Submitted by the chief of his department

Robert Bruce Lindner was a member of Relief Hose Co. #2‚ Raritan Fire Department‚ for 25 years. During his years of service‚ he held every line office and nearly every administrative office and committee chairmanship in the department. He served as Chief during 1988-89. At the time of his death‚ Bruce was the Chief Engineer for the Department and the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Borough of Raritan. He was an avid and accomplished bowler and was the department’s baseball team manager for several years. Bruce had a reputation as a highly skilled and very capable firefighter as well as a leader. He was a very colorful character with a giant sense of humor and a big heart‚ and was well known and well respected in the fire service and among his family and friends‚ who were many. Bruce suffered a fatal heart attack during a vehicle extrication drill‚ in the presence of many of his brother firefighters. As EMS personnel attempted to revive him‚ one of them asked‚ ‘Is anyone here a personal friend of his?’ Nearly all of us answered at one time‚ ‘We all are.’ That’s the kind of guy that Bruce was. He left a big empty space in our Department and is still missed today.