CLICK ABOVE FOR A GALLERY OF ENGINE 974 >>

By Michael N. Ciampo

Fair Lawn, located in Bergen County New Jersey, is a suburb of New York, New York, that has developed over the years from farmland to a residential community. Today many residents are able to use the New Jersey Transit train system from one of the two stops in town to commute into the city. The town was also home to two famous companies in its industrial area along New Jersey State Route 208: Nabisco and Kodak film producing companies. However, over the years much of the town has experienced some deindustrialization along Route 208, and the area has gone to a more corporate office building corridor. In this corridor sits the home of Pennwell’s Fire Engineering offices across from the former Nabisco plant, which now houses Mondelez Global LLC (Former Kraft Foods). When you’re in the office, you can often smell the fresh aroma of cookies and crackers being baked across the street.

One section of Fair Lawn is known as Radburn, a planned community established in 1929 that was designed to separate traffic and pedestrian right of way. A path system is located in the neighborhood that does not cross any major roads at grade. The neighborhood is also designed with a residential garden atmosphere where it incorporates some of the earliest cul-de-sacs in the United States. Located in Radburn is Fair Lawn Fire Company 4. It is housed in a firehouse that you might miss if you drive down the street because it looks just like a cape cod home. Company 4 protects this section of town that is made up of 469 single-family homes, 48 townhouses, 30 two-family homes, and a 93-unit apartment complex. In addition, the company responds to commercial occupancies along its bordering district as well responding to other calls throughout the borough with the other three companies of the department.

Engine 974 is a 2013 KME Predator XLFD engine with a 1,750-gallon pump and a 750-gallon tank. It has a top-mount pump control panel and rescue-body-style compartment layout. The cab features a raised-roof design painted white over red, with the rear section of the rig and roll-up compartment doors all painted red (PPG Industries Inc. Commercial Coatings; Red #911659, White #91258). There is a white reflective stripe outlined with black stripes running along the lower portion of the cab, and then it runs upward on the first compartment back from the pump panel and continues running horizontally along all the doors. On the rear section of the stripe, it states “DIAL 911.” The front of the cab has a nice look to it with the lower portion of the doors sporting chrome trim that runs in line with the front bumper, giving the rig a very clean, finished look. Logos on the crew cab consist of an “Engine 4 Est. 1929” on the rear cab doors; a very nicely designed, modern looking Maltese cross on the front cab doors with “Fair Lawn Fire Dept.” on it; the unit’s number 974 with scroll beneath it toward the front of the crew cab; and a 9-11-01 memorial tribute design with the American flag in it on the upper portion of the cab. On the upper section of the body, gold leaf decals adorn the rig with “ENG4INE” located over the Fair Lawn Fire Department signage. There is also the “Star of Life” on the compartment over the wheel wells.

Engine 974’s left rear Read more

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