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Annandale Hose Co. 1 of Clinton Township

This article is a direct street report from our correspondent and has not been edited by the 1st Responder newsroom.

The Annadale Hose Company 1 serves Clinton Township in northern Hunterdon County. In 1891, a major fire destroyed 23 buildings on Main St. neighboring Clinton. At that time, residents didn't have fire protection other than a bucket brigade made up of the towns people. Firefighters from Flemington, Phillipsburg, and Easton Pennsylvania responded to assist the towns people who were battling the blaze with bucket brigades. Flemington firefighters responded with manpower only and no apparatus, and it took two hours for fire apparatus and firefighters from Phillipsburg and Easton to arrive. The citizens of Clinton and Clinton Township petitioned to start their own fire departments. In 1897, the Annandale Hose Co. 1 was formed with 16 volunteer members enrolled. When the department was formed they responded with a hand-drawn hose cart from the Hummer Brothers carriage house. It wasn't until 1925 when the department purchased its first motorized fire engine a Ford Model T.


Today, the Annandale Fire Hose Company operates nine pieces of fire apparatus out of two firehouses. The department also maintains a 1944 Mack Type 45 pumper as a parade piece. The main headquarters is located at 68 Beaver Ave. This state-of-the-art fire station is home to Engine 46-1, Squad 46, Tender 46, Tower 46, Brush 46, and Gator 46. Engine 46-1 is a 2005 Seagrave Marauder pumper with 1500-GPM pump and 500-gallon water tank. Squad 46 is a 2016 KME Predator Panther MFD rescue-pumper equipped with 1500-GPM, and 500-gallon water tank and carries the department's vehicle rescue tools. Tender 46 is a 2010 Seagrave pumper-tanker that carries 2500-gallons of water and has a 1500-GPM pump. Tower 46 a 2007 Seagrave Marauder II mid-mount platform with a 100' aerial device built by RK Aerials, it has a 1750-GPM pump and 300-gallon tank. Brush 46 was outfitted by Weis with a wildland skid unit on a Ford F450 4x4 chassis. It has a 300-GPM pump and 400-gallon water tank. Gator 46 is also assigned at this station. It is a 2009 Kawasaki Mule 4010 with a CET skid unit installed. It has a small 20-GPM pump and 60-gallon water tank. This unit is used for brush fires inaccessible to the larger vehicles.


Station 2 is located at 1215 Route 31 South. This is an annex station that houses Engine 46-2 a 2007 Seagrave Marauder II pumper with 1500-GPM pump and 750-gallon water tank. Also assigned at station 2 is Car 46-3 a 2010 Ford F350 4x4 pick up which is the department's utility vehicle. The chief of department and deputy chief respond in Chevrolet Tahoe's, Car 46-1 is a 2022 model, and Car 46-2 is a 2018 model. Both are outfitted to handle incident command duties.


The Annandale Hose Company answers about 500 calls for service per year with 38 volunteer members. They cover 33.87-square-miles of Clinton Township. Major highways such as State Route 31, State Route 22, and Interstate 78 run through their first due area. Clinton Township has a population of 13,000 residents. The department is part of the North Hunterdon Fire Alliance with four other communities. All five of the fire companies have adopted a " best practices" SOP/SOG for integrated responses and they train together regularly. The fire company is dispatched the Hunterdon County Communications Center.

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ADAM ALBERTISenior Correspondent

No information from the author.