Firefighters needed

at Spotswood dept.

Chief says LOSAP

yet to show results

in attracting new help

By vincent todaro

Staff Writer

Spotswood’s fire department is in dire need of active volunteers.

Fire Chief David Conover said the department, like many others in the state, especially needs volunteers for the day shift, from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Because those are the hours most people work, the department has been unable to secure enough manpower and has to rely on backup from adjacent towns.

Conover said the department has only one or two active firefighters available to respond to calls on the day shift. He would like to see 10 available, though he would be happy with any improvement over current conditions.

"If you could count on four or five guys during the day, that would be wonderful," he said.

Spotswood finds itself in the same predicament as other communities with volunteer fire departments — there just aren’t enough people interested or available.

"People work during the day, so there are fewer available for this," he said. "We used to have more people who worked in town and could respond to calls in the daytime, but more people work out of town now."

It is difficult to find people who can leave their workplace and answer a call, he said.

Mayor Barry Zagnit said the borough is in need of volunteer EMTs as well.

Spotswood refrains from using paid positions because of the costs involved, the mayor said.

"Forever we’ve relied on volunteers to come out to these groups," he said. "They get trained and they get sent out to active duty."

He said Spotswood is one of many towns facing the same problem — people are just too busy and tired to volunteer.

"In today’s society, many times people are working two jobs and long hours, so it makes it tough to find time to volunteer when you have to pay bills and spend time with your family," Zagnit said.

Training requirements for the volunteer positions have also increased. Firefighters need at least 160 hours of training before they can respond to a call, while first aid volunteers need EMT certification, which takes three to four months.

That didn’t deter the 25-plus volunteer firefighters who are currently active in Spotswood, Conover said. While that might sound like enough for a small town, most volunteers are only available in the evenings or on weekends.

"In the evenings, we have plenty of people who are around," he said. "On weekends, we’re pretty good also. But more help is always better than what we have now; I wouldn’t throw away anybody [who wants to volunteer]."

The borough sees about 200 fire calls a year, with about 80 of them coming in the daytime. He said the fires usually can be put out in 20 minutes or less, but sometimes are more challenging.

The department receives backup from Monroe Township, East Brunswick and Helmetta.

"During the day, you have low turnout in all these towns but Monroe, where [some firefighters] get paid in the day," he said.

Monroe has three fire companies.

In return for the help, Spotswood pro­vides backup for fires in Monroe. The towns have an agreement so that Monroe responds automatically to fire calls in Spotswood, Conover said. If the Spotswood firefighters figure they can handle the situation alone, they call off Monroe.

Efforts to increase the ranks have yet to help.

Conover said his opinion is that the Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP), which enables the borough to fund retirement accounts for active volun­teers, has not been much help, at least not yet. The program was passed by Spotswood voters in a referendum two years ago and provides the compensation as an incentive for new members and cur­rent staff.

"I haven’t seen anyone join because of LOSAP," Conover said. "These guys want to be firemen. My view is they either want to be here or not. I don’t think LOSAP is any more of a reason to join. A kid who’s 17 or 18, the last thing he’s thinking about is retirement."

In fairness to the program, Conover said it may take some time for it to show posi­tive results. One of its aims is to keep fire­fighters from becoming active life mem­bers, because they then do not have to re­spond to calls. Firefighters are eligible to become active lifers after seven years of service.

Since LOSAP was instituted in Spotswood, some firefighters have become eligible to be active life members but have chosen not to do so, Conover said, adding that he has not asked if LOSAP played into their decisions.

He said the department has about 20 active life members, but only six or seven answer calls.

When a firefighter first joins the de­partment, he is required to respond to at last 60 percent of the calls that come in over the first seven years. He also is re­quired to attend six meetings and partici­pate in six drills a year, Conover said. He can then become an active life member, if he chooses.

"They can either answer or not answer calls when they become an active life member," he said. "It’s like a retirement."

The daytime shortage is not new, but has recently become worse.

"It’s nothing new to us and nothing new to the county," he said. "I’m not the only fire chief who has a shortage during the day. When Wayne Hamilton was here, he was in here during the day and could an­swer [calls]. When he left, we lost that."

Hamilton was Spotswood’s business administrator. He resigned last year to take the same position in Monroe Township.

"The banks of volunteers are really dwindling," Zagnit said. "We look for people in town who might have time and the ability to serve."

Anyone interested in volunteering for the fire department should call the fire chief at (732) 251-3460 and leave a mes­sage.