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Community commissions Tanker 6

| 28 Jun 2012 | 08:23
    Along with West Milford Police, volunteer firemen from West Milford Co #6, Roy Sconfienza, on left, and Rich Ploenes, had their work cut out for them directing scores of fire companies, visitors and residential traffic on Ridge Road. Photo by Ginny Raue
    Along with West Milford Police, volunteer firemen from West Milford Co #6, Roy Sconfienza, on left, and Rich Ploenes, had their work cut out for them directing scores of fire companies, visitors and residential traffic on Ridge Road. Photo by Ginny Raue
    Ridge Road was the scene trucks, hoses and firemen. One can imagine what residents, unaware of the wet down celebration, must have been thinking. Photo by Ginny Raue
    Ridge Road was the scene trucks, hoses and firemen. One can imagine what residents, unaware of the wet down celebration, must have been thinking. Photo by Ginny Raue
    Community commissions Tanker 6
    Fireman down! But it's all in good fun. West Milford Vol. Fire Co. #6 member was brought to his knees in the town's biggest adult water fight. Photo by Ginny Raue
    Fireman down! But it's all in good fun. West Milford Vol. Fire Co. #6 member was brought to his knees in the town's biggest adult water fight. Photo by Ginny Raue
    Tanker 6 gets hosed. Photo by Ginny Raue
    Tanker 6 gets hosed. Photo by Ginny Raue
    A wall of water from Upper Greenwood Lake Vol. Fire Co. #5. Photo by Ginny Raue
    A wall of water from Upper Greenwood Lake Vol. Fire Co. #5. Photo by Ginny Raue

WEST MILFORD — It was a hot one Saturday but not at Fire Company #6 on Ridge Road. That's where the community and others fire departments came to christen West Milford's newest apparatus - a 2011 Pierce Saber Tanker.

It's called a wet down, a ritual celebrated by many volunteer fire departments. Fire fighters from neighboring towns participate by spraying the new truck with water from theirs. And it wasn't just the truck that got sprayed.

According to Joe Corcoran, West Milford Volunteer Fire Company #6 wet down chairman,the celebration couldn't have been better. Open to the public, between 800 and 1,000 folks showed up for the festivities. Over 20 fire companies rolled in to wet down the truck - and the West Milford crew - including every one of the township's companies.Trucks from as far away as Port Jervis, Howell and Mechanicsville, N.Y. were there to anoint the tanker, a long standing fire department tradition. Fire companies from Wayne, Pequannock, Erskine Lake, Oak Ridge, Mahwah, Ringwood, Hawthorne, Wanaque, Garfield, Bloomingdale, Allendale, Pompton Lakes, Riverdale, Hardyston and North Caldwell all made an appearance to wish West Milford Company #6 well.

Aside from commissioning the new tanker, it was a big party for the community with plenty of food and drinks, a DJ and commemorative mugs and t-shirts.

Fire Company #6 got the new tanker in November.

For more photos of the wet down, go to westmilfordmessenger.com.