Organized in 1893, the Garfield FD serves a two square mile response area of mixed residential and commercial properties. Operating as five companies with 120 active members, the department provides Fire and Rescue protection to the City of Garfield answering 700 alarms annually.

While designing this rig, the engineer advised the company that they could add extra discharges as they only had two pre-connects plumbed off the 1,500 gpm pump. At his suggestion, they added a pre-piped deck gun which proved beneficial for two reasons - foremost, since the truck takes the front of the building, it provides optimal reach when deploying a master stream. An added (albeit unplanned) bonus is that it also annoys the engine guys!!

Truck 4 - 2013 Spartan ERV 103’/1500 gpm/200 gal.

Replacing a 1992 Simon-Duplex/LTI 100’/500/200, this rig features seating for 11 (five with voice activated radio headsets), a 10kw hydraulic generator, two 200’ 1-3/4” crosslays and a pre-piped deck gun. It is equipped with a total of twelve SCBA, nine of which are mounted in SCBA seats in the cab.

Special thanks to Chief of Department John Kopacz for arranging this visit, providing background information on the department and positioning the apparatus for photos along with FF Mark Trama (thanks for “tillering” Mark!!).

This absolutely stunning 9/11 memorial artwork was hand painted by legendary artist Eddie May whose work graces many fire apparatus in New Jersey.

Organized in 1906 as Engine Co# 4, the company operated with an engine until the arrival of a tillered aerial in 1921 transforming it into the department’s truck company. Having recently received a 2013 Spartan ERV 103’ “quiller”, this is the fifth tillered aerial in the company’s history. This rig sets a further precedent by being the fourth “quiller” (a tiller equipped with a pump and tank) operated by Garfield Fire Co# 4 (previous rigs included a 1950’s era Seagrave, 1970’s Maxim and a 1992 Simon-Duplex/LTI which the new rig replaced (all the “quillers” have had progressively larger pumps). While “quillers” are popular with West Coast based career FD’s that operate them as part of a taskforce, Garfield’s rig is one of only six “quillers” known to exist here on the East Coast (four are operated by volunteer depts. in NY, NJ and PA while two are run by career FD’s in North Carolina - see my feature article “Quillers”).