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Opinions Differ on Closing Holly Beach Firehouse to Voters
WILDWOOD – City voters won’t be heading to the Holly Beach firehouse for the upcoming May 10 municipal election. A school election April 27 is also out. Instead, the Wildwoods Convention Center will host two of the most ballyhooed elections in the city’s history, a move triggered by necessity or vengeance, depending on who’s talking.
The Holly Beach Volunteer Fire Company, in a letter dated March 18, notified the city it would no longer allow elections at its Washington Avenue building. Signed by Secretary Robert Harvey, the all-caps, three-paragraph missive states in part that the fire company closed its doors “due to the recent decision of the mayor and commissioners to no longer support the (city’s) volunteer fire companies.”
“Namely,” it states, “to no longer accept financial responsibility” for the utilities.
It goes on to say that “due to the lack of support by the current administration,” the firehouse will no longer be able to provide “no charge” usage of its facility, but will be available on a “rental-basis only,” elections not included.
Mayor Gary DeMarzo confirmed that the city, earlier this year, pulled its cash support from both the Holly Beach Fire Company and the city’s other volunteer organization, the Wildwood Fire Company on Pine Avenue. Both groups, he said, had utility payments at their buildings cut off, including gas, electric, cable, phone and Internet.
DeMarzo said the city’s bleak financial picture heading into the new year precipitated the change. In a certified letter to both companies dated Jan. 10, 2011, he noted “lean and troubling financial times” as reason to “understand and properly manage funds” entrusted to public servants. He also advised that residents sought a “true picture” of what both organizations cost and warned he would be seeking a future audit of each.
“Closing their doors to the election?” DeMarzo told the Herald. “That’s just retaliation for the audit.”
According to DeMarzo, he’s warned Holly Beach before that he found their bookkeeping to be suspect.
In a letter dated Aug. 26, 2010 from the mayor to Harvey regarding social affairs permits, DeMarzo wrote that the fire company is “under scrutiny for several monetary agreements, both written and verbal,” that were entered into with the municipality in the past.
The letter states that “anomalies” were found during the city’s own audit and asks that the fire company “secure any money generated in escrow” and “maintain any sales receipts generated or any other monetary transactions” related to the group’s events.
Failure to do so, the letter says, will result in cancellation of the organization’s social affairs permits.
“This latest move is just a way to get back at the city for calling them out,” said DeMarzo.
Harvey, however, disagreed.
“It’s not retaliation for the books,” he said, referencing the fire company’s unwillingness to open their books to the city.
“They’ve truly put us in the corner. We’re going to have to rent out the facility just to afford the utilities they won’t pay,” he said.
“It’s either that, or we do a lot more fundraising,” he added.
Neither the city nor the fire company had a figure immediately available on the overall cost of utilities.
“But it’s not cheap to maintain,” said Harvey.
Additionally, he said, the city also stripped Holly Beach of its annual clothing allowance. Each of the 30-plus members of the group would have been given $200 around Christmas, but it never materialized last year, Harvey said.
“I’ve been with the company 53 years, and this is the first time we didn’t get that,” he said. “They city’s just decided to not support us in any way, shape or form.”
Harvey said the volunteer firemen purchase a lot of their own gear, and the clothing allowance helped offset that.
He also said the firehouse that local officials now refuse to support with utility payments was built at no expense to the city or its taxpayers.
“They didn’t spend one single penny on it,” Harvey said, “not on that or the 200 pieces of equipment inside it.”
But, he said, the city, and the mayor specifically, continue to “take the company to task.”
“We purchased a truck. We paid for it with our own money, not the taxpayers’ money. He (DeMarzo) turned us into the state and said we did not use the bidding process,” said Harvey. “It’s just the way it is. That’s the path he’s chosen.”
Likewise, he said, space on the boardwalk that the fire company was allowed to rent out to others was taken away.
“A resolution was adopted years ago giving that to us,” Harvey said. “But, they took it away too. The city owns it, and they just took it back.”
As a private organization, Harvey said the fire company is non-profit and tax-exempt. It is also not subject to a city audit, he added.
“We don’t take money from the city or the taxpayers,” said Harvey. “We’re an independent organization and our funds belong to us.”
For example, he said, the organization’s own funds of approximately $3,200 just paid for a broken heater in the building.
“And we’ve got another one going bad, so we’ll have to pay to fix that too,” he said.
Maintenance, he said, in addition to the utilities, and the added costs of equipment and training leave the fire company no choice but to rent out the building for events.
“Because our hoagie sales and other fundraisers just aren’t going to cut it,” Harvey said. “The expense has become too great.”
The Holly Beach Firehouse has been used for every federal, state and local election for about the last 10 years, said Harvey. The vote to close it this year for those purposes was unanimous.
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Thu, 04/14/2011 - 9:33pm - Posted by: wcfirechief24
Well to all of you critical of the volunteers, It seems to me that the real cost would lie with the paid service. However the attention seem to be on the volunteer dept's. I would venture to guess that the "volleys" provide a valuable service and safe the city a tremendous amount of money.. I also venture to guess that those complaining would be shell shocked if the city hired all the manpower needed under law & recommendation. I know the nfpa standards are not required but I also would venture to guess that when push come to shove and it benefitted the powers that be, the standard would certainly be brought to bear....
Thu, 04/14/2011 - 3:25pm - Posted by: googler
There is only 4 fire departments in the island of which the 8 fire stations fall under. Most of these stations are owned by the individual fire companies. Out of the 8 firehouses only 3 of them are owned by the municipalites. I do agree there should only be one firehouse in each town but most of them are privately owned. Stone harbor is not volunteer they receive compensation. If you are active in the fire department you receive $200 a month & if you are active with the ambulance you receive up to$ 300 a month. So for being a "volunteer" you can make $500 a month. Plus let us not forget that the ambulance in stone harbor has a paid crew on usualy on weekends and during the summer. These same people collect a paycheck and receive a stipend. Avalon doed have a volunteer fire department but the ambulance is paid 24 hours a day which is funded by the boro. Also avalon has paid fire inspectors that are funded by the boro. Wildwood firefighters staff the ambulance and do inspections in the city of wildwood. You forgot to mention that. Obviously you did not do your research about thses so called free volunteer departments. And finaly the inspections for wildwood are listed separately and do not count towards the actual emergency call totals!
Thu, 04/14/2011 - 1:14pm - Posted by: mrjojo11
Do you think the people of Avalon and Stone Harbor think less of their families lives. Avalon is 4.5 square miles, the same size as all 4 Wildwoods put together and they only have ONE VOLUNTEER fire department.
Stone Harbor is about the 1.2 square miles and they only have ONE VOLUNTEER fire department.
The City of Wildwood is 1.3 square miles and TWO VOLUNTEER fire departments across the street from the paid dept.) and ONE PAID fire department.
All 4 Wildwoods put together have 8 fire departments. We certainly don't need to pay these extremely high salaries for firemen to come and inspect our homes for smoke detectors since they put those figures in their count for calls made.
Wed, 04/13/2011 - 6:10pm - Posted by: wcfirechief24
To everyone who is critical of the fire service, How much is the life of you and your family & friends worth???? think about that for awhile!!!!!!!!!
Wed, 04/13/2011 - 2:20pm - Posted by: Rival
article in the PRESS today North Wildwood is closing their two extra polling places too. Shoreman still using that nine year old study? i hear lower taxpayers PAY over TWO MILLION for their volunteer (3) departments, i quess thats what you want here in Wildwood.
Wed, 04/13/2011 - 12:20pm - Posted by: wildwoodhaze
WW concerned, 16, 2 admin and 14ff/emts, are there any other supervisors? The Fireman that did a presentation for the city, stated, Chief, Deputy Chief, 4 platoons and a Captian for each platoon. If that is correct, you have 6 supervisors for 10 men/women. The city's expense is in supervisor salaries. There's an old saying " to many chiefs and not enough indians"
Wed, 04/13/2011 - 8:58am - Posted by: ww concerned citizen
John F there are only 16, 2 admin and 14ff/emts, career ff's in Wildwood, their is suppossed to be 18 but only 16 currently. The fire dept also runs the rescue squad. So at times you have 1 person responding to an emergency because the ambulance is out. Shoreman you left out the part of the consolidation study that said to HIRE more ff's due to inadequate staffing levles!!!!!!!!! Don;t worry 5 LESS ff's will make everything OK!!????? http://wildwoodfmba50.com has powerpoint on the website everyone should see, click on the part that says impt facts and figures. Its very eye opening, it opened my eyes.
Wed, 04/13/2011 - 12:45am - Posted by: SHOREMAN
Why do we need 3 fire departments in the city of Wildwood. There was already a study done that would save the taxpayers millions that suggested the paid fire departments in North WW and Wildwood consolidate and each town elminate one volunteer fire dept. each.
This Holly Beach Volunteer Fire Dept. is across the street from the Wildwood full-time fire department. How ridiculous is that! And all four of the Wildwoods only make up 4.5 square miles yet have 8 fire departments. Time for the GRAVY TRAIN to leave town and get the taxes down.
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 11:22pm - Posted by: capejay
If the city can't afford the payments they need to provide a solution where the companies can generate utility revenue. This is an important service that saves the town revenue.
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 5:02pm - Posted by: wcfirechief24
what does the city do with all the money it collects all summer? It must me an extraordinary amount judging by the population increase in the summer.. The residents better speak up and reach out to help.
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 4:47pm - Posted by: sealjosh
WW definitely doesn't have 28 full time FF/EMTs
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 4:10pm - Posted by: John F
According to the FMBA, there are only 28 career firefighters in Wildwood. That would mean that there are seven on duty at any given time. Even if you call up an off duty platoon, you could only double that number at best. Not to mention the fact that firefighters also run EMS, and at least two could be out of town at the Hospital on a shoe run at any given moment.
Do you want your family protected by only 7 men? Yes, they are brave, and dedicated, and WELL PAID. The services provided by the volunteers save the taxpayers thousands and thousands of Dollars each year. For the City to alienate its ONLY source of free labor is not very intelligent.
If the taxpayers don't like the money spent on the volunteer houses, then by all means, shut them down. But don't cry when your safety is reduced, or your tax burden is increased.
There is little enough incentive for anyone to be a volunteer firefighter anywhere, let alone in a City that doesn't appreciate them. What will be the the City's next move? If they try to rely too heavily on mutaul aid from their neighbors, they will soon find that that resource has dried out. NW and WC aren't going to expend their resources in a City which has squabdered its own.
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 2:47pm - Posted by: thisisallwrong
This is another way for the mayor to get back at people who he has personal problems with and does not get along with. What is he going to do when there is a fire? He is making it so that there will be no one around to help and then he will have to call in for help. He will be lucky if the companies off the island do not start asking for money to come help especially since it is hard times.
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 2:18pm - Posted by: wcfirechief24
Here we go again, what the heck is wrong with NJ? All these politicians going after the Volunteer Fire Service. How much are the paid depts costing them? How much overtime would it cost if the volunteers werent there?