Official Website of the

Station 51 ~ Established 1875

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CMFD and USCG Fire Repond to Gas Main Fire

     CMFD units along with USCG Units were alerted to a ruptured gas main with fire. Fire Units arrived on scene and secured a water supply and deployed handlines to protect exposures. South Jersey Gas arrived on scene and began working to stop the leak and the fire. CMFD and USCG personnel stood by and protected the gas workers as they worked close to the fire. The line was secured approx. one hour after the initial dispatch and all CMFD and USCG Fire Units cleared the scene.

CMFD Assists on 10 Alarm Wildwood Fire

CMFD Engine 5131 along with 9 personnel were dispatched originally to cover the Borough of Wildwood Crest, but were quickly requested to the scene of the Shore Plaza Motel for a working fire.  The Shore Plaza Motel is located at 26th Avenue and the Boardwalk in Wildwood, and was also home to Sam's Pizza, Rita's Water Ice, and a boardwalk game venue.  The fire quickly grew to ten alarms and Wildwood City Fire Chief Conrad Johnson utilized equipment and personnel from surrounding departments to assist in battling this blaze.  CMFD personnel were on scene for approximately 9 hours before being cleared by Wildwood Fire Command.

In Memory of Sgt. William Alvarez, Cape May PD

Cape May Fire Department Career Firefighter / EMT's

CMFD, USCG, Townbank Battle Fire at Lobster House Restaurant

October 12 - On September 26 at approximately 03:00 hours the Cape May Fire Department duty crew A-Shift along with the US Coast Guard Station 59, and Townbank Fire Company were alerted to an activated alarm at the Lobster House restaurant.  The alarm was upgraded to a water flow alarm due to sprinkler activation and then again as a working structure fire.  USCG Assistant Chief was the first officer on the scene and confirmed the fire.  CMFD Engine 5131 was the first engine on the scene.  Engine 5131 established a water supply and began advancing hose lines to attack the fire.  USCG Engine 5932 arrived on scene next and assisted in the initial attack.

Townbank Fire Co. was the next in company and the CMFD and USCG were assisting Townbank Fire Co. on this fire since this structure is in an area of Lower Township that is protected by the Townbank Fire Co. Station 61.  A mutual aid agreement between the CMFD and USCG is in place to respond since the proximity of the area is closer to stations 51 and 59. 

Erma Fire Company Station 62 was called to the scene to establish another water supply and supply the engine from Townbank.  The Cape May County Fire Marshalls Office is investigating the fire, which they believe to have started in an exhaust fan on the second floor. 

Cape May FD Battles Bait & Tackle Shop Fire

August 31 - Cape May Fire Department Duty Crew C - Shift was alerted at approximately 03:45 for a reported structure fire at the Cape May Marina.  Cape May Police arrived on scene and confirmed the fire and stated the structure was fully involved.  Chief Inderweis Jr. (5100) arrived on scene and assumed command.  Engine 5131, Tower 5154, and ambulance 5197 responded from the CMFD.  An island All-Call was dispatched as per protocol for all of Cape Island for any confirmed structure fire, bringing apparatus from U.S. Coast Guard Station 59, West Cape May VFC Station 57, and Cape May Point VFC Station 58.  Cape May FD Volunteers arrived on scene to assist in the initial attack of the fire.  The fire was placed under control approximately 30 minutes into the incident.  The Cape May County Fire Marshals Office is investigating the fire and believes an electrical malfunction may have caused the blaze. 

Banner Plane Crashed in Water Off Cape May Beach

July 5 - A banner plane flying above the beaches of Cape May lost power and made an emergency landing in the water about 100 yards off Broadway Beach in Cape May.

Cape May Beach Patrol lifeguards were able to rescue the pilot of the plane who was uninjured by the crash and bring the pilot to the beach where the Cape May Fire Department personnel were awaiting him.  The pilot was transported to Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital and later released.  The initial report to the CMFD headquarters was that a plane had crashed on the beach in front of lifeguard headquarters.  Luckily the pilot was able to steer the plane into the water avoiding a mass casualty incident on the beach. 

Special thanks to Adam Gilson and the Cape May Star and Wave for photos of the incident.

Cape May Fire Department, Town Bank Fire Dive Team, and Cape May Point Fire Department Respond to Man Overboard off Cape May Point
 

May 6 - A 14 year old male passenger on a Whale and Dolphin Watching Vessel fell overboard on April 30th 2005 at approx 1330 hours.  A call was received by the CMFD via the direct line from the CMPD dispatcher stating a man fell overboard off of Cape MAy Point and was injured. The CMFD immediately called for assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard requesting their first response vessel along with Air Support from the U.S. Coast Guard Station Atlantic City. The Town Bank Vol. Fire Co.'s Dive Rescue Team was requested along with the Dive Rescue Team from the Fortescue Fire Co. in Cumberland County.  The Cape May Point Vol. Fire Co. was also summoned to assist in the land based rescue operations.

The land based command post was established at the Surf Ave. beach access in Cape May Point, with CMFD Chief Jerome Inderwies Jr. as the Incident Commander for the land based operations.  The CMFD Duty Crew ( C-Shift ) responded in full cold water rescue apparel to attempt an initial water rescue from the beach. The victim had not been seen for sometime by the passengers of the vessel, therefore entering the water blind was not an option by the first rescuers on scene.  The Town Bank Dive Team was established on the beach with their Dive Rescue Unit as the Command Vehicle. The Fortescue Dive Team also established themselves with TBVFD on the beach.

4x4 vehicles from the CMFD, TBVFC, CMPVFC, the NJ State Park Rangers, a pick-up owned by an off-duty FF/EMT from the CMFD (Alpha-3), and 3 ATV'S from members of the Erma and Green Creek Fire Co.'s patrolled the beaches and searched the jetties from the the Cold Spring Inlet to the U.S. Coast Guard Base Cape May. The search was called off at dusk and was to resume at 6AM the following morning.  The NJ State Marine Police along with the U.S. Coast Guard continued patrols of the water.

The CMFD would like to Thank all the agencies involved in the rescue/recovery effort as well as the WCMVFC and U.S. Coast Guard Fire Dept. for coverage of the city during the incident.  The CMFD asks that your prayers be with the victim and his family.
 

CMFD Participates In Cape Island Drill Hosted By Cape May Point Vol. Fire Co.#1

March 31 - The CMFD along with West Cape May Vol. Fire Co. and the U. S Coast Guard Fire Dept. participated in a drill in Cape May Point on a structure that is considered to be a high-risk life hazard. The drill was planned to address apparatus placement along with the ability to establish a plentiful water supply while large diameter hose lines are in use. Aerials from West Cape May Vol. Fire Co. and the CMFD were in service to determine efficient placement for suppression of such a large building. The Chiefs of all four Fire Dept.'s deemed the drill a great success with valuable information gathered. Special Thanks to the Cape May Point Vol. Fire Co. #1 for setting up the drill and allowing the Island Fire Depts. to work together for the betterment of the Cape Islands different municipalities.

CMFD Trains for Ice Rescue Emergencies

February 18 - Members of the CMFD conducted Ice Rescue Training in January. The CMFD in conjunction with the Dive Rescue Team from the Townbank Fire Company (Station 61) is trained and prepared for handling Ice Rescue Emergencies.
 

Cape May and US Coast Guard Firefighters Conduct WMD Training

A Weapons of Mass Destruction Awareness and Operations course was held at Station 51 on December 13 and 14, 2004.  Firefighters from Station 51 and Station 59 participated in the course which was instructed by Mike Stork from ETC.  The course consisted of hands on training as well as quality classroom training and was well received by the attendees. 

CMFD and USGCFD Battle Fire in Coast Guard Housing Complex

At 1456 hrs on November 18, 2004 a fire broke out in a bedroom of the home at 1711 C Pennsylvania Avenue.  The unit used to house United States Coast Guard Personnel.  CMFD Engine 5131 and USCGFD Engine 5932 arrived almost simultaneously and began an aggressive attack on the fire.  The West Cape May Fire Company was dispatched to cover the City of Cape May while CMFD crews battled the fire.  Tower 5154 saw its first action as it was used to assist personnel in overhaul of the eaves of the structure.  The fire was contained to the bedroom of origin and no injuries were reported.  Fire personnel were able to rescue a dog that was trapped in the structure in its cage.  CMFD units cleared the scene at approximately 17:00 hours, releasing the scene to USCGFD command. 

Tower 5154 Housing Ceremonies

The Housing ceremony for Tower 5154 went off without a hitch on October 10, 2004.  Perfect weather and a great turnout made the day a memorable one.  Fire Companies from throughout the county brought apparatus down to join in the festivities. Trophies were awarded to the winners of the selected categories and the United States Coast Guard Band led the way along with the Boy Scouts towing an antique fire hose cart from the 1890s which was restored prior to the Housing by Arnold Pittman, a volunteer with the Cape May Fire Department.  The Chief of the Department, Jerome Inderwies Jr., along with Police Chief Diane Sorantino, Mayor Jerome Inderwies Sr., County Freeholder Ralph Bakely, Assemblyman Jeff VanDrew, and Fire Company President Paul "Barky" Lundholm gave important speeches and thoughtful acknowledgement to the department and the public.  The ceremony closed in tradition with the members of the department simulating pushing Tower 5154 into the firehouse and officially placing it into service.

The Cape May Fire Department would like to thank everyone who came out for the ceremony and special thanks to the City of Cape May Public Works department for all the hard work they put in preparing the grounds for the event. 

4th of July Parade Displays Apparatus Old and New

The annual 4th of July parade in Cape May proudly showed off its newest and oldest pieces of apparatus.  The new E-one 95' Tower saw its first in-town parade with FF/EMT George Rea Jr. at the wheel and drew quite a rise out of the large crowd of patriotic supporters that lined the beachfront.  The 1928 American LaFrance engine saw its first parade in many years and was manned by Lt. Robert Elwell Jr.  The parade as always was a great success and the CMFD was proud to show off to the people its oldest and newest apparatus. 

Tower 54 in service in CMFD

The CMFD took delivery of its new E-One 95 foot tower and recently placed it in service.  Tower 5154 replaces the 100 foot rear mount 1977 Seagrave Lader.  The CMFD members have been training vigorously on the new piece of apparatus and are very excited about their newest tool in fire protection for the city and its residents.  A Housing for the new apparatus will be scheduled at a later date and will be posted on the website. 

Two hired, Three Promoted in CMFD

4/19/04 - The City of Cape May promoted three of its bravest Monday night, and officially hired two others.  Acting Chief Jerome Inderwies Jr., with his wife and three children at his side, was officially sworn in as Fire Chief.  FF/EMT David Halbruner, with his wife at his side, was officially promoted to Lieuenant.  FF/EMT Robert Elwell Jr. was promoted to Lieutenant at a seperate ceremony, also with his wife at his side. 

FF/EMT Michael Eck, with his wife at his side and family in attendance, was officially sworn in.  FF/EMT Alex Coulter with his fiance and daughter at his side and parents in attendance was sworn in as well.  The addition and promotions to the CMFD brought a large crowd of supporters as well as the majority of the members of the department, paid and volunteer. 

The ceremony was held at a monthly city council meeting at city hall in Cape May with the entire city council and Mayor present.