Deer Park Fire Company - Cherry Hill, NJ - Firehouses on Waymarking.com

I have been passing this fire station for almost four decades and today, a hoagie sale made me stop in to learn about this place. The chief gave me a tour and spoke with me for twenty minutes. The Cherry Hill Fire District is huge and this fire company was the first of seven stations. When it first started they were all volunteer and managed to keep that status while the rest of Cherry Hill are paid professionals. While they are technically a part of the Cherry Hill Fire District, they are very independent and have their own board of "directors" which makes decisions and decides how the company will be run. Essentially, they are off the "grid" but serve the grid.

At one point they were closed for a year because they could not man the fire trucks with volunteers. They came up with an idea, to be a rehab center, that is, to provide support for fire fighters, two alarms and above. Although not glamorous, they help firemen and women, providing essential support, water, cooling packs, first aid, food and other necessities. They provide service in four counties (Camden, Burlington, Gloucester & Atlantic) and recently a fifth (Ocean). They were on scene for the huge fire we had last year in Warren Grove (Bass River)

They have specially equipted trucks with pull out drawers, heating and cooled sections, water pumps, rest rooms (believe it or not) and other amenities to help emergency personal in the field. This idea is pretty new and in the USA, they are one of a few that provide this service. The company is run by former firemen who want to still be in the business but for one reason or another, cannot actively serve. From what I saw, it is a tight community of firemen who live locally and believe in their community and want nothing more than to serve.