Community Corner
Well-Known South Jersey Fire Chief Dies From Cardiac Arrest Sustained On-Duty
The fire departments Jeff Pfeiffer served have received an outpouring of support in the wake of his death.
DEPTFORD, NJ — A Deptford fire chief, who was well-known in the South Jersey firefighting community, died Friday from an on-duty incident. Jeff Pfeiffer suffered cardiac arrest following a service call Thursday night, according to a local organization serving first responders.
Pfeiffer served as chief of the Almonesson Lake Fire Company and then as chief of the Deptford Fire Department's 3rd Battalion. He also led the Foam Task Force within the Gloucester County Fire Chief’s Association.
The Gloucester County Hero Scholarship Fund says Pfeiffer died from cardiac arrest, which he suffered after returning to the station following a Thursday evening call to service. He died on Friday, according to the Deptford Township Police Department.
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"Firefighter Pfeiffer spent a lifetime of service to the town and it’s residents," Deptford Township PD wrote on social media. "He will be remembered as a hero!"
The Almonesson Lake Fire Company, which operates in Deptford, thanked the community for "the outpouring of love and support" following Pfeiffer's death. The Deptford Fire Department called Pfeiffer a "wonderful and heroic leader."
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Several fire agencies shared kind words about Pfeiffer.
The Tacoma Fire Company said Pfeiffer was well-known "for his hands on approach to getting things done, repaired, manufactured, painted, or whatever was needed to get the task accomplished."
"He set forth his goals and dreams to make things better and if he needed to build it himself, he did it!" said the Westville Fire Department. "He wanted the future of the service to be positive, but never forget the members who served before."
It wasn't immediately clear which incident Pfeiffer responded to Thursday before suffering cardiac arrest.
Deptford first responders have faced a difficult stretch, with one of the township's police officers still fighting to recover from a gunshot wound sustained on-duty March 10. Officer Bobby Shisler remains in Cooper University Hospital's Trauma ICU, his agency said Sunday. A civilian — Mitchell Negron Jr., 24, of Deptford — also died March 10 in the encounter, according to state authorities.
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