Millburn Firefighter Designs New Uniform Patch For MFD (See It Here)

MILLBURN, NJ — Soon, when Millburn firefighters don their uniforms to battle local blazes and conduct nail-biting rescues, they will be taking a little piece of Jeff Wanamaker into the fray with them.

On Monday, the Millburn Fire Department officials announced that the agency’s will soon have new patches on their uniform, only the fourth time that the emblems have been switched in the department’s 140-year history.

What began as a traditional teardrop design featuring a Maltese cross evolved into a yellow patch with silver trim and the township’s signature paper mill in the 1980s. The new patch adds a cool new centerpiece to the design: the Millburn “M” in an American flag pattern, bordered by a hook-and-ladder and fire hydrant.

According to Millburn fire officials, the new patch is the creative brainchild of Millburn native and local firefighter Jeff Wanamaker, who joined the department as a volunteer in 1990.

It’s not the first time that Wanamaker has used his experience as an emergency responder as inspiration for his art. In the past, he’s created a 9/11 memorial out of steel from the World Trade Center site and has worked with students from County College of Morris to design an ornate dining table - complete with a “fire hydrant base” – that’s now used by firefighters at the station.

• See related article: New Jersey Sculptor, Ex-Carpenter, Finds Inspiration In Drywall

“When Chief [Robert] Echavarria asked me to oversee the design of the new patch, it was my honor to create something that would appropriately do justice to the fire department that I love,” Wanamaker said. “Because I wanted this to be a collaborative process, I worked with two of my brother firefighters on the design, and we’ve gotten some great feedback from throughout the department.”

“I’m grateful to Jeff and to everyone who played a role in bringing our new patch to life,” Echavarria said. “We are now working with our uniform supplier to transition the new patch onto everyone’s uniform in the coming weeks.”

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Millburn-Short Hills Facebook page here.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: MFD