Pennington Fire Company responded to more emergencies in 2024 than in any other year in its 133-year history, with volunteers answering 642 calls — up from 504 in 2023, a 30% increase.
The all-volunteer department responded to emergencies in Pennington Borough, Hopewell Township, and surrounding communities including Ewing, Trenton, Princeton, Lawrence, and even Bucks County, Pa. Members donated more than 2,700 hours of service responding to fires, vehicle extrications, hazardous conditions, and severe weather events.
“I can think of a couple things that stuck out about last year,” said Lt. Will Titus, of the fire company. “We’ve seen growing numbers of water rescues and severe weather-related calls in recent years. This was part of the impetus to form the valley-wide technical rescue team and give members advanced training in water rescues and other technical rescue disciplines. We also acquired a high-water rescue truck that will improve our ability to respond to water rescues. We have about 20 members trained in swift water rescue, and several members trained in rope rescue operations.”
Equipment Upgrades Expand Reach, Readiness
In 2024, Pennington Fire Company added two new pieces of specialized equipment to its fleet: a high-water rescue truck and a new utility terrain vehicle (UTV), both designed to improve response during brush fires and rescues in hard-to-access locations.
“The UTV is an asset for brush fires, off-road rescues, and special events,” Titus said. “Our new UTV is more mobile, better-equipped with firefighting tools, and carries water and a pump to fight fires in hard-to-reach, off-trail areas. The UTV played a critical role in fighting the recent Poor Farm brush fire because it allowed firefighters to quickly reach areas that a wider, heavier, traditional brush truck could not.”
Pennington voters also approved a ballot initiative in November to fund the replacement of the company’s aging tanker truck, an essential piece of equipment for firefighting in rural areas.
“A regular fire engine only carries enough water to supply firefighting efforts for 5–10 minutes,” said Titus. “This is plenty when we can quickly connect to a fire hydrant – but most of Hopewell Valley is not covered by hydrants. The tanker upgrade ensures that we can establish a reliable water supply at fires where we don’t have access to a fire hydrant. Without a water supply, we can’t fight the fire.”
Volunteer Ranks Grow Through Local Recruitment
With call volume growing, the fire company also expanded its roster of trained volunteers. In 2024, nine new members joined, including local students, professionals, and residents from across Hopewell Valley and Lawrence.
“We’ve ramped up our recruitment efforts across the valley,” Titus said. “We’ve placed recruitment cards in local businesses, distributed yard signs around town, and revamped our online presence to make it easier to connect interested residents with our recruitment team. Pennington added 9 new members in 2024. We’re also growing our junior firefighter program for members who are under 18 and have several students from HVCHS and the Pennington School who have joined the department.”
Membership has steadily increased in recent years with about 50 active members of the department. The department is seeing growth from all their recruitment efforts but are always in need of new members. Learn more at their website https://penningtonfire.org
photos provided by the Pennington Fire Company
