By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Four newly completed bunk rooms inside the Sea Isle City Volunteer Fire Department’s headquarters will never be confused with luxury accommodations.
Tiny in size, each room comes with a modest bed, a small nightstand and a flat-screen TV attached to the wall.
Yet these rooms are a critical part of Sea Isle’s efforts to keep residents and visitors safe from fire by having firefighters stationed overnight at the fire station – ready to go in a moment’s notice when the emergency alarm sounds.
“The quicker we can get to a fire, the faster we can knock them out,” explained Robbie Lane, a volunteer firefighter who has worked the overnight shift.
The overnight crews were part of the fire department’s restructuring following four separate fires in 2017, 2018 and 2019 that destroyed a total of nine single-family homes or duplexes. One of the fires killed an elderly woman on 54th Street in November 2018.
Normally, Sea Isle’s volunteer firefighters must drive to the fire station from their homes or jobs after the alarm goes off, a process that adds time for responding to emergencies. Some of them live offshore and must contend with heavy traffic heading into Sea Isle during the peak summer season and on holidays.
By having crews stationed at the firehouse, they are able to respond to emergencies much faster.
“It cuts our time at least in half, if not more,” Lane said.
Previously, firefighters who worked the overnight shift had used the beds in the meeting room at the fire station during overnight shifts. Female firefighters had separate sleeping quarters.
The city upgraded their sleeping quarters with the four new bunk rooms that offer privacy and comfort. Male and female firefighters have separate rooms.
“It’s more privacy for everyone,” Lane said. “I definitely get a better sleep with our private rooms.”
The construction project cost about $214,000. City Council originally awarded a $169,000 contract in 2022, but approved an extra $45,000 in April to make the bunk rooms larger and to add storage space. The bunk rooms also have air-conditioning and heating systems.
“It took a while. I’m glad it’s finally done. Patience pays off,” Lane said.
Completion of the project coincided with the start of the summer tourism season, when Sea Isle’s population swells from 2,100 year-round residents to about 50,000 to 70,000 visitors on the weekends.
Sea Isle pays members of its volunteer fire department $160 each to work 12-hour overnight shifts during the summer tourism season, holidays and on weekends to improve emergency response times during what are traditionally the busiest months of the year in the resort town.
The night crews create a hybrid model consisting of volunteers in the day and paid firefighters for the overnight shift.
Police Chief Anthony Garreffi, who oversees Sea Isle’s public safety, said the plan is to have overnight crews on duty every night from Memorial Day to Labor Day. After Labor Day, they will cut back to weekends and holidays, he said.
The overnight crews were started two years ago, and by all accounts have been successful, city officials say.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio said the overnight crews boost public safety and give residents more confidence when they see firefighters at the firehouse at different times of the day or night.
“I think it works out great,” Desiderio said of the overnight crews during an interview in April.
Garreffi noted that the overnight crews can rush to an emergency within minutes to quickly begin battling a fire. Then they are reinforced by other volunteers as they arrive on the scene later on.
