2014 consists of fewer alarms for fire co., more traffic tickets in Beach Haven

Photo by Liam McKenna
Members of the Beach Haven Fire Co. battle
flames from a structure fire in Ship Bottom.

The Beach Haven Volunteer Fire Co. has responded to nearly 40 calls since Dec. 1.

The department answered 260 calls from Dec. 1, 2013, to Nov. 30, 2014, just 56 calls fewer than the previous year’s total. The bulk of calls in 2014 consisted of 77 fire alarms, 36 gas leaks and 17 mutual aid water rescues. Additional calls for the year included 16 CO alarms, 12 water leaks/electrical hazards and 11 arcing or downed wires/pole fires as well as 11 unattended cooking calls, among others.

On average, the fire company usually responds to about 250 to 280 calls annually, said Matt Letts, Beach Haven fire chief.

The fire company made 316 calls during 2013, making it the second highest year in calls after 2012, when the company responded to a total of 400 calls, many of which stemmed from Superstorm Sandy. The bulk of the calls in 2013 consisted of 101 fire alarms, 46 gas leaks and 38 arcing wires.

According to the Beach Haven Police Department’s annual activities report, officers responded to 15,399 incidents in 2014, a total of 1,074 less than the previous year. The members, however, issued 473 more summonses than in 2013, totaling 2,050.

Motor vehicle stops totaled 2,867, which is an increase of 637 stops from the previous year. Police also responded to 41 more noise complaints than in 2013.

Adult arrests in 2014 totaled 94, and juvenile arrests totaled 32. There were 42 narcotics arrests.

Officers responded to 114 fewer incidents and issued 58 fewer summonses in December than November in 2014. Motor vehicle warnings dropped from 98 to 65, and motor vehicle stops dropped from 150 to 77.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.