Madison FD
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Safeguarding The Rose City Since 1881
Serving four square miles of the Borough of Madison, the Madison Fire Department was organized in 1881. Operating present day as a combination department with 14 career and 18 volunteer members, the department provides Fire and Rescue protection responding to 1,200 alarms annually. EMS First Response is provided in support of the volunteer Madison Ambulance Corps during the day and as needed on nights/weekends.
Engine 1 - 2007 Emergency One 1250 gpm/500 gal./30A gal. foam
Having replaced a 1981 Mack CF 1250 gpm pumper, Engine 1 is assigned to respond first due to all general alarms. Seating six (five with SCBA), it features a Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS)
(as do all the department's three engines), a light tower and cab mounted EMS compartments. It is outfitted with 800' of 5" LDH supply line as well as BLS medical equipment.
Engine 2 - 1998 Emergency One 1250 gpm/500 gal. 50A gal. foam
Seating six (three with SCBA), this rig is assigned to respond second due which the exception of mutual aid calls for which it is first due. Having replaced a 1973 Hahn pumper, it is similarly equipped as Engine 1 with rear pre-connects including a Blitzfire® portable monitor. As with all the department's engines (including their new 2022 Emergency One), it is outfitted with a Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS).
Tower 1 - 2008 Spartan/Rosenbauer/Metz 105'
The replacement for a 1981 Mack CF 75' Aerialscope, Tower1 is one of only two Metz brand aerial towers in the state of New Jersey. Seating six (five with SCBA), it features the traditional European
style operators console including joystick controls, a rain roof and even a heated seat! Responding mutual aid as a designated RIT, it is equipped with a FAST Board® for downed firefighter removal.
Rescue 4 - 1995 International 4900/Emergency One
This compact walk-in rescue is outfitted with Hurst® e-Draulic battery powered extrication tools as well as airbags. Confined space and trench rescue equipment is carried in a support trailer that responds as a regional asset
for technical rescue.
"Geraldine" - 1921 Ahrens Fox Model P-4 1300 gpm
This rig which has quite a history was named after its' benefactor Mrs. Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, a prominent citizen of Madison who solely provided the fire department with three separate piece sof fire apparatus in her lifetime - following a fire on July 22nd, 1920 that destroyed several barns on the Dodge estate during which her favorite horse was killed, she donated this custom built Model P-4 engine which was the largest piston pumper even built by Ahrens Fox. Of the 23 P model rigs built by Ahrens Fox,
only 9 were of the P-4 series with this rig being one of only three remaining in existence (the others are owned by a SPAAMFAA chapter in New York as well as a private owner in Europe). While most Ahrens Fox pumpers serving nearby cities such as Newark were either
the M or N model (costing less than $10,000), Mrs. Dodge wanted the best for her community so she ordered the largest P-4 model ever built with a six cylinder "Twin Triple" piston pump rated at 1,300 gpm pumping capacity at a cost of $18,000! It was outfitted with
a 12" Universal® search light and 1,500' of hose. Originally sporting solid rubber tires (later upgraded with pneumatic tires), the rig retains its' original wooden spoke wheels as well as hubs from a former Passaic FD Ahrens Fox engine.
Delivered on May 14th, 1921 with a parade attended by over ten thousand including the fire chiefs of major New Jersey cities (Newark, Jersey City, Passaic) as well as the Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) , "Geraldine" served the Borough of Madison
for 40 years. In 1952 while pumping at a fire at St. Vincents Church, a part failure caused the loss of a water supply for twenty minutes while temporary repairs were made after which the rig was deemed unreliable. It was then replaced with a 1960 Mack B model 1,000 gpm pumper and sold to the Ashley, Pennsylvania FD for parade duty. Three years later, it was then sold to Harrah's Casino in Reno, Nevada for their classic automobile collection - when Harrah's collection was auctioned off in 1983, it was acquired by private ownership until returning to the possession of the Madison FD where it is maintained by "The Friends of Geraldine" who handle the fundraising needed for the upkeep of this one-of-a-kind piece of history.