Beach Haven Fire Co. has busiest year on record since 2012

From Dec. 1, 2014 to Nov. 30, 2015 the Beach Haven Volunteer Fire Co. responded to the highest number of calls on record since 2012, when Superstorm Sandy hit and bumped total calls up to approximately 400, said Fire Chief Matt Letts.

Photo via Facebook
The company's new fire truck, picked up
in September, is the first out on all calls.

This year’s total calls reached 330, with the bulk consisting of 115 fire alarms, 40 arcing wires/pole fires, 33 water rescues and 20 carbon monoxide alarms. Additional calls for the year included 13 odor investigations and 13 unattended cooking calls, among others.

The “only thing I can think is (there were) more people on the Island,” said Letts said.

Calls were answered in Beach Haven, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, Surf City and Harvey Cedars as well as Stafford Township and Little Egg Harbor.

Department volunteers put in 3,177.5 man hours for calls, and logged 4,779.8 man hours overall, including 989 hours for functions and fundraisers, 508 training hours and 105.3 hours on stand-by.

“The members did an awesome job,” Letts said. They were “always there when the calls came in. Through storms, heat and cold, middle of the day or middle of the night, they were professionals.”

On average, the fire company responds to about 250 to 280 calls annually. Last year, volunteers answered 260 calls, just 56 calls fewer than the previous year’s total, which was the second highest year in calls after 2012.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.