Fire Department & EMS

City of Cape May Fire Department

The Cape May Fire Department is a combination department consisting of career and volunteer personnel. We provide the fire and technical rescue protection at all incidents in the City of Cape May. The Cape May Fire Department also provides the first due engine company for parts of the island that include sections of Lower Township. We are the Rapid Intervention Crew for Station 61 Townbank VFC ,Station 62 Erma VFC in Lower Township. We provide emergency medical services for Cape May, West Cape May and Cape May Point. The volunteer members are called to duty on all box fire alarms and when an additional ambulance is requested, stretching the career staff to capacity.

The career staff are all members of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3495. Career members are trained in a multitude of technical rescue capabilities. These rescue skills include

•  Surf rescue
•  Swift water rescue
•  Ice rescue
•  Hi angle rescue
•  Confined space rescue
•  Hazardous material
•  Structural collapse
•  Vehicle extrication

Many of the career staff are certified fire instructors as well as have training in fire cause and investigation.

The volunteer members are called to duty on all box fire alarms, when an additional ambulance is requested and any other incident that may stretch the career staff to capacity. Members respond to the station to man additional apparatus as it is needed.
The Cape May Fire Department protects the city with four BLS ambulances, two engines, a tower ladder, a medium duty rescue truck, an F250 4x4 utility vehicle, a chiefs vehicle, a five ton military surplus flood truck and a sixteen foot aluminum boat for floods, marina fires, or water rescue assignments.

The U.S. Coast Guard Fire Department Station 59  supplies an engine and West Cape May VFC supplies a truck company on all first alarm assignments with Cape May Fire. Second alarm assignments to the City of Cape May bring firefighters from West Cape May VFC, Townbank VFC, Erma VFC and Villas VFC.

The residents and visitors of the city are alerted to an emergency with the sound of the Gamewell Diaphone that sounds when a box alarm is requested. The career personnel on duty activate the Gamewell Diaphone from the station before responding. The code the Gamewell Diaphone sounds is to indicate where the old pull stations were located throughout the city and to give the vicinity of the incident. The Gamewell Diaphone has been in use by the CMFD since the 1920′s