Engines and Ladders

I was at the fire house, and over the scanner I heard, "Neighboring towns please respond to Mutual Aid structure fire in Newark, West Ward. Fully involved." Nobody in the house budged, due to the fact that by the time we drove a half hour to Newark, there would be double digits worth of trucks, engines, rescue companies and ladders that already responded from other towns. Yet, just by hearing this call, I wanted to know more about Newark and how the city is derived, (in terms of public safety).

Newark is the biggest city in the state of New Jersey, in terms of population. The fire division is divided up into 5 wards; North, South, East, West and Central. Each ward varies in companies, for example, the West Ward has 2 companies, each with an Engine and a Ladder. The Central Ward has 4 companies, which are 3 Engine companies and one Rescue and Ladder company. The Central Ward is the only ward that has a rescue company, which makes sense if you actually think about it, due to the fact that it is in the CENTER of the city....(duh). Let me give you a brief summary of the differences between companies:

What the public doesn't know is not every fire apparatus is the same. As obvious as that may sound, it is a common misconception. Most towns have four types of companies: Engine, Ladder, Truck and Rescue. An Engine company has an apparatus with strictly hoses, pumps, tools, small ladders and other necessary supplies used in a fire, with a specific focus on fire suppression and overhaul (which ios putting out the fire effectively and gathering any salvageable objects inside the burning building).. This is a bit confusing, because all apparatus have this equipment, but an Engine company truck is sort of the "designer" truck to have for necessities. A Ladder Company apparatus is equipped with similar tools, but have a wider selection of ladders, ranging from 14, 24, 36 foot and above ladders used for multiple purposes, like window rescues, venting, fire suppression, etc. A Truck Company apparatus is equipped with all of these similar tools and ladders, with a broader focus on forcible entry and a variety of different ground ladders. Also, Truck Company apparatus have aerial ladders, which are the giant mechanical ladders on the top of the fire truck that you see on television shows, (yeah, not every fire truck has one of these). A Truck Company is your "hybrid" apparatus, yet obviously the most expensive to upkeep. Lastly, a Rescue Company apparatus is used strictly for what it's names purpose- RESCUE !

My research on the Newark Fire Division has informed me that there are 17 fire departments in the city of Newark. SEVENTEEN! My town of Totowa only has 3... We have a Rescue/Truck Company, an Ladder company and an Engine Company (which is the company that I am apart of).