A New Jersey fire department that has been serving the community for over a century now has to shut its doors, but they say it won’t go out without a fight.
The Keasbey Fire Department in Woodbridge Township, which first organized 118 years ago, is set to close in October and merge with the Fords Fire Department located about 1 mile away.
Keasbey Volunteer Fire Chief John Manna has spent more than 30 years of his life at the Smith Street firehouse. He believes the closure is about the property.
“You can look around our neighborhood here. All the homes have been knocked down,” he said. “The homes were purchased by a developer, and this land that the firehouse sits on is the final piece of that puzzle.”
Woodbridge Township Mayor John McCormac says it’s not a land grab, but about safety and not enough firefighters.
“Four firefighters have to be at a scene for two to go in, two to stay out for possible rescue and to command the scene,” he said.
“When the career guys go out with the first piece of apparatus, the volunteers will come in and take the next piece of apparatus,” Manna said.
McCormac says all eight paid firefighters from Keasbey will be transferred to different firehouses, including Fords.
“Right now, Keasbey’s not cooperating, so those eight firefighters are kind of in limbo,” McCormac said. “They’re being held hostage by the Keasbey fire commissioners.”
“The mayor’s office is saying that all eight have jobs, but we have no documentation,” one Keasbey Fire Board of Commissioners member said.
The board says it is considering filing a lawsuit against Woodbridge Township to slow down the closure.
McCormac says the move will save Keasbey residents fire tax dollars.
While Manna and board members claim they were blindsided by the decision, the mayor says the closure’s been in the works for years and even the state recommends the two departments merge.
