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Cape May Fire Department
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| The Cape May Fire Department is a combination department consisting
of career and volunteer personnel. The career personnel provide
EMS coverage for the city of Cape May, West Cape May, Cape May Point,
and civilians on the USCG base when there is a medical emergency and provide
the first due engine company and truck company at all fire incidents in
the City of Cape May. The Cape May Fire Department also provides the first
due engine company for the entire island which includes sections of Lower
Township. We are also the Rapid Intervention Crew for Station 61 the Townbank
VFC ,Station 62 the Erma VFC, and th3 Villas Fire Co. Station 60 in Lower
Township.The career staff are all members of IAFF Local 3495.
The volunteer members are called to duty on all box fire alarms and when an additional ambulance is requested, stretching the career staff to capacity. The volunteer members carry their Personal Protective Equipment in their personal vehicles and respond directly to the fire scene. A few members respond to the station to man additional apparatus if it is needed. The volunteer members are an essential part of the fire protection for the City of Cape May and are dedicated members of the department. The Cape May Fire Department protects the city with three BLS ambulances, three engine companies, one truck company, one rescue truck, a utility 4x4 chevy suburban, a chiefs vehicle, a deuce and a half utility truck for floods and severe weather incidents, and a sixteenfoot aluminum boat for floods, marina fires, or water rescue assignments. The U.S. Coast Guard Fire Department Station 59 is dispatched on all first alarm assignments with the CMFD .The West Cape May Fire Company, and the Cape May Point Fire Company are dispatched as the second alarm companies. Townbank Fire Co. Station 61 is the designated R.I.T Company for the CMFD. The residents and visitors of the city are alerted to an emergency with the sound of the Diaphone that sounds when a box alarm is sounded. The career personnel on duty activate the Diaphone from the station house before responding. The code the Diaphone sounds is to indicate where the old pull stations were located throughout the city. to give the vicinity of the incident. The Diaphone has been in use by the CMFD since the 1920's. |
