Chester Fire Company’s Annual Fund Drive Happening Now

CHESTER, NJ — With more than a century of strength behind it, the Chester Volunteer Fire Company - additionally 100 percent volunteer-run - is running its annual fund drive and looking for volunteers members.

Since 1921, the fire company has been volunteer-run and non-profit, with any donations collected benefitting the community, by buying fire equipment, as well as helping to educate the community and schools in fire prevention, according to the fire company’s website.

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Monies from the community in 2021 helped the fire company to buy an all-terrain vehicle that assisted in a mutual aid call with Mendham to help retrieve a hiker who was injured more than a mile deep in the woods and whisk them out.

As part of the 2022 fundraising campaign, the Chester Volunteer Fire Company is aiming to buy “an air compressor system specifically designed to fill the air cylinders used by firefighters,” the fire company reported.

“The municipalities of Chester Borough and Chester Township generously support our ongoing operating expenses with a portion of your tax dollars in order to maintain our apparatus and purchase replacement equipment,” the fire company wrote. “However, additional funds are needed to purchase necessary state-of-the art equipment and supplies, and to maintain our facilities without increasing the tax burden of our citizens.”

Among statistics the fire company shared:

• They cover a 31 square mile radius
• They serve over 9,400 residents
• There are 56 “active members” within the fire company
• Those members volunteer about 6,700 “man-hours” in total to the fire company every year
• There were more than 400 calls that the Chester Volunteer Fire Company responded to in 2020
• The fire company assists at large-scale local events, on “stand-by,” if there’s an emergency.

All donations are tax-deductible and can be made securely by PayPal on the fire company’s webpage at: https://www.chesterfirenj.org/content/funddrive/.

Donations can be made by check too, payable to the Chester Vol. Fire Company; and mailed to Chester Volunteer Fire Company, 86 Main Street, P.O. Box 506, Chester, NJ 07930.

The Volunteer Fire Company is also looking for volunteers, with Junior Membership starting at age 16 and Active/Associate Members at 18 and up. There’s no cost for training and equipment, with volunteers able to benefit from the NJ State Firemen’s Relief Association as well as “earn Length Of Service Award (LOSAP),” according to the fire company’s website. Volunteers participate in monthly drills and meetings, with equipment checks each week.

Those interested in volunteering can head to the fire company at 86 Main Street every Wednesday at 7 p.m. or on Sundays at 10 a.m. Prospective members may also apply online here. Click here for full information about volunteering with the Chester Volunteer Fire Company.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.