Long Branch Fire Department Gets Equipment From Parsippany

Long Branch was in need of hoses and a fan after suffering damage in Sandy.

Superstorm Sandy did no favors for Parsippany. But if we are honest, we must note that the worst of the October mix of rain and gale force winds hit places such as the Jersey Shore. And one of the towns hit hardest was Long Branch.   "Their fire department was practically wiped out," said Bryan Crawford, a fire captain for the Mt. Tabor Volunteer Fire Company Knowing that fellow fire fighters were in need, Parsippany's District 1 found out that the Long Branch Fire Department was in need of fire hoses and a fan. The Tabor crew happened to have a cache of extra hoses and a fan it was no longer using. Asked why he and his colleagues were being so generous, Crawford, who is something of a fire department historian, referred to the past. "…

•  3 Comments
• Photos (23)

Long Branch Volunteer Fire Company Damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Company seeks donations to help repair interior damaged by flood waters

Most of Long Branch's government and emergency service buildings escaped Hurricane Sandy unscathed, but one of its fire companies was not so lucky. Branchport Hose Company No. 3, at 241 Branchport Ave., was the only of the city's five fire houses that was damaged by the hurricane. "We had four feet of water on the first floor; the engine bay, the living room, the kitchen, everything," firefighter and Long Branch resident Stephen Lepper said. Luckily, he said, firefighters were out and about using the company's trucks during the hurricane, so they were not affected. The entire first floor of the fire house has been gutted, right down to the original framework from 1905, Lepper said. The company's close proximity to the Branchport Creek was …

• Photos (7)

Warehouse Fire in Long Branch Closes Portion of Broadway

Warehouse is vacant and located behind old Sipersteins building

  A fire at a vacant warehouse behind the old Sipersteins building on Broadway has closed a portion of the Long Branch road on Monday afternoon. Police have closed Broadway from Liberty Street to Second Avenue as crews continue to operate around the warehouse which is located on Belmont Avenue. No visible fire could be seen coming from the building just after 12 p.m., but emergency officials were keeping traffic and pedestrians away. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Patch will update this article once it and more details are released.

• Photos (1)

Resident Accuses City Firefighter of Assault

Police say firefighter was the one attacked

A Long Branch firefighter is facing assault charges stemming from an August incident in which, police allege, the firefighter was actually the one who was assaulted. Firefighter Thomas Flemming was in uniform acting in an official capacity on Aug. 22 when Byron D. Vafiadis, 54, of Brighton Avenue, attempted to strike Flemming with a closed fist with the intent of inflicting bodily injury, according to a complaint filed by Patrolman Kevin Condon. Vafiadis is facing charges of aggravated assault. That is a third degree crime. But a month later, Vafiadis filed his own complaint against Flemming, accusing the firefighter of assaulting him, according to a complaint filed Sept. 14 at the Long Branch Police Department. Flemming is facing charges …

• Photos (2)

Long Branch Fire Chief Says Two Trucks Need To Be Replaced

One department truck is 36-years-old and another is 28-years-old

Long Branch Fire Chief Al Sico said the fire department is "in bad shape as far as fire apparatus." Chief Sico told the Long Branch Council that the Neptune station's truck is 36-years-old and and the Oceanic Station's truck is 28-years-old, and that both need to be replaced. Mayor Schneider stressed the importance of replacing the city's fire trucks, but said it is something to look to in the future. "Nobody expects (the council) to vote on this tonight, but it has to be on the horizon," Mayor Schneider said. Chief Sico said every fire truck is built custom, and that the trucks he hopes to have would be "two bare bones, plain Jane engines." Chief Sico said he hoped to go out to bid on the trucks in December and possibly start bonding for …

• Photos (1)

9/11: A Decade Later

Sept. 11 Plaque Reminds Visitors of Long Branch Fire Department's Actions

Memorial is located on second flood of Long Branch City Hall

For visitors to Long Branch City Hall, a reminder of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, is prevalent. On the second floor, just outside the Long Branch Council Chambers, there is a plaque that contains a piece of steel from the World Trade Center with an outline of the New York City skyline. The words "Presented to the Long Branch Fire Department, For Your Support in Our Time of Need" are printed at the bottom of the plaque. The Long Branch Fire Department provided trucks and manpower to New York City during and after 9/11, and assisted in whatever way it could. The plaque was sent to the city about a year after the attacks and now stands as a reminder of the actions of Long Branch's involvement on Sept. 11.

•  4 Comments
• Photos (4)

Apartment Fire Quenched in Long Branch

Fire occurred at Edgewater East apartments complex on Tuesday night

A fire that broke out in the Edgewater East apartment complex was put out quickly by Long Branch firefighters on Tuesday night. Firefighters were called to the apartments, located at 81 Avenel Blvd., at just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, according to Long Branch Fire Marshal Kevin Hayes. Hayes said the fire started near the balcony of a second-floor apartment, but was quickly extinguished. Nobody was injured in the fire, and residents in the surrounding apartments were evacuated as a precaution. "We believe the fire is accidental," Hayes said. "We cannot rule out smoking materials as a possible cause."

• Photos (1)

Firefighters Quickly Extinguish Coleman Avenue Fire

Fire occurred at 1 a.m. Tuesday

Long Branch firefighters quickly extinguished a fire on Coleman Avenue early Tuesday morning. Long Branch Fire Marshal Kevin Hayes said the fire started in the floor area of a shed in the backyard of a home at 232 Coleman Ave. at 1:10 a.m. Hayes said the fire spread to the rear of a garage, but was contained there. "It was knocked down pretty quickly with a couple of hand lines," Hayes said. The fire was reportedly knocked down at 1:40 a.m. Hayes said the fire caused severe damage to the shed and minor damage to the garage. He said gardening equipment that was being stored in the shed was destroyed in the blaze.  An electrical malfunction appears to be the cause of the fire, Hayes said.

• Photos (1)