07/07/2026
July has certainly been an eventful month so far.
In just the first six days of July, our personnel have responded to more than 100 incidents. Between record-breaking temperatures, high winds, and severe thunderstorms, our members have faced an extraordinary operational tempo, responding to more than 30 incidents each day on July 3 and July 4 alone. During this period, more than 35 department members have answered the call to serve our community.
Our responses have included structure fires, downed power lines, motor vehicle accidents, fire alarms, brush fires, carbon monoxide emergencies, generator fires, medical emergencies, downed trees, water rescues, and even a building collapse.
July 1: Crews responded to a serious motor vehicle accident on Monmouth Road involving a vehicle trapped underneath a tractor-trailer. Two occupants were entrapped, requiring extrication.
July 3: An evening windstorm wreaked havoc throughout the area, resulting in numerous downed power lines, fallen trees, brush fires, and a variety of weather-related emergencies.
July 4: Personnel continued to respond to power line emergencies, carbon monoxide incidents, and many other calls throughout the day. At approximately 6:15 p.m., the department was dispatched to a fire alarm on Rike Drive. Units arrived to find fire involving the building and immediately transmitted a second alarm. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of our crews and numerous mutual aid agencies, the fire was brought under control quickly.
July 5: Early in the morning, our Squad Company responded to a structure fire in Manalapan Township, operating for approximately one hour before returning to service. While the pace slowed slightly, crews still handled 15 calls for service before ending the day with a reported house fire that was quickly mitigated.
July 6: The day began with multiple incidents before 11:00 a.m. before personnel responded as part of the Monmouth County Technical Rescue Team to a building collapse in Ocean Township. After arriving on scene, our firefighters were reassigned to multiple water rescue operations, where they worked for several hours before returning to town. While operating in Ocean Township, additional personnel handled a half dozen incidents.
Despite the relentless pace, long hours, and physical exhaustion, the members of this department continued to provide the professional, first-class service our residents deserve. We are incredibly proud of the dedication, teamwork, and commitment demonstrated by every member throughout this demanding stretch.
We would also like to remind everyone of an important public safety concern:
Please do not move or drive around cones, barricades, caution tape, or emergency vehicles parked in the roadway with their emergency lights activated.
During these incidents, our crews repeatedly had to stop operations to re-close roadways, and multiple traffic control devices were damaged after being struck by vehicles. Road closures are established for the safety of both the public and emergency responders. The few extra minutes it takes to follow a detour can prevent serious injury—or worse.
Unfortunately, this has become an increasingly common problem in recent years. We ask for your patience, cooperation, and respect for emergency scenes so that we can continue working safely and effectively when our community needs us most. One particular incident occurred yesterday in which a vehicle caused further damaged less than 30 minutes after barricades had been replaced.
We often speak about the mutual aid system. The past 6 days have been no different with outside agencies responding into our town to provide assistance and our agency responding into other communities. No town can stand alone, and residents of the region benefit from these partnerships. We thank our mutual aid partners for their continued support.
On Sunday a number of out of state utility crews arrived in town and went right to work re-establishing power to the majority of the damaged areas by day break on Monday. If you see these crews working on your streets, make sure you thank them for their efforts.
Lastly but certainly not least, we thank our residents that demonstrated great understanding and cooperation during this exceptionally busy start to July.
