Our fire station is located in the heart of the Downtown
section of Long Branch at 201 Union Avenue.
Officially known as “Fire Headquarters” our station was built in 1967
and houses an engine, a ladder and a heavy rescue truck. We are proud to share our station with our
brother and sister firefighters from the Phil Daly Hose Co. No. 2 and together
we call the station home.
Like all of the fire companies in Long Branch, the
Independents protect the neighborhoods around our fire station but throughout
the entire city and we respond to calls in every neighborhood and corner of the
city 24 hours a day.
OUR ENGINE
The Mayor and City Council purchased Engine 25-7-75 for the Oliver Byron Engine Co. No. 2 in 2001 and the Chief of Department reassigned the engine to our
company in 2012 redesignating her as 25-4-75. Commonly known as a “pumper” our 2001 American LaFrance engine
carries hose, water and tools designed to quickly bring water to the fire via
hoses or other appliances to either extinguish the fire or to protect
firefighters while they perform other urgent functions. The engine carries 500 gallons of water and
can pump more than 1,250 gallons of water per minute when operating at peak
efficiency. The engine is designed to
carry a total of six firefighters, including positions for a chauffer, an
officer and four additional firefighters.
A picture of Engine 25-4-75 will be posted here shortly. Until then, you may find a picture on Michael
Martinelli’s website by clicking here and looking for the engine with the black roof shown as 25-7-75.
Our 1994 Smeal Engine was reassigned to the Oceanic Engine Co. No. 1 in 2012.
OUR TRUCK
In 2004, the Mayor and City Council purchased Truck 25-4-90
from E-ONE, Inc. The ladder truck or,
more accurately, the tower ladder, carries tools and ground ladders that allow
firefighters to rescue trapped or injured people and to access and ventilate
buildings. The most obvious piece of
equipment on the truck is the articulating ladder boom that is mounted in the
middle of the apparatus and extends to the rear of the truck. The basket or bucket that hangs from the end
of the boom can be raised as much as 95 feet from the truck, allowing
firefighters the ability to reach people and places that are too high, too far
or too inaccessible to be reached without the use of this specialized piece of
equipment. The truck is designed to carry
a total of six firefighters, including positions for a chauffer, an officer and
four additional firefighters. A picture
of Engine 25-4-90 will be posted here shortly.
Until then, you may find a picture on Michael Martinelli’s website by clicking here. OUR ANTIQUES
Two of our retired ladder trucks still exist and are being
restored as historical museum pieces.
Our 1918 Mack International is privately owned by the Irving
Jensen family of Sioux City, Iowa and was recently placed on permanent loan
with the Sioux City Municipal Museum after having been fully restored to its
factory-floor delivery condition by the Jensens.
Our 1957 Mack ladder was sold to the Borough of Oceanport in
1979 following more than twenty years of service in Long Branch. The ’57 did almost twenty more years of
service in Oceanport before being sold to a fire apparatus dealer who
unexpectedly offered the truck for sale to the fire company. Rather than see the truck lost to time,
neglect or parties unknown, the Independents purchased the 1957 Mack using
private funds.
While the fire company
worked to identify a permanent home for the truck and set aside additional
private funds for its renovation, the truck fell victim to vandals as it sat
first behind fire headquarters and later in the now-Broadway Park.
In December 2009, the company began the trucks renovations.
The truck will be used for educational,
historical and company purposes and will be made available for firefighter
funerals and other ceremonies upon request.
It is hoped that the truck will eventually become part of the permanent
collection at the New Jersey Fire Museum planned to be built adjacent to Allaire
State Park in the future.
No public or taxpayer funds have been or will be used to
refurbish or maintain either of these privately-owned antique trucks.
