At 1624 hrs Squad 27 was requested by New Brunswick for the cover assignment at NBFD Engine Co #5 while city personnel operated at a house fire in the 100 block of Seamen Street. On their way in Squad 27 redirected for the smoke condition in a second floor apartment on George Street. SQ27 arrived to find a smoke condition in the hallway and in the apartment. Stretching a line along with NOBFD Engine 105 the men found a fire in the broiler of the oven caused by Tupperware and mousetraps that were not removed prior to the ovens ignition. Crews removed smoke clearing up in about 20 minutes and returned to their cover stations in the city. Squad 27 returned to District #3 at approximately 1800 hrs.

At 2224 hours the Monday Night Duty crew staffing Squad 27, along with 27A, responded into the city of New Brunswick for the cover assignment at Engine Company #5 on Bartlett Street while NBFD went to work at a structure fire. Just as the Squad company arrived at Company 5’s quarters NBFD 21(D/C Wornell) requested the crew to move up to the fire scene in the 200 block of Livingston Ave. Arriving on the fire scene command directed Squad 27 pick up its own feeder and set up master streams for exposure protection. The crew was put to work and manned the TRT Blitzfire and a 2-1/2” solid bore with the help of Engine 105 from North Brunswick Fire. Squad 27 remained on scene until 0130 hours.
Video from the fire on YouTube.com featuring Squad27 arriving on scene

Show your support for Kevin Apuzzio’s Law. The Bill (A1839) is coming up for discussion in the NJ Legislature this spring and needs your support. You can view the full text of the bill by clicking HERE

You may also download the attached PDF petition, collect signatures from you family, friends, and members and then return it to our firehouse and we will forward it on to Trenton.

Here is an excerpt from the Bill:

This bill, designated Kevin Apuzzio’s Law, would double the pension amounts that a municipality is permitted to pay to certain beneficiaries of volunteer firefighters, first aid workers, rescue squad workers and emergency medical technicians, who die as the result of injuries sustained while performing their duties.

This bill would also require municipalities served by volunteer fire companies to provide volunteer firefighters with health insurance and carry $250,000 life insurance policy for each volunteer firefighter, and pay the reasonable expenses for the burial or funeral of an insured firefighter. Municipalities may raise funds to provide these benefits to volunteer firefighters by establishing a $1 surcharge for each fire code inspection in the municipality.

Tonight 31 men members from East Franklin, six from Holmes Marshall, and six from River Road Fire Companies got together for a live burn at the Piscataway Tower. The Chiefs from each Fire Company stepped back to let the Junior Officers run incident command during the different scenarios. They were able to use the command vehicles and did a size up prior to suppression companies arriving on scene. This helped simulate realistic responses and gave them practice prioritizing and assigning tasks to these incoming units. All fire ground functions were covered in the drill Command, Size up, Hose line deployment, Search & Rescue, Accountability, Ventilation & FASTeam. The drill started at 1900 hours and all units picked up and returned to Station 27 at 2300 hours for pizza and laughs. Special thanks to Chief Burns & Chief Smolko for letting us train at the tower with them.

Last week the Commissioners of Fire District #3 sent a letter to the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders requesting that a room at the county training center be named in his honor. With their permission that letter is reprinted here:

Dear Honorable Board Members:

I write this letter to you today on behalf of the Board of Fire Commissioners Franklin Township Fire District # 3 and the residents and families that have entrusted their lives and property to the faithful and dedicated volunteer firefighters that serve our district. April 11, 2006 we lost a brave, courageous, and ambitious young man that through life strived for excellence. Kevin Apuzzio gave the ultimate sacrifice for another and his fellow firefighters when he gave his life trying to rescue an elderly female trapped in her home in the early morning hours of April 11, 2006. We have approached the two-year anniversary of the loss of Kevin and we are asking that you support us in our efforts to keep his memory forever cherished. East Franklin Fire Department has procured a plaque in honor of Kevin to be hung in the halls of the Academy in which Kevin only but a few years ago walked through. Just like thousands of others that will also walk these halls, we ask that a room be dedicated to his honor, along with a special place for this plaque to be hung thus keeping his sacrifice alive for others to remember.

It is our hope that you will usher in this request so that others will remember what this job is all about and remember a young man that made volunteerism his life thus ending that life doing something that he loved to do.


Respectfully Yours,

Mike Gilliam
The Board of Fire Commissioners
Franklin Township Fire District # 3

Fire District #3 was dispatched at 1330 hours to a MVC with a motorcyclist trapped under a vehicle in front of 650 Easton Avenue. Car 27 (Krushinski) arrived within 2 minutes and established command confirming a passenger car on top of a motorcyclist. Squad 27 arrived soon after and went to work stabilizing the vehicle since EMS personnel were already on scene. New Brunswick Engine Co. #5 and Rescue Co. #3 were dispatched to 65 Easton Avenue in the city for the same call. Confirming that it was the same call command asked them to continue in to the correct address for assistance. The crews from EFFD and NBFD finished stabilization of the vehicle and at that point EMS gave the OK to lift the vehicle off the patient. The lift was performed using a small jack, additional cribbing, and the battery operated Hurst tool (operated by NBFD Engine Co Lt. Makenzie). Once an adequate lift and crib was achieved the patient was removed from underneath the car and transported to RWJUH. After conferring with police units on scene it was established that there would not be an accident investigation and 27A gave the OK to begin using speedy-dry. Units were available within a half hour. Units: Car 27, Squad 27, Rescue 25, Engine Co 5, 908 Units. Click on story headline to follow link to local news story about this incident.

On Wednesday morning at 0725 hrs Station 27 was requested into the City of New Brunswick to stand by at Engine Company 5. While en-route with E278 members responded to the 100 block of Little Albany Street to handle a fire alarm. Soon after clearing up from the run E278 was redirected to the scene of the 2nd alarm fire on Simplex Avenue. E278, with a crew of 5, was put right to work on arrival laying from the fire out to a hydrant. E278 pumped to Edison Truck #2 that had the C/D corner of the fire building. The rest of the crew was put to work on hand lines and continued to manage them for a few hours. At 1130 crews were rotated out and a fresh crew came down and took over operations of the 1st crew until Car 21 of NBFD declared the fire out at 1500 hrs. A special thanks to the men who took vacation days from work to help operate at the fire scene and man Station 27 while we were out of town. Click on link to view video and pictures from scene.

At 0250 Hours, Station 27 was dispatched for a FAST Team for a working structure fire in District 1. The fire was in a one and half story, vacant dwelling located at 1995 Amwell Road. First arriving fire units were met with a heavy fire, and units were told to start an exterior operation. Squad 27 with 5 firefighters, 27A and 27C responded to the blaze. When the crew from Squad 27 arrived, they were assigned as the FAST team and set up on the B side of the building. The fire was brought under control quickly, and Squad 27 was cleared from the scene at 0458.