The vehicle will have equipment to rescue, such as during an extrication, and equipment to put out fires, which would usually be in two separate vehicles.  

“It’s a convenience for us doing our jobs,” said East Joliet Fire Chief Robet Scholtes. “Because when guys go out with this vehicle, they have everything with them.”

Scholtes said the idea came about three years ago after the department sold off an engine and wanted to develop a new vehicle with dual capabilities. He said that he asked some of his firefighters to form a committee, and they spent about a year drawing up designs for the vehicle and were able to suggest what features they thought it should have.

It allows dispatchers in the Fenway command center to dispatch calls with a click of the mouse, instead of physically reading the call out.

Ever since, New Bern has followed through on that tradition: in 1915, one was named for William Ellis; in 1927 Mayor Albert Bangert got his name on one. More recently, Mayor Tom Bayliss’ moniker was slapped on the side of a new engine in 1999 and then, again, more recently, a new engine was given the name of then-mayor Lee Bettis.  

That tradition was put on hold in 2014 when an act of bitter politics salted with proclaimed moral outrage had the aldermen removing Bettis’ name because he’d had a run-in with the law. In December 2017, a mostly-new board of aldermen voted to put his name back.

The grant funds will be used to purchase combustible gas meters and the accompanying calibration equipment, as well as personal gas monitors.  

All First Responders Grant Program recipients represent local police, fire or emergency medical services departments that are comprised of paid or volunteer staff members serving residents in municipalities located within the utility's service area. Program information, eligibility guidelines and applications are available on the South Jersey Gas website at: www.southjerseygas.com/community.