Jersey City Fire Department

The Jersey City Fire Department is the largest in the state of New Jersey and provides fire protection and hazardous materials services to the city of Jersey City. In all, the department is responsible for 21 square miles (54 km2) with a population of 261,940 residents, which makes it the second largest city in NJ, behind Newark.[citation needed]

Jersey City Fire Department
Operational area
Country United States
State New Jersey
CityJersey City
Agency overview[1][2]
EstablishedSeptember 21, 1829 (1829-09-21)
Annual calls26,734 (2013)
Employees676 (2023)
Annual budget$67,120,543 (2014)
StaffingCareer
Fire chiefStephan Drennan(Provisional)
IAFF1066/1064
Facilities and equipment[1][2][3]
Battalions4
Stations15
Engines16
Trucks6
Tillers1
Platforms2
Squads2 (1 rescue pumper, 1 Roll rig)
Rescues1
Tenders1
HAZMAT2
USAR1
Fireboats2
Rescue boats1
Light and air1
Website
Official website
IAFF website

The department is part of the Metro USAR Strike Team, which consists of nine North Jersey fire departments and other emergency services divisions working to address major emergency rescue situations.[4]

History edit

The department got its start in the spring of 1829 after several fires occurred in the city and the public demanded fire protection.[5] Thirty citizens signed up and on September 21, 1829, the Liberty Engine Company No. 1 was established.

 
Panel S-29 on the South Pool of the 9/11 Museum pays tribute to the JCFD.

Jersey City's fire department was the only New Jersey department to receive an official call for assistance during the September 11 attacks, with hundreds of department personnel assisting in the Ground Zero cleanup effort.[6] Among the first responders who perished on that day was Fire Department of Jersey City dispatcher Joseph Lovero, who was hit by a piece of debris. The Fire Department of Jersey City named its fireboat after him.[7]

Stations and apparatus edit

 
The quarters of JCFD Engine 9 on Bergen Ave.
 
JCFD Ladder 3
 
JCFD Ladder 11 & Engine 17
 
JCFD Marine 1 The Lovero
Engine Company Ladder Company Specialized Unit Chief Unit Battalion Address Neighborhood
Engine 2 1 160 Grand St. Paulus Hook
Engine 5, Engine 1 Ladder 2 Hazmat Decon Unit Battalion Chief 1 1 355 Newark Ave. The Village
Engine 6 Ladder Tower 6 Squad 1 (RIC Unit) Deputy Chief 1 1 465 Marin Blvd. Downtown
Engine 7,

Engine 18

Ladder 3 (Tiller) Marine Land Unit Battalion Chief 3 3 715 Summit Ave. Jersey City Heights
Engine 8 Foam Unit 1, Quick Attack Response Vehicle 1(QRV) 2 14–16 Orient Ave. West Bergen
Engine 9 Battalion Chief 4 4 697 Bergen Ave. McGinley Square
Squad 4 (rescue-pumper); Rescue 1 4 582 Communipaw Ave. Bergen-Lafayette
Engine 11 High-Rise/Tunnel Unit 3 152 Lincoln St. Western Slope
Engine 13 2 152 Linden Ave. Greenville
Engine 14 Ladder 7 Haz-Mat. Unit 1, Haz-Mat. Unit 2 3 595 Palisade Ave. Jersey City Heights
Engine 15 Ladder 9 4 200 Sip Ave. Journal Square
Engine 17 Ladder 11 Mask Service Unit(Air Cascade), Medical Ambulance Bus 3 Field Training/Safety Officer 4 255 Kearney Ave. West Side
Engine 19 Ladder 8 Battalion Chief 2 2 2 Bergen Ave. Greenville
Engine 22 Ladder Tower 4 2 467 Ocean Ave. Greenville
Engine 10 Ladder 12 4 325 Route 1 & 9 Marion
Marine Unit 1, Marine Unit 2 (Fireboats) 1 Liberty Landing Marina, Audrey Zapp Dr. Liberty State Park
Rescue 2 (Metro USAR Collapse Rescue Strike Team Unit), 4 48 State St. Bergen Hill
Car 26 (Gong Club Canteen/Rehab. Truck) 666 Summit Ave. Jersey City Heights
Arson Unit, Fire Prevention Chief of Department 2 Jackson Square West Bergen

Disbanded fire companies edit

Throughout the JCFD's history, several fire companies have been disbanded due to budget cuts to the department and reorganization. Reserve and spare apparatus assigned with disbanded company numbers

  • Engine 1 – 153 Morgan St. (Re-Established Jan.2021)
  • Engine 3 – 38 Mercer St.
  • Engine 4 – 355 Newark Ave. (Re-designated as Squad 4 at 582 Communipaw Ave.)
  • Engine 12 – 103 Webster Ave.
  • Engine 16 – 93 Belmont Ave.
  • Engine 20 – 582 Communipaw Ave.
  • Engine 21 – 9th St. & Grove St.
  • Ladder 1 – 160 Grand St.
  • Ladder 5 – 582 Communipaw Ave.
  • Ladder 10 – 520 Palisade Ave.
  • Water Tower 1 – 520 Palisade Ave.
  • Hose 1 – 153 Morgan St.
  • Salvage 1 - 666 Summit Ave.
  • Hose Reel - 355 Newark Ave.


References edit

  1. ^ a b "About". Jersey City Fire Department. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b "2014 Budget" (PDF). City of Jersey City. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 September 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Apparatus". Jersey City Fire Department. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  4. ^ Steadman, Andrew. "Bayonne firefighters participate in mock disaster drills in Newark" Archived 2016-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, The Jersey Journal, May 1, 2012. Accessed June 6, 2016. "According to the press release, the Metro USAR Strike Team is made up of nine fire departments from Bayonne, Elizabeth, Hackensack, Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, and Morristown as well as the five-municipality North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Agency."
  5. ^ "History". History of the Jersey City Fire Department. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  6. ^ de Vries, Karl (5 May 2011). "Jersey City community remembers 9/11 on National Day of Prayer". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  7. ^ Boyd, Alesha Williams (12 September 2011). "Across the nation, Americans pay tribute". USA Today. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2015.

External links edit