When Every Minute Counts: Stone Harbor Reaping Benefits of Adding Full-Time Firefighters
The team of Stone Harbor firefighters (both career and volunteer) after they helped battle an extra-alarm fire in Wildwood on June 14. From left: Chris Gay, Ed Orzech, Batt.Chief James Bailey, Bob McClure Jr., Josh Otton, Tina Sacco, Peter Conlin, Chief Roger Stanford.
What’s your day at the office like? Phone calls, sales, report deadlines?
One day seems like the last one, right?
How about responding to an extra-alarm fire in a motel? Or going on an ambulance call for a sick person?
Stone Harbor’s firefighters never know what they’ll respond to. But they do know that they’ll respond to that call within a minute or two, and that can mean the difference in keeping a house fire small or even saving a life.
You might have noticed the fire-damaged structure on Stone Harbor Boulevard. That fire happened last winter. And while the damage was significant, the quick response and attack saved the structure. A few more minutes’ delay and the house would likely have simply burned down. And a recent fire on Third Avenue was quickly contained due to the fast response.
Full-time firefighters in Stone Harbor have made the difference in those and other emergencies.
As with many smaller communities, fire protection in Stone Harbor had been provided by all-volunteer companies. Members responded to the station from home when there was an alarm. In most towns, the response is within just a few minutes.
But Stone Harbor had a specific problem: Almost all of its members lived on the mainland.
Fire Chief Roger Stanford cuts to the chase: “The all-volunteer system wasn’t working. Most of our volunteers live on the mainland, as they can’t afford to live in town. It was taking too long to respond to calls as those volunteers may take 8 to 10 minutes or so to get from their homes to the station. And longer on weekend days.”
Stanford, who has been a fire company member since 1981 and chief for 32 years, lives in Swainton, and had kept the Borough Council in the loop about the situation for years. “They’ve been completely supportive,” he said, in the effort to find the right way to staff the fire station.
Stanford says that the hiring of full-time firefighter/EMTs has enabled Stone Harbor to meet the changing demands of the fire company, which had been all-volunteer until 2021.
Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour and the Borough Council agreed that hiring full-time firefighters ultimately was the answer. Stanford and the mayor worked closely on a plan with then-council members Ray Parzych and Josee Rich to do just that.
Finally in 2021, the municipal government created nine full-time firefighter positions to provide 24/7 coverage, with a fast-responding crew that typically is on the way within 90 seconds or so. Those who were hired were already fire company members, which the chief said is to the advantage of all because they know the town, the trucks, and the way the company operates at a fire scene, as well as other nuances like firehouse traditions and policies. And maybe most importantly, they know many of the people they get called to help. It can be especially reassuring for those needing an ambulance to see a friendly face.
Some years back, the company recognized a growing problem, as the all-volunteer, traditional respond-from-home system was not as effective as it should be. Duty crews of volunteers to staff the station, and even offering a modest stipend, were tried. But most of the volunteers had full-time jobs and it was difficult to make it work. The stipends essentially were a reimbursement for the cost of membership – responding to the station for calls, clothes that were at minimum dirtied by ashes and smoke and more. Stipends had been distributed for more than 20 years. Stanford says the reality of the situation (common to many volunteer fire companies now) is that, “It’s not like younger people are beating down your doors to join.”
The workload was increasing for both fire and EMS (the fire company operates the ambulance in town). Like most resort towns, the winter population of just over 850 swells to more than 20,000 in the warmer months. In 2021, SHFC responded to more than 1,100 calls. This June alone, there were more than 200 calls, with the peak months of July and August just ahead.
But for any of these responses, the firefighters have to be proficient with the various types of equipment they might be using, whether it’s oxygen and other medical gear, to fire attack tactics, to using hydraulic rescue tools, hazardous atmosphere sensing devices, and more. There are also air packs they wear in many situations. The career staff trains during its shifts, and the volunteers have a drill night every Thursday night.
In addition to the calls for alarm-system activations, there are motor vehicle collisions and life-threat calls like a heart attack or difficulty breathing to which both a fire truck and ambulance respond.
Ocean and bay rescues are also in the mix. The department is equipped with multiple ways to work in either situation, from a WaveRunner and boat, to floatation gear and drysuits for members to wear no matter the water temperature.
Career firefighter Bob McClure Jr. explains that all of the career members and volunteers train regularly, and the career members have Open Water Awareness training to keep them prepared for the various conditions they might encounter.
The volunteers remain a key part of the plan. Stanford said that in addition to the paid crew responding, there are still about nine volunteer members who respond to calls as they are able.
What also helps is that the chief and battalion chief have full-time municipal jobs. Stanford is the fire official and Battalion Chief James Bailey is the fire inspector, positions that are normal in any town, and in a sense are part of the full-time fire staff as they also respond to calls while they’re working.
So, here’s how it works:
Three of the full-timers and one seasonal firefighter work a 48-hour shift at the fire station. During the day, they train, check equipment, and handle calls as they come in.
Meals are in the kitchen, and they sleep in a bunk room. Then they’re off-duty for 96 hours while the other two platoons are working, but they still respond to calls as necessary. And the volunteers respond as they can, whether they are at the firehouse or coming from home. Just three volunteers live in town, while a few others have jobs in town and can respond.
One thing about the fire service that helps get members: family. Stanford’s son Cody and nephew Josh Otton are members, as are Deputy Chief Bob McClure Sr. and Bob Jr.; President/Lieutenant Lou Donofrio Jr. and his son Lou Donofrio III; Jeff Conlin and his son Peter; and two brothers, Jerry and John “Tippy” Vandenbraak.
The elder McClure, a volunteer, has been a member since 1975. He grew up in Stone Harbor and is part of a family that has served in the fire company going back to grandfathers and uncles almost 100 years. His son grew up around the firehouse, but it took him a bit before he joined. Now he’s a career firefighter who, once he got into basic training, realized that “It was awesome!”
The younger Donofrio is a career firefighter who has been a member just over six years. He was always around the firehouse as a youngster and went to all the parades. He initially wanted to be a police officer, but always being around the station changed his mind as he simply “fell in love with it.”
It’s a setup that works for Stone Harbor and the community at large.
Stone Harbor’s Fire Company welcomes visitors especially during their weekly open house on Thursday nights from 7-8pm. The station is at 175 96th St., just off Second Avenue, and the members have the trucks in front of the station for all to see. And if you might be interested in volunteering there or in your hometown’s fire company, stop in and see what it’s all about.