By Amy Batista, Special Writer
CRANBURY — Fire departments from three counties gathered together Saturday morning to train during a Middlesex County Tanker Task Force drill.
”Overall, the drill was a success, and we were able to accomplish our goal,” said Chief Mike Kervan of the Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company.
The drill was co-hosted by Cranbury Volunteer Fire Company, Monroe Township Fire District No. 2 and East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 2.
Equipment from 20 fire departments and approximately 100 firefighters responded at 8 a.m. to 44 Hightstown-Cranbury Station Road and the Cranbury Service Center.
Monroe Township Fire District No. 2 on Halsey Reed Road was designated as the initial staging area for the incoming mutual aid units from the departments.
The purpose of the drill, which lasted until 12:30 p.m., was to practice providing a large amount of water at a sustained flow of more than 1,000 gallons per minute in a nonhydrant area of town, according to Chief Kervan.
”Once the drill was in full operation, we were able to maintain a flow of over 1,500 gallons per minute uninterrupted for an hour,” Chief Kervan said. “During the drill, we also had some planned ‘mechanical failures’ that had to be overcome to maintain the supply.”
He said the drill was a simulated building fire in Cranbury, which brought responding units from Hightstown, East Windsor, Plainsboro and Monroe.
Initial tankers to the drill included Monroe Township Fire District No. 2, Monroe Township Fire District No. 3 and a tanker and engine from East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 1.
Tankers from Millstone, South Old Bridge, Manalapan, Adelphia, Morganville, Helmetta and Hillsborough and engines from Jamesburg, Monroe Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1, Edison, East Brunswick-Brookview, Cheesequake and Spotswood gathered for the morning in a drill of filling and running the tankers.
Mercer County fire police provided traffic control, and Mercer County Communication dispatch and communication support. The New Jersey State Forest Fire Service also was on hand providing assistance.
The Tanker Task Force, within the Suburban Chiefs Association, is made up of fire companies from the three counties of Middlesex, Monmouth and Mercer.
The Middlesex County Fire Coordinators is governed by the Middlesex County Office of Fire Marshals, according to Middlesex County Fire Coordinator Scott Kivet and was in charge of the water supply operations during the drill.
”Anytime there is a larger fire above two alarms, the Fire Coordinators come (to coordinate) logistics,” Mr. Kivet said. “In this case, Tanker Task Force, we handle the logistics, and we bring the Tanker Task Force to Cranbury or wherever it is needed.”
The Tanker Task Force can be called upon whatever the situation may be — a city fire, hydrants that go down in a storm, highways, etc.
”It doesn’t always happen in rural areas,” Mr. Kivet said adding the Tanker Task Force was used last year in a city atmosphere to help put out a “major city fire.”
”These are resources that are available throughout the county and neighboring counties in any kind of water emergency,” Mr. Kivet said.
According to Chief Kervan, the Tanker Task Force is a set group of equipment, including area tankers and engine companies, that respond to calls in nonhydrant areas or when the municipal water supply isn’t capable of sustaining the flow needed to extinguish a fire.
Millstone Township Fire Department is unique. It belongs to two Tanker Task Force teams and has two different sized tankers, depending on the size fire it is called upon to assist in extinguishing.
”We are part of the Suburban Chiefs Tanker Task with the ability to respond with our tractor-trailer carrying 6,000 gallons,” said Chief John Fiore of the Millstone Township Fire Department. “We can also respond with our small tanker with 2,000 gallons to assist with tendering.”
According to Chief Fiore, it also is part of the western Monmouth Tanker Task Force.
”We are ready to respond when called upon,” Chief Fiore said.
Throughout the morning drill, departments had a chance to practice in case the task force would be called upon to provide a water supply throughout the county.
The drill was designed for tankers to drop water into portable tanks (ponds), then drive to a water supply location and refill. After refilling, the tankers brought back the water to the ponds and dumped. There were three portable tanks set up for the drill.
”The (portable ponds) average 4,500 gallons of water per minute,” Mr. Kivet said, adding there was a total of about 15,000 gallons of water per minute at the height of the drill.
”Although it is a complex operation, after it is illustrated and moving, and it gets itself flowing, it tends to provide more water than an average hydrant,” Mr. Kivet said.
Engines were set up at locations to fill help the tankers. There were three water supply points, including the Millstone River on Probasco Road and hydrants located on Wyckoff Mills Road and Kipling Lane. During the drill, the water was pumped out into the woods where it was discharged back into the Millstone River.
According to Chief Kevin Brink of East Windsor Vol. Fire Co No. 1, his company was there to “assist.” His department brought a tanker and an engine. Chief Brink is the president of the Suburban Chiefs Association.
Each of the Monroe fire departments participated in the drill.
”We were assigned to fill empty tankers at fill site three during the drill where we filled approximately 10 tankers,” said Deputy Chief Frank Steinhauser of Monroe Township Volunteer Fire Company No. 1.
According to firefighter Dwayne Fitzpatrick of the Jamesburg Fire Department, the department was a reserve engine at the draft site with Plainsboro Fire Department and East Windsor Volunteer Fire Company No. 2.
”The drill was excellent. Not only did it test the task force’s readiness but also served as a great training opportunity for our up and coming members,” Deputy Chief Frank Steinhauser added.
Chief Kervan said the departments in the task force try to do a drill like this annually to keep everyone fresh on tanker operations, and local departments also do smaller scale drills on their own to stay familiar with their equipment.
”This type of training is invaluable as we do not get to do this type of fire-fighting often,” Chief Rashkin said.
