The Edgecomb Fire Dept. has developed a special partnership with the town of Verona, a small New Jersey town near Newark.
Thanks to the work of Edgecomb firefighter Steve Fenton, a resident of both towns who has facilitated the partnership, the EFD has bolstered its fleet of fire vehicles.
Fenton has served on both the Verona and Edgecomb Fire Depts.
In Verona he acted as the captain of the town’s rescue squad for 10 years.
“It’s a pleasure doing it,” Fenton said. “I’m helping my town, which is in my interest and everyone else’s interest.”
Verona’s most recent donation was a Tactical Support Unit, a vehicle used for holding firefighting equipment, such as medical supplies and traffic barriers. The converted pickup truck also comes with a snowplow for winter months’ use.
The vehicle, previously a pick up truck, was updated by Verona. While Edgecomb paid for the upgrades, the Verona Fire Dept. provided the labor free of charge.
“The truck itself is a beautiful piece of equipment,” Edgecomb Selectman Jack Sarmanian said at the board’s regular meeting Feb. 14.
Fenton, EFD Chief Roy Potter, and EFD Assistant Chief Larry Omland drove down to Verona to pick up the truck Thursday night, Feb. 2.
Upon arrival, the three Edgecomb firefighters were greeted by the town’s mayor, town manager, and fire department chief.
“They gave us a big, warm welcome,” Omland said.
The Verona Fire Dept. also gave the Edgecomb Fire Dept. a plaque celebrating the fraternity between the two departments. The plaque shows a picture of the first fire truck Verona donated and has the fire department’s personal patch.
Verona, a town of 13,000 in northern New Jersey, is in some respects the polar opposite of Edgecomb: As a suburb of Newark and New York City, Verona has two full-time fire departments with over 50 full-time firefighters. Edgecomb, a town of just over 1000, relies on an all-volunteer force.
Verona has previously donated, or sold at a low price, two other fire vehicles to Edgecomb over the last 10 years, including an American LaFrance, 1500-gal. truck in 2000.
Fenton said he asked the Verona Fire Dept. “every so often” to see if they have extra equipment for Edgecomb to use.
The partnership has helped more than just Edgecomb: Fenton said Verona’s equipment was used to assist West Gardiner when a plane crashed there in 2008.
Verona is planning to donate some firefighter equipment in the near future. Edgecomb is thinking about returning the favor, Omwald said.
