.

Elizabeth's Fire Department has a total of 11 companies, seven of which are engine companies. There are also three Ladder companies. Companies 1 and 2 are aerial ladders and Ladder Company 3 is a Snorkle. The Engine 3 pumper brings the hoses, pump and water tank to a scene and could pump 7,000 gallons of water from its tank even before a hydrant is utilized.

There are at least 4 persons assigned to a truck company at a time. It works out to 24 fire fighters who work in four shifts also known as tours. Each tour has two captains.

Saving lives and property is always paramount. State of the art equipment is just a small part of the equation. Well trained and dedicated firefighters make the system work. "Elizabeth's Bravest" are a breed apart. They answer the call to duty on a daily basis in the face of life threatening situations. The depth of their ability and experience is a product of continual training even through their veteran years. The Department has never been on a volunteer basis so recruitment and retention of quality professionals has always been maintained.

The people of Peterstown hold our fire fighters in high esteem. Traditionally the neighborhood has not had many incidents of full alarm fires. Though fire tragedies are most traumatic and stay etched on our memories. The most recent fire was on South Seventh Street. That resulted in a fatality. The most dramatic in recent memory was when the Allen Waste Co, which recycled paper and rags, burned down. The one incident that causes one to pause every time it is thought about was the 1977 fire on Centre Street that took the lives of four children and their grandmother.

Today's technology focuses on prevention. Central alarm monitoring systems give the modern fire fighter a step on a situation before it becomes tragic. No incidence of fire is more of an indication of a job well done than a reported occurrence. Last year Engine 3 and Ladder 3 responded to 2,334 calls. Their effectiveness is immeasurable.

They never removed a cat from a tree but they did deliver a baby last month.