Toms River Fire Calls Spike Amid July 4th Week Heat, Festivities

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Fourth of July holiday visitors and the heat wave have combined to make for a busy week for Toms River's firefighters, a fire official said Friday.

The township's six volunteer fire companies have answered 64 calls for service since Saturday, June 30, nearly double a typical week, said Carlton "Sam" Seaman, the chief instructor for the Toms River Fire Academy and assistant chief of the East Dover Volunteer Fire Company.

"At East Dover, a typical month for us is 20 or 30," Seaman said. Over the first six days of July the company has had 20 calls already, he said. "We've had seven calls since midnight" township-wide, he said Friday afternoon.

By comparison, Seaman said, firefighters in Toms River answered 74 calls for service from June 1 to June 15.

Included in the calls were:

• three motor vehicle accidents requiring extrication;
• two structure fires;
• two vehicle fires;
• and two water incidents.

In addition, Seaman said, there were multiple fire and carbon dioxide alarms, along with numerous other calls for service within the township. "A lot of the fire alarms were probably heat-related," he said.

The heat has made responding to those calls taxing for the hundreds of volunteers who serve the township from the barrier island to the senior communities. They also have provided backup to neighboring communities as usual, such as assisting Brick when firefighters there were fighting a fire caused by a lightning strike.

"The heat index from 90 to over 100 degrees, that's not heat we're used to," he said. Many of the calls happened at the same time, he said.

"The department will continue to be on high alert to serve the residents and the many visitors of our township through the end of this heatwave and into the holiday weekend," Seaman said.

Though they were not as busy as they thought they might be amid the thunderstorms, he offered a reminder:

"Use extreme caution, do not drive through flooded roadways. Stay safe and stay hydrated," he said.

Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff