Carteret, NJ – Mayor Daniel J. Reiman has joined with Carteret Fire Battalion Chief Mark Hruska to announce that the Borough has been awarded a new Foam Tender firefighting vehicle through a pass-through FEMA grant from Middlesex County. The truck carries 4,000 gallons of firefighting foam concentrate used to help extinguish most flammable liquid fires including gasoline, oils, and alcohols.
The foam storage vehicle is the newest generation of Foam Tenders in the state of New Jersey, capable of supplying enough foam concentrate to produce 6,000 gallons per minute of firefighting foam solution, with a 3,000 gallon per minute monitor nozzle.
The truck was originally purchased by Middlesex County through FEMA’s Urban Area Securities Initiative (UASI) grant program, which awarded $490,376,000 nation-wide to address the unique planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercise needs of high-threat, high-density urban areas, and assists them in building an enhanced and sustainable capacity to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism. A total of 31 high-threat, high-density urban areas were eligible for funding under the FY 2012 UASI program.
Carteret’s Foam Tender is valued at $374,000, and contains $140,000 (4,000 gallons) of foam concentrate.
In Carteret the vehicle will be utilized by the Fire Department in the event of a flammable liquid fire by firefighters who will have received specialized training in combatting chemical spills and related emergencies.
The vehicle will enable the Carteret Fire Department to more effectively function as a part of a state-wide Foam Task Force, responding when needed to liquid fire emergencies throughout New Jersey, and serve as a critical component as one of the Borough’s Homeland Security assets towards the protection of the region’s infrastructure.
“In a region that hosts so many of our state’s chemical production facilities,” Mayor Reiman stated, “the new Foam Tender will provide a valuable asset towards added safety in Carteret, and vastly improve our ability to respond to liquid fires and chemical related emergencies.”
“Retiring Fire Chief Brian O’Conner, Captain Richard Bonner, and our entire firefighting team are to be commended for capitalizing on this opportunity to better protect our residents and businesses,” Fire Battalion Chief Mark Hruska added. “It has always been among our most important strategies for up to date, state of the art equipment to complement the latest training, and the commitment of our firefighters within the Carteret Fire Department.”
