Clinton Tower Ladder 45 Returns to Service After $13,000 Repair

Clinton, N.J. — October 8 — On September 30, the Clinton Fire Department’s Tower Ladder 45 returned to service following a mechanical failure during a fire response on August 17 that had kept it out of service for over six weeks. 

The device broke down during the fire response and was transported to a repair facility. Repair work continued until September's end, partly due to delays in securing replacement parts. The department stated that the total repair expense went over thirteen thousand dollars. 

Tower Ladder 45 resumed service on September 30 and responded to its initial Union Township call shortly after returning to Clinton. 

The 2007 American LaFrance 100-foot midmount platform is equipped with a 2,000-gallon-per-minute pump, a 300-gallon water tank and 800 feet of five-inch hose. It serves as Clinton’s primary response unit for high-hazard and low-rise buildings and is included on the first alarm for structure fires in surrounding communities.

The apparatus also provides regional coverage through mutual-aid responses across Hunterdon County and into neighboring areas. Its return restores an important aerial and elevated water-delivery resource for departments that rely on Clinton’s assistance at working fires.

The department thanked the Hunterdon County Board of County Commissioners for supporting local emergency services through its 2026 Fire and EMS Grant Program. However, the county’s published grant list identifies Clinton’s $12,500 award for a utility terrain vehicle equipped with a water tank, pump and booster line—not for Tower Ladder 45’s repairs. The funding source for the repairs therefore requires clarification.