By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City will bolster its fire safety by having volunteer firefighters stationed overnight at the fire station during the peak summer tourism season, saving valuable time in responding to fires when the town is crowded with vacationers.
City Council on Tuesday introduced an ordinance creating a payment program for volunteer firefighters who are part of the overnight shift. Overall, the cost of the program will be capped at $30,000 per month, according to the ordinance.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio said the plan includes having firefighters on duty during nights and weekends in the summer and “at other selected times.”
He praised the volunteer fire department for its “outstanding service” to the community over the years. But he also noted that the volunteers must undergo rigorous training, education and certification, which requires them to make a “significant commitment” to the fire department.
“The demands of our city are also significant, and while we are confident that Sea Isle can continue to be properly served by the volunteer department, establishment of the duty crew will provide for optimal protection during our most vulnerable times,” Desiderio said during the Council meeting, which was conducted by teleconference.
Plans for an overnight crew continue the 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.
Some residents have called for Sea Isle to consider switching to a paid fire department instead of relying on volunteers or to improve fire protection and response times in other ways. City officials have repeatedly praised the volunteer firefighters for their service and response times amid recent changes in the department.
A restructuring plan, announced in February 2020 by city officials, also included improvements for emergency dispatching, response protocols and staffing.
Police Chief Tom McQuillen, who oversees Sea Isle’s public safety, said that since November 2019, the city has made changes to the dispatch protocols for simulcast dispatching, in which police, fire and emergency medical technicians are all alerted for response to an emergency scene. The former protocol had police going to survey the situation prior to other emergency personnel responding.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Council introduced a $300,000 funding ordinance to pay for construction of seven pickleball courts that are expected to be ready by the summer season.
The courts will be built on 42nd Place next to the city’s municipal marina in an area now used as a parking lot. Locally, it is known as the “clam shell parking lot” because the surface is comprised of crushed white seashells.
Desiderio noted that for more than a year the city has worked with the pickleball community to find a location for new courts to serve “this enormously popular sport.”
“Quite frankly, the demand for this activity has exceeded our ability to provide sufficient space, and the construction of seven additional courts prior to the coming season will be a welcome addition,” he said.
In other business, Council introduced an ordinance to amend the regulations for the city’s seasonal parking permits.
Currently, the seasonal permits are transferable from vehicle to vehicle and have been for a couple of years. That allows motorists to lend them to their friends or family or use them in their other vehicles.
However, the new ordinance will no longer allow the parking permits to be transferable from vehicle to vehicle. Consistent with existing regulations, the permits may not be resold, either.
McQuillen explained that the city is looking to cut down on confusion between the seasonal parking permits and the weekly parking permits. The city will now make the seasonal parking permits consistent with the weekly permits, which are not transferable.
“It is about being consistent with weekly (permits). Each car has a permit issued to it. It is very clear to distinguish between the vehicles,” McQuillen said.
Seasonal parking permits cost $250 and allow drivers to park in the metered spaces and municipal parking lots from May 15 through Labor Day.
They save motorists from the headache of fumbling for loose change to plug the meters and from the worry of getting a ticket.
According to city regulations, the permits must be hung on the rear-view mirror. They allow drivers to park continuously, including overnight, in any metered space or at any metered city parking lot.
There will be 400 seasonal parking permits available for sale beginning in April. Each year, the city sells out of the parking permits.
A final vote and public hearing are scheduled at Council’s Feb. 9 meeting, at 10 a.m., for the firefighting, pickleball and parking ordinances.
