by grant-funded radios
East Brunswick will be better equipped to fight blazes in large buildings
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer
EAST BRUNSWICK — Volunteer firefighters will have an easier time communicating during emergencies thanks to a $260,000 federal grant.
Congressman Rush Holt (D-12th District) announced last week that East Brunswick’s three fire companies will receive the funds to purchase new portable radios. John D’Antuono, second lieutenant for the Independent Fire Company of East Brunswick, said the radios will help firefighters with his company and with the Brookview and Old Bridge volunteer fire companies better communicate during emergencies — especially when fighting fires in large buildings.
"Currently there are high-rise buildings, shopping centers, and industrial locations throughout East Brunswick and adjacent communities in which the current fire-ground radios do not work," Holt said. "The new radios will promote the safe, efficient interoperability among firefighters and other first responders in the numerous surrounding towns."
D’Antuono said the township’s fire departments did a "bottom-up assessment" of their equipment about four years ago. They realized the radios being used were not the most efficient.
The Motorola Model 3 portable radios, to be purchased with the grant, will have what D’Antuono called a "man down" feature. It is a red button that, if pushed, would tell the dispatcher, fire chief and all respondents at the scene that the person who pushed it is in danger.
"If I press that button, they know I’m in trouble," he said. "They know that I’ve hit a panic button, a trouble button."
He noted that a firefighter in Hackensack died recently because of poor radio communications. He had become trapped in a closet and his radio did not work properly.
D’Antuono said the radios being used in East Brunswick are about 11 years old, and many do not function properly. One of the most important functions — the ability to use different frequencies — does not work, he said. The "second frequency" allows firefighters to communicate with each other at a scene without interfering with those firefighters using radios elsewhere.
"It takes a group of radios and operates them locally on a scene," D’Antuono said of the frequency.
The new radios will also allow East Brunswick firefighters to communicate with those in surrounding municipalities such as South River, Milltown and Old Bridge when the township is providing support to the other jurisdictions, he said.
The current radios will not work on the higher floors of places such as the Tower Center or the Brunswick Square Mall, both on Route 18.
"We have terrible communication [there]," he said.
The money comes from two groups — the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (EP&R), which is part of the federal Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Fire Administration (USFA), according to Holt’s office. The grant comes through the Assistance for Firefighters Grant Program, which assists rural, urban and suburban departments throughout the country. The government expects to hand out $750 million in grants through the two groups.
The funds will purchase a sufficient number of Motorola Model 3 portable radios to enable the East Brunswick fire companies to equip each responding firefighter with a portable radio, according to Holt’s office.
"We’re really excited," D’Antuono said. "This is going to absolutely improve our fire ground communication, particularly in buildings like the Tower Center and the shopping malls."
D’Antuono also said he was thankful that Holt helped the three East Brunswick fire companies write the grant request.
"Without his help, we would never have gotten this grant," he said. "We attended two meetings, one in Monmouth Junction [a section of South Brunswick Township] and one in Trenton. They had a FEMA representative there to show us how to write this grant [request] and tell us what the important information was."
The request was written about three months ago after about 90 days of research.
D’Antuono said the hardest part about being approved was getting past the first step — a "peer review" by a panel that has the ability to support or deny the request.
East Brunswick District 1 is served by the Old Bridge Volunteer Fire Company; District 2 by the Independent Fire Company; and District 3 by the Brookview Volunteer Fire Company. The Old Bridge company uses the name because it is located in East Brunswick’s Historic Village of Old Bridge.

