Shortage of Volunteer Firefighters in South New Jersey Raising Alarms

Volunteer firefighter counts in New Jersey have shrunk drastically. State data shows a drop from 30,000 in 2010 to under 25,000 now. This steep decline threatens quick emergency help in South Jersey towns.

Local fire chiefs paint a grim picture. Their stations might soon fail to answer calls. Short-staffed units now strain to protect their districts. Some can't fill trucks for basic calls.

"In 2005, Pennsauken had 150 volunteer members. Today, we have 16," said Pennsauken Fire Chief Jonathan Hutton, according to CBS News Philadelphia.

The staff shortage has struck hard. A stark example came when Logan Township took 27 minutes to reach a burning industrial building. The 2019 incident left major damage in its wake.

Training demands block many would-be firefighters. Each must complete nearly 200 hours of basic instruction. Extra skills need 70 more hours of study.

"People working two-, three-, four-income households, and children's sports, they don't have the time to go to the fire academy," said Westmont Fire Chief Dan Devitt.

Towns now mix paid staff with volunteers. After slow response times scared officials, Logan Township and Winslow Township started hiring full-time crews.

Help might come through new state laws. Assemblymember Cody Miller backs two bills. These would cut property taxes by 15% for volunteers and add $500 in tax breaks.

"It's a small thing we can do to say 'thank you for your service,'" Miller said. "It's also something we can do to ensure that we're keeping our volunteers."

Age limits add more stress. Washington Township's rules force out skilled veterans at 65. This cost them Lt. Jim Connor after 49 years of valued work.

Fresh faces like 19-year-old Aurie Najd step up to fill gaps. "I'll be honest, there are some calls that I still get scared on, and I think that's totally normal," Najd said.

Winslow Township Fire Chief Marc Rigberg states the choice bluntly, "We can either pony up people who want to be volunteer firefighters, or one day I'm going to need you to pony up money so I can go hire more firefighters."