$1.86M Referendum Coming For Winslow Township Fire District

WINSLOW TOWNSHIP, NJ — As Winslow Township continues to grow and the number of volunteer firefighters dwindles, fire officials are asking taxpayers to approve a referendum that would raise $1.86 million for the Fire District.

Fire Chief Marc S. Rigberg said the agency is “struggling to maintain service levels,” and noted the Cedar Brook Station had to close service operations in April 2022 due to a low number of volunteer firefighters.

The Winslow Township Fire District (Department) #1 serves the township, as well as Chesilhurst Borough. Staff consist of both career and volunteer firefighters, serving approximately 20,000 residents in a 60-square-mile area, he said. The district handles about 1,850 fire-related calls for service each year, a number officials say is increasing.

The fire district is seeking $1.86 million exceeding its current state-imposed 2 percent tax cap. This will bring on a second fully-staffed fire apparatus and hire nine firefighters to operate from the Waterford Works Fire Station on Southard Avenue, Rigberg said, which will help balance available resources and make response times faster.

“The success of this referendum will allow the fire district to provide a proper level of service to the growing community so that we have the ability to perform our mission correctly for you and your families,” fire officials said.

The Fire District is headquartered at Cedar Brook Fire Company, and has five stations with both volunteers and career firefighters working under a unified command structure. It is separate from the township, and has five elected Fire Commissioners.

The referendum would also preserve the volunteer firefighter program and support additional volunteer coverage and training, Rigberg said.

A home valued at $176,500 would have a proposed annual increase of $103.61, accordion to a presentation from the fire department. A home valued at $300,000 would see a proposed annual increase of $207.24.

Rigberg said the referendum will be Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. In-person polling is available at the fire headquarters (9 Cedar Brook Road, Sicklerville) from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. that day, or by mail.

The department has several meetings scheduled on Zoom in January and February for residents and fire officials to discuss the referendum; two are coming up at 1 p.m. on Jan. 14 and on 7 p.m. on Jan. 16. Click here to register.

“We know this is a significant ask of you, especially with the current economic impacts of life,” he wrote. “We did not take this decision lightly and it was determined the best approach was to ask once for this and not to piecemeal this program. We want to fulfill the requirements to meet the life safety emergency needs of our community.”

Companies in Winslow Township include Tansboro Volunteer Fire Company, Albion Volunteer Fire Company, Sicklerville Volunteer Fire Company, Winlow Township Emergency Medical Service, Elm Volunteer Fire Company, and Waterford Works Volunteer Fire Company, as well as administration and training staff at Cedar Brook.