The Stockton Fire Department has a huge area to cover.
Not only does it cover this densely populated, albeit tiny, borough of 640 residents, but also works in conjunction with the Sergeantsville and Kingwood Township fire departments to battle blazes in what borough Councilman and firefighter Brett Hall calls “a huge geographical area.”
The department needs a new pumper-tanker, carrying a price tag of roughly $350,000. However, the department has about $40,000 saved up. And while they may receive a state grant, the firefighters can’t count on that.
So they are having a fund-raiser Sunday that promises to be a fun-filled evening. The public is invited to a wine-tasting and gourmet dinner under two tents outside the Woolverton Inn. Tickets are $85 a person and are available from Phillips Fine Wines on Bridge Street in the borough and The Fish House in Lambertville.
Residents should show their support of their firefighters and attend this gala evening.
In the meantime, it also wouldn’t hurt to write to your state legislators — Assembly members Leonard Lance and Connie Myers and Senator William Schluter — urging the state to give the borough a grant of roughly $300,000 to pay for the new truck.
Remember, the Insurance Institute’s rating of a fire department directly affects property insurance costs. And Stockton was told to replace its 1970 pumper-tanker, which is on its “last legs,” according to Mr. Hall. Its backup truck is nearly 10 years old, too; the usual cutoff point for replacement.
These trucks take about a year to arrive after being ordered so Stockton needs to act as soon as possible to get the money it needs. Letters from its residents could go a long way toward swaying state officials.
And while you’re at it, consider joining the department. It has about 20 active members, which is pretty good, Mr. Hall says, considering the number of residents. But the Insurance Institute has urged the department to recruit a few more firefighters.
With people working farther away from their homes, it becomes more important for those living and working nearby to lend a hand when needed.
You never know if the day may come when the next call for help is made by you.
