By Mike Ciampo
Nestled between the mountains and the beautiful countryside in Orange County, New York, sits the Village of Washingtonville. It is part of the Town of Blooming Grove and was first settled in 1731. Like many areas in the region, it was rural and not until the railroad arrived in1850 did the village experience significant growth. Brotherhood Winery is located here and is the oldest continuously operating winery in the United States, starting in 1839. Today the town has grown into a charming residential community, whose many residents are local employees or commute to jobs in nearby areas or the distant New York City. The village is also home to the Washingtonville 5 Memorial monument, dedicated to the memory of the five heroic FDNY firefighters and residents who were killed on 9-11-2001.
In December of 1892, 25 members of the community held the first regular meeting of the Washingtonville Fire Department. At this time, they were in service with a second-hand pumper and a new hose cart. In 1916, the department purchased its first motorized pumper from American LaFrance and it was realized the current firehouse couldn’t allow for its storage. Luckily, Ambrose Monell, a prominent resident and Colonel in the U.S. Aviation Corps, donated the money to build a new firehouse. Since the membership was so thankful for his donation, they decided to name the company the Monell Engine Company.
The firehouse served for many years but in 1975 the department moved into larger quarters to house equipment and accommodate modern apparatus. Today, the company runs out of a six-bay firehouse located on East Main Street and still has its original hand-pumper, hose cart, and 1934 American LaFrance pumper. The department currently operates with: Squad 580, a 2016 Ferrara Inferno Rescue Engine; Engine 584, a 2013 Ferrara Inferno Rescue Engine; Tanker 577, a 2018 Ferrara 2,700-gallon tanker; Brush Truck 578, a 2006 Ford F-350 4-door crew-cab; Finley Fire Equipment Company rig; and Utility 1, a 2015 Ford F-250 4-door crew-cab pick-up truck. The department also runs four Chevy Tahoe chief and transport vehicles.
Recently, the department hosted a “Wet-down” to announce the arrival of Ladder 579, its 2022 Seagrave Marauder 100-foot rear-mount aerial ladder. The cab has seating for six firefighters. The custom stainless-steel cab and body is painted black over red. On all the department apparatus, Dalmatian dogs are painted on the side of the cabs. On this rig the dog has as a set of “irons” in its jaws.
The apparatus has a full-custom liner “X” black-out package coating the regularly-seen diamond plate and chrome areas. Speaking to department members, this assists them in prolonging the life of the vehicle, since the water in the area is so harsh. The water has beaten up the regular diamond plate and chrome coating. There are three black reflective stripes that run along the lower section of the crew cab and then go diagonally upward on the body’s first compartment and then run fully across the mid-section of the rig. The rear of the apparatus is equipped with the reflective DOT safety chevron pattern. To also assist in warning other vehicles, the apparatus has a Whelen warning light and FRC scene lighting packages.
The cab is a tilt-cab and when opened allows access to the Cummins X12 500-horsepower (hp) engine. The rig is equipped with a Harrison 10kw generator and a four section I-beam 100-foot aerial ladder with a pre-piped waterway, with an Akron monitor which has cordless electronic control features. In addition to the normal complement of truck company hand and power tools, the rig also carries a full complement of ground ladders, vehicle extrication equipment, rapid intervention equipment, and rescue struts. These struts are stored on a large vertical pull-out tray, which can be deployed from either side of the apparatus. The two Stokes baskets, plastic, and metal are also stored in this transverse compartment. A portable electric winch with multiple receiver points is also carried on the apparatus.
The Monell Engine Company is very proud of their heritage and take deep pride in maintaining their apparatus to serve the communities they protect. It can be seen by their motto of “A Step Above the Rest”.
Michael N. Ciampo is a 38-year veteran of the fire service and a Lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is an instructor for FDIC International HOT program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter 1 & 2 and the Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD. He writes the back page column On Fire in Fire Engineering and is featured in Training Minutes truck company videos on FireEngineering.com. Recently he wrote the textbook Tower Ladders, Tactics, Tips & Tales.
