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Florham Park Volunteer Fire Department Donates Pumper to Haiti

Florham Park, NJ – As all Firefighters know, equipment becomes obsolete due to age, wear, or revision to NFPA requirements.  That dilemma became reality for members of the Florham Park Volunteer Fire Department, when their 1987 Mack / Engine 22 entered its’ own phase of obsolescence.  FPVFD members had witnessed the loss of an earlier engine to the scrap yard and vowed to never let that happen again.

Members organized a committee to seek out options for a new life for Engine 22.  This search led to Lt. Nathaniel Lasseur, Founder / President of the International Firefighters Assistance organization, in Coral Springs, Florida.

Lt. Lasseur is a professional firefighter in West Palm Beach, Florida and a native son of Haiti, where he has been active in the development of local firefighting companies throughout this area.  The IFA organization he established, seeks donations of retired fire apparatus and other necessary equipment for partners in Haiti. In January 2010, Haiti was devastated by catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake, which left one million people homeless and 316,000 lost their lives.

The Florham Park Borough Mayor and Council members, who are responsible for the ownership of the apparatus, accepted the volunteers proposal to donate Engine 22 to IFA, and plans were completed to transport the vehicle to Florida, where it was loaded on a ship bound for Haiti.

As the Fire truck arrived in Haiti, Lt. Lasseur’s partners, in the city Croix-des-Bouquets requested assistance to train their volunteer fire company in the technical aspects of the trucks operation.  Engine 22 is the first, and only, piece of firefighting apparatus in the city of Croix-des-Bouquets, where fires had been fought only with water buckets, axes and brooms until a truck could arrive from Port au Prince.  Members of the Florham Park Fire Department Association agreed to support the expenses of a trip to Croix-des-Bouquet for two officers, Assistant Chief Chuck Keel and Fire Inspector Alban Kellogg.  The funds were provided from the annual fund drive and the trip took place in late August.

Many Haitian government officials and community leaders of Croix-des-Bouquet province expressed their overwhelming appreciation for the generosity of the community of Florham Park, and the members of the Florham Park Fire Department Association for their kind donation of this essential firefighting equipment in their earthquake ravaged country. 

Florham Park Volunteer Fire Department invites other Fire Departments, who may have obsolete or excess equipment in good condition, to join with them in supporting the International Firefighters Assistance organization with additional donations of apparatus and equipment.  If you are able to participate in this effort, please contact Assistant Chief Chuck Keel at 973-377-3241 or contact International Firefighters Assistance organization, in Coral Springs, Florida at www.ifarelief.org

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Company #01: Headquarters

315 Brooklake Road
Florham Park, NJ 07932

Company #02: Annex
49 Broadway
Florham Park, NJ 07932

 

 

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