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Volunteer Firefighting is as American as It Gets

 

1 Township. 3 Fire Departments. All Volunteers.

South Brunswick Fire Service consists of 3 inherently volunteer based fire departments:

  • Kendall Park Volunteer Fire Company
  • Kingston Volunteer Fire Company #1, and
  • Monmonth Junction Volunteer Fire Department.

Our rich histories date back to nearly 300 years of combined services, and we continue to do so primarily as volunteers to this day. In addition, due to a drop in recruitment and retention throughout the country in this past decade, the 3 fire districts took the initiative to provide coverage with a day staff, which keeps watch over South Brunswick from 7AM to 5PM on weekdays. Thanks to this mix of career and part-time firefighters, volunteers can focus on our day jobs with a peace of mind. If we can be available, we also respond during these hours. The day staff is a blessing to our departments, many of whom are also volunteers themselves for the municipalities where they reside.

What is Volunteer Firefighting?

It is the bulk of America’s firefighting. 70% of the nation’s fire departments are fully volunteer-based. In NJ, it is 75% with another 16.5% structured as combination departments. In essence, volunteer firefighting IS firefighting. The movies and tv shows we watched depict a fraction of America’s reality.

Whenever there is an incident, volunteer firefighters respond from our homes (or anywhere else) to the station, gear up, and head to the scene. We general do not work or sleep at the station. This gives us the freedom to be anywhere, anytime we want. We do stay communicated on a daily basis to ensure we always have enough manpower to respond to any incident of any size.

Volunteer firefighters hold the same certifications, graduate from the same academies, and operate the same equipments as career firefighters. At times, we fight the same fire along side one another. Volunteer and career firefighers serve as complements of one another, not supplements of.

How is Volunteer Different from Career Firefighting?

One major difference. Career firefighters receive salaries; volunteers do not.

Another difference. Different work schedules. Many career firefighters are on 24 hour on shifts and 48 hours off, working 2+ full days a week. Volunteers as a whole is 24/7/365 but has the luxury to respond only when we are individually available. While volunteers do our best to make ourselves available as often as possible, this is the reason why a large pool of volunteers is necessary.

A good majority of career firefighters started out as volunteers, building experiences and knowledge until the highly competitive paid positions become available. Except for departments that conduct civil exams, a good number of career departments require a minimum of 3 years of experiences before a firefighter can be considered as a candidate. We serve as the springboard to various careers in the fire service.

Why Volunteer Firefighting?

Firefighting is perceived to be dangerous. Injuries or worse can result through various hazards we encounter. However, all firefighters, career and volunteer, are willing to put our lives on the line so that we may serve and protect our community, doing so with honor and privilege. As volunteer fire departments, we also save families accross the nation on fire taxes, reportedly $46 billions per year. While this isn’t our incentive, it is a benefit to our country as a whole. Of course, there are some bonuses in becoming volunteer firefighters, but they are incomparable to a paycheck, which we do not earn. In a way, it is like our soldiers who protect our country abroad; we commit to protecting ours from within.

It is as American as it gets… to give without the consideration of receiving.

To Become a South Brunswick Firefighter

  1. Click on the map below. A new tab will open with the map of all 3 fire districts.
  2. Determine which district you live in.
  3. Look for the closest department to where you reside.
  4. To apply, please visit the sign-up page of the fire department you have chosen:
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