Voting Feb. 17 at East Freehold Fire Co. Supports Citizen Safety

In-person voting for the Freehold Township Fire District #2 budget (which funds East Freehold Fire Company) will be held at the East Freehold Fire Company on Saturday, February 17 from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. The fire company is located at 191 Dutch Lane Rd., Freehold Township. Voters can also submit their ballot by mail, but must have it postmarked prior to Feb. 17 to be counted.

Why “Yes” Votes Matter

As the chart shows, only .9 percent of Freehold Township’s budget goes to the Fire District #2 to fund East Freehold Fire Company, hence the referendum vote at the fire company this upcoming Saturday. The inability to get voter approval last year was detrimental to the fire company. “We basically got by postponing maintenance last year, but that situation is unsustainable. There had actually been incidents where we needed to request mutual aid from a neighboring fire company. It is not an ideal situation for a fire company responsible for public safety,” said East Freehold Fire Chief Mike Murray. Failure to pass last year’s budget also left East Freehold Fire Company with aging ladders, and rescue and breathing apparatus in need of replacement.

No Tax Increase for the Average Homeowner in Proposed Budget

In the proposed budget, taxes will remain flat- without increase - for the average homeowner. This factor should support voter approval. If the budget does get support via in-person or mailed in votes, the 100% volunteer fire company will be able to fund turnout gear and training for its firefighters and finally fund maintenance and repairs on its vehicles and rescue equipment. Most critically, the fire company will be able to purchase of Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) for its firefighters.

East Freehold Fire Company at a Glance

East Freehold Fire Company is located within Freehold Township Fire District #2. The company has 36 volunteer firefighters and serves citizens 24/7. While the average career firefighter in other communities receives an annual compensation of $62,437, East Freehold firefighters save lives without financial compensation. In 2023, the fire company responded to over 435 calls, with a rise in rescue and structural related emergencies.

Essential Voting Day Details

“In order to make sure every volunteer firefighter who leaves their home to go on a call comes back safely, we need a budget that enables us to keep them safe through training, gear and maintained vehicles,” said Chief Murray.

For more information, visit https://eastfreeholdfire.com/