Steven Morgan Jr. PLUMSTED — On Jan. 4, flanked by his wife, Shelley, and daughters Lauren, Danielle and Amanda, Steven Morgan Jr., 39, was promoted to the rank of Career Fire Chief of the District by the Plumsted Township Board of Fire Commissioners and sworn in by Mayor David Leutwyler.
With a new badge pinned to his uniform and a page turned in the book of his 21 years of service, Morgan, a lifelong resident of Plumsted, was joined by family members, residents, local and county officials, and representatives of area fire companies to celebrate the newest achievement in a career that at one point was not even on his radar.
“[Firefighting] was never really a goal of mine growing up,” Morgan told the Tri- Town News. “[However,] I saw a couple of fires around town and was very interested watching the firemen doing what they do.”
That spark of interest, according to Morgan, inspired him to talk to a member of Plumsted’s New Egypt Fire Company. The firefighter with whom Morgan spoke was the father of one of his friends.
He joined the fire company shortly after speaking with his friend’s father and eventually attended the Ocean County Fire Academy in the early 1990s.
Since starting as a volunteer with the fire company in January 1991, Morgan has held every position on the line, including president of the fire company and volunteer chief, the last volunteer rank he held prior to being hired as a paid firefighter in December 2004.
In recent years, some fire companies in New Jersey that for decades relied solely on volunteers to respond to and fight fires have hired paid firefighters to ensure that coverage can be provided at times when volunteer firefighters might not be available to respond to an emergency.
Being one of the first paid firefighters in New Egypt along with current Capt. Richard Byrne, Morgan said he experienced firsthand some of the growing pains of a fire company that had a mix of volunteers and paid professional firefighters.
“It was difficult [to get the paid firefighters started], but I believe the fire commissioners did it correctly. The first three guys the commissioners hired were volunteers here [and they] knew the area, knew how the company works and were already outfitted with their gear,” Morgan said.
It costs about $2,500 to outfit and equip each new firefighter. Although some firefighters were now being paid, Morgan said the working relationship between the paid firefighters and the volunteer firefighters was always a safe and healthy one.
“We pretty much strive to work hand in hand. Basically, once you’re on the truck it doesn’t matter if you’re career [paid] or volunteer,” he said. “We are all here to do the same job— it’s just that some of us are getting paid to do that job.”
For Morgan, his chosen career means more than dollars and cents: he believes that “every call we go on makes a difference in someone’s life.”
“Basically, when the fire department is called, 90 percent of the time we are the only ones that can help,” Morgan said. “Even if it’s something as simple as changing a battery in a smoke detector for an elderly person, it’s pretty self-gratifying. It’s what keeps me going.”
Morgan appreciated the show of support at his swearing-in ceremony and said he is focused on the future of the fire company, which he knows will be around even after he retires years from now.
“Anything we can do to better ourselves [as a fire company] and benefit the town, I’m all for it,” he said.