"Resources like turnout gear allow firefighters to provide safe and efficient services to the community if and when necessary. Many thanks to the Firehouse Subs Foundation for this generous grant."

In a similar vein, Jackie Gubbins, the foundation's Senior Manager of Foundation Programs, said the gear "will provide firefighters with critical protection on the job."

Bayonne Fire Chief Keith Weaver and Deputy Fire Chiefs William Bartos and Stephen Peterson accepted the new gear -- valued at $16,440 -- at a dedication ceremony in Totowa on Wednesday.

"The apparatus is built for the rigors of the fire service and easily mounted in the back of a pick-up or a custom-built bed and is especially effective in handling wildland fires, car fires and many others," Hallsburg assistant fire Chief Phillip Wilson said in a Thursday news release.

"We had just purchased a 2006 one-ton truck and were going to put a tank on it when we received the notice that we were approved for this slip-on unit," Wilson said.

The new slip-on has a 500-gallon water tank and foam capabilities. It has gone into service and already responded to two calls.