By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- • A malfunction in a 23-year-old Camden fire engine critically delayed its response to a Nov. 12, 2025, house fire, raising concerns about aging apparatus in New Jersey.
- • The delayed arrival of Engine 10’s crew coincided with a fatal outcome for the resident, who died of severe burns the following day.
- • Firefighters and union officials said multiple trucks in the Camden fleet have been out of service due to mechanical issues.
- • The department and city acknowledged equipment issues but disputed that the delay directly caused the death.
- • Rising costs and long delays for new apparatus have contributed to continued reliance on outdated vehicles, according to union leaders.
CAMDEN, NJ — Firefighters in Camden are raising concerns about the city’s aging fire apparatus fleet after a mechanical malfunction on a reserve fire engine delayed response to a Nov. 12, 2025, house fire that resulted in a fatality, union officials said.
The crew of Engine 10 was dispatched about 6:30 a.m. to a residential blaze when a leak in the 23-year-old rig’s air pump more than doubled the unit’s typical response time, according to Samuel Muñoz, president of the Camden Fire Officers Local 2578. Another company arrived several minutes later than Engine 10 would have under normal conditions, officials said.
Fire crews located the resident inside the home after arriving but found him unresponsive with severe burns; the man died the following day, according to the Camden Fire Marshal’s report. Camden officials have stated there is no evidence linking the apparatus delay directly to the fatality.
Union leaders said the department’s fleet has seen repeated mechanical failures, with several front-line vehicles out of service for issues ranging from air leaks to engine problems, forcing crews to rely on older reserve units more than a decade beyond their expected service life.
The city has invested in new vehicles in recent years, but union officials and firefighters said rising costs and lengthy production backlogs have made fleet modernization difficult. They urged improved maintenance, replacement cycles and budgeting to reduce the risk of future response delays.