This report, prepared and issued by the Washington Township Fire District is intended to familiarize the residents and business owners of Washington Township with the organization, operations, and goals of the fire district.

The mission of the Washington Township Fire District is to provide a professional level of community fire protection and rescue services to the citizens and property within Washington Township in order to prevent or minimize the loss of life, pain and suffering, and property damage as a result of fire or other emergency.

The Fire District’s mission will be accomplished by the effective use of its volunteer, career, and physical resources, in cooperation with other public agencies, utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, innovative techniques, and available technology to provide a high level of cost efficient, quality service.

On August 23, 1972, the governing body of the Township of Washington adopted an ordinance creating the Washington Township Fire District No. 1. The territorial jurisdiction of the fire district encompasses the entire Township of Washington.

The Fire District organizational chart appears below. As you can see, the Board of Fire Commissioners oversees all aspects of the Fire District. The District Fire Chief is in charge of the daily operations of the Fire District. The Business Administrator is in charge of financial management. The Bureau of Fire Prevention is responsible for fire prevention education, fire investigation, and code enforcement. The Maintenance Division’s responsibilities include the repair, testing, and preventative maintenance of all fire district owned vehicles and equipment. The paid firefighters respond with the volunteer fire companies for suppression operations.

Fire suppression responsibilities are carried out by the three volunteer fire departments: Grenloch, Hurffville, and Whitman Square. All members of these fire departments are volunteer, including the fire chiefs. They supply all necessary manpower at the scene of a fire or other emergency.

All fire districts in the State of New Jersey are governed by statute. Fire district statutes are generally located in N.J.S.A. 40A:14-70 et seq. These statues give fire districts taxing authority, regulate when and how fire district elections are to be conducted, and regulate their fiscal responsibilities, among other things. The Board of Fire Commissioners serves as the Fire District’s governing body and manages all operations. The length of a fire commissioner’s term of office is three years, and these terms are staggered so that no more than two terms expire in any given year. An annual public election for fire commissioners, as well as approval of the proposed annual budget, is conducted on the third Saturday in February, as mandated by New Jersey statues.

The Fire District develops its own budget, has taxing power, and owns buildings and equipment.

All fire stations except the Whitman Square fire station on Johnson Road are owned by the Fire District. The Fire District operates the following vehicles:

• 6 Structural Response Engines/Pumpers
• 2 Rescue Engines/Pumpers
• 1 75 foot Ladder Truck
• 1 100 foot Ladder-Tower
• 1 Heavy Rescue Truck
• 1 Utility Truck
• 3 4x4 Brush Trucks
• 4 Command Units
• 1 Fire Investigation Unit
• 3 Fire Marshal’s cars
• 2 Multipurpose Pickup Trucks
• 1 Small Inflatable Boat

All portable equipment required for operations, including fire hose, ladders, protective clothing, breathing apparatus, radio equipment, etc. are owned by the Fire District.

The District Fire Chief, Mr. John Hoffman, is responsible for the daily operation of the Fire District. The Business Administrator, Ms. Toni Stone, is responsible for financial management of the Fire District. She ensures that proper bidding and quote procedures are used, that all bills sent to the Fire District are in order, and materials are received.

The Bureau of Fire Prevention, under the direction of the Fire Official, Mr. John Spangler, is responsible for all fire code enforcement, fire investigations, and fire prevention education.

The Maintenance Division, under the direction of Mr. Howard Deveney, is responsible for the operational condition of all Fire District vehicles and equipment.

The volunteer fire departments are responsible for all fire suppression activities as well as other fire department emergency and non-emergency assignments. The Board of Fire Commissioners hired a District Chief and beginning on February 1, 1999 six full-time firefighters began work. The paid firefighters are necessary to respond to emergencies within the fire district during daytime hours when most of the volunteer force is working.

The following graph illustrates the number of fire calls for the past eighteen years. In 1999, Washington Township Fire Department responded to 871 incidents of which 272 were actual fires. This produced a fire rate of 5.6. The fire rate is the actual number of fires per 1000 residents. A fire rate of 5.6 is very good. Many urbanized areas will have a fire rate of 20 to 30. In 1999 the number of incidents due to fire alarm system activation fell dramatically. The total number of responses to fire alarm systems was 333 or 34% of all incidents. This is down from 50% in 1998. In 1999, Washington Township firefighters expenses over 8000 man-hours providing emergency services.

The Washington Township Fire Department is a combination department. This means staffing is accomplished primarily through the volunteer fire companies and augmented by the paid firefighters. During the hours of 6:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. from Monday through Friday, a career fire fighting staff of 11 including Chief Hoffman will respond to all fire department incidents in Washington Township. In addition to the career fire fighting staff, the volunteer fire companies will also be dispatched. From 4:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M. and on the weekends, the volunteer members of the Grenloch, Hurffville, and Whitman Square Fire Companies will respond to all incidents.

Volunteer Firefighters remain an integral part of the fire department. Each fire company is continuously recruiting new firefighter. To become a firefighter, a person must be at least 18 years old. Each company has a Junior Firefighter Auxiliary for persons between the ages of 16 to 18. Parental consent is required to join the Junior Firefighter Auxiliary. Some the benefits of becoming a firefighter include:

• Sense of accomplishment by giving a service back to the community
• Complete training for all fire fighting duties
• Retirement/Life Insurance Program
• Comprehensive physical examinations
• Training and Educational Programs paid completely by the Fire District
• Tuition Credit Program for Local County Colleges
• Dress and Work Uniforms
• Free Township Marriage Licenses
• Free Township Dog Licenses
• Workers Compensation Insurance
• Additional Accident and Health Benefits

Training remains of paramount importance to the fire district. All three volunteer fire departments train at least one night per week. This training can include classroom lectures and discussion, classroom fire simulations, practical fire training, live fire training, etc. Most classroom training is accomplished in the individual fire states. The practical applications are practiced in carious areas of the township. The live fire training is accomplished at both the Gloucester County and Camden County Fire Academies. Typically, the volunteer firefighters will expend in excess of 9000 man hours in training during each year. Much of this training is mandated by the State of New Jersey and the fire district. The fire district requires completion of specific training programs for certification in the use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and operation of emergency vehicles. All firefighters must demonstrate competency in OSHA regulated subjects such as, Community Right To Know, Bloodborne Pathogens, and Hazardous Material Awareness, on an annual basis. In October 1999, twenty-eight firefighters from throughout the fire district participated in an intensive 40-hour technical rescue-training program. The training course enabled the fire department organization to enhance and increase the rescue capabilities for which it is responsible. Areas of technical rescue that the fire district is now able to competently perform include:

Washington Township Fire District personnel have also logged more than a thousand man-hours in other rescue training that has included:

The Washington Township Bureau of Fire Prevention, in its present form, was established in 1985 in response to the State of New Jersey mandating that certain buildings and occupancy types be inspected for fire and life safety violations. The Board of Fire Commissioners and the Township Council felt it was in the best interest of the citizens and business owners that these inspections be conducted on a local level rather than by the Gloucester County Fire Marshal or the State of New Jersey.

Since its inception, the Bureau of Fire Prevention has continued to grow due to increased inspection responsibilities attributed to continued commercial growth in the township.

The Bureau has also undertaken an aggressive fire prevention education program aimed at stopping fires before they start. This involves a very active Fire Prevention Week promotion and education program. Every school is visited with a fire prevention program along with fire apparatus manned by the district firefighters. Some of the volunteer firefighters take vacation leave from their regular employment to visit the schools during Fire Prevention Week. The volunteer fire companies also have an open house at their fire stations during this week. Firefighters are on hand to explain the tools and equipment on fire trucks and put on demonstrations of different fire fighting operations to help educate the public in the operations at a fire. The Bureau of Fire Prevention also supplies year round fire extinguisher training sessions for all employees in education and assembly type use groups.

In 1999, the Bureau instructed over 500 people in the proper and safe use of fire extinguishers. A fire extinguisher properly used can percent a small fire from becoming a large and costly fire. In 2000, the Bureau plans to purchase a fire extinguisher training simulator. This will allow for more realistic hands on training scenarios to be accomplished. In addition to the fire extinguisher training simulator, the Bureau plans to purchase a mobile fire safety house to enhance the fire safety education given to the township’s children.

The Bureau has an active Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Program that counsels and assists juveniles and their parents/guardians when a juvenile is associated with improper fire setting activities.

The Bureau is also responsible for the investigation of all fires that occur within Washington Township. These investigations are aimed at locating the origin and cause of a fire. Be determining the origin and cause of a fire, proactive prevention measures can be undertaken to help prevent similar fires from occurring in the future. The Bureau also has a close working relationship with the Washington Township Police Department to insure the prompt arrest and conviction of those involved in criminal acts involving fire.

In early 1999, the Bureau began to supply businesses with the pre-inspection checklist the month prior to their official inspection. This checklist has helped reduce the number of violations issued and helps educate business owners in Fire Safety and the inspection process. Another goal of this program is to reduce the number of re-inspections due to noncompliance with the fire code.

Last year the Bureau of Fire Prevention conducted 1,514 property inspections. Most inspections result in discovering fire code violations that require a re-inspection after a period of time is allowed to correct the violations. This resulted in 1,687 re-inspections. The Bureau also responded to 63 complaints of alleged fire code violations reported to the office. There were 72 fire prevention education programs conducted and 12 fire setter contacts. Unfortunately, we had to issue 425 fire land obstruction violations, most of which are issued to the general public for parking a vehicle in fire lanes established to allow clear and easy access for fire apparatus. In addition to access for the fire department, fire lanes also provide protection to the businesses by keeping vehicles away from the structure. It is interesting to note that the van used in the Oklahoma City bombing was parked in a fire lane. There were 54 fires that required investigation as to origin and cause. The Bureau issued 765 smoke detectors certificates. The certificates are required whenever a house is sold. The seller of the house, in an affidavit, must declare that the house is properly equipped with smoke detectors as required by New Jersey Law. Anyone who has a question about Fire Safety is urged to contact the Bureau of Fire Prevention at 856-589-1889. 

In 1998 Washington Township Fire District took several major steps toward the future. A District Fire Chief was hired to oversee the daily operations of the Fire Department. This was the first step toward hiring paid firefighters. Applications for paid firefighters were received and extensive testing and interviews were held. Six full time firefighters began working for the Fire Department on February 1, 1999. These individuals were selected from the township volunteer fire companies. They afford increased fire protection during normal business hours (6:00 A.M to 4:00 P.M.) when most volunteer firefighters are working their normal jobs. Additionally, they will be helping in fire inspections, rescue operations, maintenance work, etc.

In October 1998, the Fire Department was given the talk of providing service and training for all aspects of rescue operations. This was a monumental task which, although not complete, was initiated within two weeks of notification. In those two weeks, the volunteer firefighters received hundreds of man-hours of intensive training on vehicle extrication. Rescue equipment was procured in 1999 to enhance vehicle extrication along with equipment necessary for ice, confined space, water, and other types of rescue operations. Training has already been accomplished in many of these specialties. In January 1999, specifications were published for the procurement for a new heavy rescue truck. Delivery of this truck is expected in late January 2000 and will be in service shortly thereafter. The Washington Township Fire Department is one of the training and equipped departments in the area.

It is anticipated that construction will begin on the new fire station located on Fries Mill Road in 2000. There have been some minor setbacks due to design and cost issues. This station will be operated by the Whitman Square Fire Company. It will have two apparatus bays and be about 7500 square feet. Located next to Bright Beginnings nursery school, this station will provide additional fire protection for the southern part of the township.

During the year 2000, the Fire District will continue its apparatus replacement program. This program has been ongoing for many years and insures that the firefighters in Washington Township have the necessary equipment to perform their fire fighting duties safely and effectively. Specification will be written and bid on replacements for Utility 1027 a 1986 GMC operated by Whitman Square Fire Company and Engine 1014 a 1976 Pierce operated by Grenloch Fire Company.

Additionally, our search will continue to find a new location for the Grenloch Fire Station located at Greentree and Hurffville Roads. This station is extremely small and will not be able to accommodate new fire apparatus in the future. It is hopeful that a suitable location can be found in the same area as the existing station.

Any questions concerning items in this report should be directed to the District Fire Chief, Mr. John Hoffman, at 863.4000 or 589.1889 between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The Board of Fire Commissioners holds a public meeting at 7:30 P.M. on the first Thursday of every month at the fire district office 213 East Holly Avenue. The Fire District mailing address in PO Box 653, Turnersville, NJ 08012.

The Fire District Annual Elections will be held on Saturday February 19, 2000. Polls will be open from 2:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. at which time one fire commissioner will be elected for a three-year term and the annual budget amount will be voted on at the following locations:

Districts 2, 10, 11, 13, 15, 29, 24 will vote at the new Grenloch Fire Station, Hurffville-Grenloch Road.

Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17, 18 will vote at the Whitman Square Fire Station, Johnson Road.

Districts 1, 9, 12, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33 will vote at the Hurffville Fire Station, Theis & Altair Dr.

This report was made possible through the efforts of the volunteer fire companies in Washington Township along with the Fire District Business Office, Bureau of Fire Prevention, Maintenance Department, and the Board of Fire Commissions. We would like to single out the following individuals for their extra effort in making this report possible.