High-Volume Rural Water Supply: Monroe Firefighters Draft from Drop Tanks to Contain Large Blaze

Monroe, NJ - Firefighters operated through an extended, seven-hour tactical water supply deployment Sunday afternoon to battle a massive, deep-seated mulch fire requiring continuous high-volume master streams.

At approximately 3:30 p.m. (1530 hours) on Sunday, August 30, Monroe Township Volunteer Fire Company #1 (Station 51) was dispatched on mutual aid to South Brunswick in Middlesex County as a designated unit in the Middlesex County Tanker Task Force. First responders on scene faced a heavy, burning mulch pile that demanded constant, large-scale water delivery far beyond the capacity of local hydrants.

Upon arrival, Engine 51-1 was assigned a vital operational role, setting up drafting operations directly from portable drop tanks established on the fireground. The crew hooked up hard suction lines and engaged the engine's master pump to feed multiple elevated and ground-level master stream devices, delivering thousands of gallons of water per minute directly into the burning material.

To maintain the relentless water flow, Engine 51-1 was continuously supplied by an extensive water-shuttle network of specialized water tenders and tankers responding from Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset counties.

The firefighters of Engine 51-1 maintained drafting and pump pressure under grueling conditions for approximately seven hours before the fire was brought under control and the crew was released from the scene.