Frelinghuysen Twp. tested after opening first volunteer fire station in 40 years

The Frelinghuysen Volunteer Fire Co. successfully knocked down its first fire in nearly 40 years on Sept. 30.

When the call came in at 2:42 a.m. to respond to a structure fire, the township's freshly appointed seven-person squadron wasted no time getting geared up, driving to the scene and handling the job they were trained to do, Fire Chief Angel Ortiz said.

"I'm like a proud papa," he said. "I went by to see the victims the day after the fire and they just hugged me and called us heroes. I can't begin to explain how much that means."

Station 84 was established in 2022, but officially opened in March 2024 once renovations on the fire house were completed. Residents once believed they'd never see a fire department in Frelinghuysen, Mayor Keith Ramos said.

"This was never in the plan," he said, "it's a Godsend."

In the past 22 years, only three fires have been recorded in Frelinghuysen Township, including the basement fire reported last month. Station 84 is a monumental milestone for the community, especially at a time when more towns are seeing fire departments close due to lack of participation, Ramos said. He approached 152 fire departments in the region to collect donations for the project, he said.

Breathing apparatuses and fire trucks were donated by Harrison Township, Parsippany donated gear, Bloomfield donated gloves, Toms River donated Scott SCBA Air Packs, Elmwood Park Borough donated a ladder truck. Other items, including the generator and hoses, were all donated or paid using American Rescue Plan Act funding ($200,000), capital funds ($900,000) and microgrants.

The project, which included renovating the former Public Works Works department to be used as a fire station, was developed at no cost to residents, Ramos said. It should cost the township less than $45,000 to run the program moving forward, he said.

The 2,200-person township used to pay $105,000 per year to be covered by its neighboring municipalities. The cost of the emergency services were among the township's most expensive line items in its annual budget, Ramos said.

"To me, it was almost biblical," Ramos said. "Nobody knew there would be a pandemic and we would get the ARPA money. It all really just fell into place."

Each of Station 84′s 15 volunteers lives within walking distance of the converted fire station. Here's a list of the station's founding members: Fire Chief Angel Ortiz, Jim K. Burns, Jim P. Burns, Frankie Giordano, Robert "Doc" Halsberstadt, Thomas Heaton, Jose Jaime, Todd McPeek, Benny Perez, Dave Possehl, Christian Rodriguez, Jhonny Lopez Sosa, Christian Winfield, James Winfield, Scott Winfield.