Holmdel Fire Shows Need For More Firefighters, Deputy Mayor Says

HOLMDEL, NJ — Wednesday's fire on Blue Hills Drive in Holmdel broke out at 1:31 p.m. The first fire truck didn't arrive on the scene until 20 minutes later, at 1:52 p.m.

Everyone got out safely, but the entire house became consumed by flames and it was determined by Wednesday evening that it would have to be demolished. But that blaze — coupled with two other large fires that have occurred in the past three years in Holmdel — have led some residents to wonder: If there was still a fire station in the southern end of town, could the damage have been lessened?

"You could build the Taj Mahal of fire houses in southern Holmdel, but what good is a firehouse without the volunteers to staff it?" said Deputy Mayor Mike Nikolis. "The challenge is to get people who want to volunteer, wake up at 2 a.m. and run out to what usually is a smoke alarm going off."

"I think 20 minutes is a good response time, but we know we can do better," Holmdel Township Committeeman Rocco Pascucci said. "I don't want to have another fire where the response time is not good."

That's why Holmdel is currently in the middle of an aggressive campaign to both recruit new volunteer firefighters and open up a centrally-located firehouse in the middle of the Township. The exact location has not been determined yet, but Pascucci told Patch today: "A decision will be made very soon, possibly even within a month. Right now, this is the number one issue in Holmdel."

It has always been difficult to provide firefighting coverage for mostly rural, 18-square-mile Holmdel. Houses in this wealthy community are large and located far away from each other, set far back from the road on either densely wooded lots or sprawling acres.

That problem was compounded when Holmdel's original fire house, Fire Company 1 on Main Street, shut down in 2013 after a dispute with the Township. Holmdel's population has also steadily increased over time.

Currently, there is only one fire house in Holmdel, Holmdel Fire and Rescue Company #2, located on Centerville Road in the north end of town. There is also a small auxiliary building on 20 Crawfords Corner Road.

Holmdel is trying to woo new volunteers: You might have seen the billboard that's up on Rt. 35 asking people to apply. Holmdel also has a partnership with Brookdale Community College to recruit firefighters among the student body. Holmdel may even offer a scholarship to Brookdale students who volunteer.

"That's what we need: Strong young people who are staying in this area," said Pascucci. "If we don't get enough people volunteering, then we are going to be forced to go with a paid department."

This past fall, the Township also paid to have a fire safety study done, and it will be made public on the Township's website by the end of this week, Pascucci said, so everyone can ready its findings.

The biggest takeaway from that study? According to Pascucci, it's that Holmdel needs to have one fire house located not in the north, not in south, but smack dab in the middle of the Township.

Holmdel is exploring two options: Either renovating the Centerville Road location, which also houses EMS, or opening up a new location entirely. But where? Pascucci would not say.

When Bell Works was Bell Labs/Lucent, they used to have their own small fire department in house. It is unclear if firefighting facilities there are still up to par.

Still, expect some news on this issue soon, both Nikolis and Pascucci told Patch.

"Right now, this is our No. 1 priority. I promise you we are taking this seriously and we are working on it," said Pascucci.

Photo from the Jan. 30 Blue Hills Drive fire provided to Patch by the Township.