Crews were on the scene of a single-family home on Jobel Drive within three minutes of dispatch last night. Haddonfield Fire Chief Pat Gorman says the department has a level of staffing unseen in 30 years.
By Matt Skoufalos | August 21, 2024
Fire crews respond to a house fire on Jobel Drive in Haddonfield. Credit: Curt Hudson.
Haddonfield fire crews responded to the scene of a house fire in the overnight hours Tuesday into Wednesday that significantly damaged an unoccupied home in the borough.
At 11:39 p.m. August 20, first responders were dispatched to the 500 block of Jobel Drive for a single-family dwelling fire, Haddonfield Fire Chief Pat Gorman said.
Firefighters arrived on location to flames showing, and confirmed heavy fire in the first floor with heavy smoke showing from the second and third floors.
Haddon Fire Company stretched a 1.25-inch line, while a Cherry Hill ladder crew performed a primary search of the property, and Westmont Fire Company Squirt 15 worked to suppress the flames.
The fire was under control by 12:39 a.m. August 21.
“It took a while to put out,” Gorman said. “It’s a large house, and the fire was well advanced by the time we arrived.”
Fire crews from Audubon, Haddon Heights-Barrington, and Lawnside also arrived to provide mutual aid. The only injuries reported were minor burns to the ears of three Cherry Hill firefighters, who refused treatment at the scene.
Camden County Fire Marshal Joseph Hales is conducting an investigation into the origins of the fire, which are, as yet, undetermined. The first floor took the majority of the damage, Hales said.
The home was unoccupied at the time the fire broke out, but it had grown significantly before crews were dispatched. Police were called to the scene first when the heat burst a window, triggering a burglar alarm on the premises, Hales said.
Complicating their efforts was the narrowness of the roadway on the block, which required additional crews to stretch hand lines out to the water supply on the main road nearby.
“It could have been a lot worse had there not been staffed crews there,” Hales said.
Restoration teams seal up a home damaged by fire on Jobel Drive in Haddonfield. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
Gorman attributed the rapid response of Haddonfield fire crews to a new stipend program that has enabled the department to fully staff its duty crews.
“The engine was on the street in a minute-thirty, and on location within three minutes,” the chief said.
“Not only did we have the engine, but fully stocked ladder and squad — seven pieces of apparatus on the scene.
“It’s a real testament to the stipend program,” Gorman said.
Each apparatus responds with three firefighter-EMTs, which means that more than 20 Haddonfield firefighters were on the scene of the Jobel Drive fire.
To bolster the department ranks, the borough has devoted funds to provide stipends for its all-volunteer roster. That’s led to additional volunteerism within the department, the chief said.
“Our numbers are growing,” Gorman said. “Because of the dynamics of Haddonfield, we’re relatively busy, and we have other towns we run mutual aid with. It’s great for the young guys trying to put themselves through [fire] school.”
By way of example, Haddon Fire Company No. 1 responded to eight daytime calls Tuesday within a 90-second response time, the chief said.
“We’re in a state of preparedness that I haven’t really seen in my 30 years here,” Gorman said. “Our collaboration with the borough has yielded a phenomenal result.”
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