Community
Fire Districts Start Shared Paid Daytime Fire Crew
The three fire districts located within South Brunswick Township have announced the formation of a joint daytime response crew through a shared services agreement. Since April 1st, a crew of four firefighters have been manning one of the fire stations within the township Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 5 PM.
In addition to providing much quicker response times during the weekday daytime hours throughout the entire township, this agreement will also result in achieving financial efficiencies as well.
Discussions on the topic of daytime fire protection began in May of 2023 between representatives from the three Boards of Fire Commissioners as well as the Chief Officers of the Kendall Park, Monmouth Junction and Kingston Volunteer Fire Departments. Over the next 11 months, representatives met to discuss the topic, and it was decided to pursue a shared services agreement to establish a daytime crew, with each fire district spliƫng the cost equally. The four-person crew rotates the station they are based out of each day and provides the ability to respond to emergencies immediately upon dispatch of an incident.
Organized fire protection in South Brunswick began in 1924 with the creation of the Kingston and Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Departments, who are celebrating their 100th anniversaries this year. The Kendall Park Volunteer Fire Company was established in 1967. With a combined 257 years, the volunteer firefighters of all three departments continue their proud tradition of service to the community. Nationwide, volunteer firefighters compose 65% of the more than 1 million firefighters in the United States according to the National Volunteer Fire Council. But like most departments across the country, all three departments have experienced a drop in membership, with the availability of volunteers to respond to calls during weekdays being the lowest. The three volunteer fire departments will continue to be dispatched for all calls within their respective response districts, supplemented by the joint crew on weekdays.
In 1978, the township moved to the fire district concept for fire protection with the creation of three separate fire districts, each with its own elected five-member Board of Fire Commissioners. The Commissioners are responsible for providing fire protection to the residents and businesses of their respective districts. Fire protection is funded through the levy of a fire tax on all property owners within their respective fire districts, which is paid as part of the township property tax. Before the creation of the fire districts, funding for fire protection came through fundraisers run by the local volunteer fire departments, along with a stipend provided by the town council.
The volunteer fire departments are always looking for new members, and residents are encouraged to visit their local fire station to inquire about joining. Residents can also contact the departments at the following phone numbers or email addresses for more information -
Kendall Park: 732-297-0388 or [email protected]
Monmouth Junction: 732-329-2001 or [email protected]
Kingston: 609-924-1181 or [email protected]
Fire Districts Start Shared Paid Daytime Fire Crew ![](/static/Citizen-24_02_1/img/public/msg_expiration.png)
Township Fire Districts Form Joint Daytime Response Crew
The three fire districts located within South Brunswick Township have announced the formation of a joint daytime response crew through a shared services agreement. Since April 1st, a crew of four firefighters have been manning one of the fire stations within the township Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 5 PM.
In addition to providing much quicker response times during the weekday daytime hours throughout the entire township, this agreement will also result in achieving financial efficiencies as well.
Discussions on the topic of daytime fire protection began in May of 2023 between representatives from the three Boards of Fire Commissioners as well as the Chief Officers of the Kendall Park, Monmouth Junction and Kingston Volunteer Fire Departments. Over the next 11 months, representatives met to discuss the topic, and it was decided to pursue a shared services agreement to establish a daytime crew, with each fire district spliƫng the cost equally. The four-person crew rotates the station they are based out of each day and provides the ability to respond to emergencies immediately upon dispatch of an incident.
Organized fire protection in South Brunswick began in 1924 with the creation of the Kingston and Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Departments, who are celebrating their 100th anniversaries this year. The Kendall Park Volunteer Fire Company was established in 1967. With a combined 257 years, the volunteer firefighters of all three departments continue their proud tradition of service to the community. Nationwide, volunteer firefighters compose 65% of the more than 1 million firefighters in the United States according to the National Volunteer Fire Council. But like most departments across the country, all three departments have experienced a drop in membership, with the availability of volunteers to respond to calls during weekdays being the lowest. The three volunteer fire departments will continue to be dispatched for all calls within their respective response districts, supplemented by the joint crew on weekdays.
In 1978, the township moved to the fire district concept for fire protection with the creation of three separate fire districts, each with its own elected five-member Board of Fire Commissioners. The Commissioners are responsible for providing fire protection to the residents and businesses of their respective districts. Fire protection is funded through the levy of a fire tax on all property owners within their respective fire districts, which is paid as part of the township property tax. Before the creation of the fire districts, funding for fire protection came through fundraisers run by the local volunteer fire departments, along with a stipend provided by the town council.
The volunteer fire departments are always looking for new members, and residents are encouraged to visit their local fire station to inquire about joining. Residents can also contact the departments at the following phone numbers or email addresses for more information -
Kendall Park: 732-297-0388 or [email protected]
Monmouth Junction: 732-329-2001 or [email protected]
Kingston: 609-924-1181 or [email protected]
Address/Location
South Brunswick Twp Police Department
540 Ridge Rd
South Brunswick Township, NJ 08852
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 732-329-4646