Fire

History of the Township of Springfield Fire Department

On February 3, 1906, at a meeting of the Township’s Citizens, a resolution was passed to incorporate the “Springfield Volunteer Fire Department, Company Number One”.  Citizens were very nervous about the possibility of a fire since major fires had occurred in various cities across the country. Funding for the Department was raised by selling shares or insurance policies to the various interested citizens at the initial cost of $2.00 per share. 

The thirty-five charter members acquired its first piece of apparatus with the purchase of a hand-drawn hose reel.  Help in pulling this was done by the men, as well as citizens and at times the Morris County Traction Company would allow the Volunteers to hook the cart to the back of the trolley.

The original firehouse was located at 295 Morris Avenue.  It remained as the Headquarters until 1921, when it was relocated to Caldwell place, in what is now the rear of Town Hall on Mountain Avenue.  This small three-bay facility was the home of Fire Headquarters until 2004 when a new facility was completed at 200 Mountain Avenue, which consists of five bays facing Mountain Avenue and three bays facing the rear of the building.  This new building is shared with the Office of Emergency Management, which relocated from the Sarah Bailey Civic Center located on Church Mall. 

Some of the original fire apparatus – the Hose Reel and a 1933 Diamond “T” Chemical Pumper are still owned by the Department and are used for parades and Fire Prevention Week displays.

In 1929, the Township was faced with the need for increased daytime fire coverage. Many of the volunteers were business owners and others were struggling for work due to the Depression and had to venture into the cities in search of employment. This economic condition impacted the Department’s ability to provide fire protection. A small staff of full-time Career Firefighters was hired to supplement the Volunteers.

During the period from the 1940’s until around the 1960’s a corps of Reserve Firefighters was established under the Civil Defense program. The unit supplemented the Department during the available manpower shortages caused by World War II and the Korean War.  The members of the reserves were eventually given membership as Volunteer Firefighters. In 2004 the Fire Department was relocated to 200 Mountain Avenue.

Today, the Springfield Fire Department has 27 Career Firefighters, and three civilian personnel under the command of the Fire Chief.  The Fire Department is organized into four duty tours under the operational management of an Administrative Captain. The Fire Department is currently organized with four duty tours working 24 hours on, 72 hour off schedule. The duty tours are composed of five Firefighters and supervised by a Fire Captain.  The duty tour staffs the first-due engine with a minimum manning of four career members; the Department relies on recalled off-duty career personnel to staff the remaining units.

Table of Organization 

The Springfield Fire Department has 27 Career Firefighters under the command of the Chief of Department. The Fire Department is organized into four duty tours under the operational management of the Administrative Captain. Each tour is supervised by a Captain. The table of organization includes a Fire Prevention Bureau. The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety requires the inspections of all Commercial, Educational and Special Residential Occupancies. These life hazard inspections are conducted by the duty tours. The non-life hazard inspections are conducted by a Fire Inspector. 

Please see the Selling Your Home below in the Forms section. 

Please see the Fire Safety Permit below in the forms section. 

Please see the Knox Box Information below in the Forms section.