New Jersey Forest Fire Service Gets $3 Million Budget Boost

Thanks to my friends from the NJ Forest Fire Service Section B10 who shared a video from CBS Philadelphia  on their webpage this morning, alerting me to the $3 million increase in the NJ Forest Fire Service budget. News 12 New Jersey has also covered this in a September 21st article.

Direct link to video from CBS Philadelphia on YouTube

In a press release dated September 21, 2023, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection announced that the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is getting an additional $3 million increase in their budget after the worst wildfire season in ten years. The press release states that

To date in 2023, the Forest Fire Service has responded to 1,034 wildfires which have burned  17,979 acres in New Jersey. Fourteen of these fires were considered to be major wildfires burning in excess of 100 acres, making 2023 the busiest fire season in more than a decade.

The NJDEP press release lists the 14 major wildfires in New Jersey to date (note I added the months to the Dragway and the Airpark Wildfires from my blog entries):

• March 7: Governors Branch Wildfire (418 acres), Little Egg Harbor Township, Ocean County
• April 11: Jimmy's Waterhole Wildfire (3,450 acres), Manchester Township and Lakehurst Borough, Ocean County
• April 12: Kanouse Wildfire (972 acres), West Milford Township, Passaic County
• April 14: Log Swamp Wildfire (1,607 acres), Little Egg Harbor Township, Ocean County
• April 18: River Road Wildfire (241 acres), Washington Township, Burlington County
•  May 13: Cannonball Wildfire (102 acres), Pompton Lakes Borough, Passaic County
•  May 29: Box Turtle Wildfire (158 acres), Monroe Township, Gloucester County
•  May 31: Allen Road Wildfire (5,474 acres), Bass River Township, Burlington County
•  June 2: Flatiron Wildfire (212 acres), Medford Township, Burlington County
•  June 9: City Line Wildfire (711 acres), Manchester Township, Ocean County, and Pemberton and Woodland Townships, Burlington County
•  June 9: Buzby Boggs Wildfire (703 acres), Evesham Township, Burlington County
•  June 19: Acorn Hill Wildfire (246 acres), Woodland Township, Burlington County
•  {Aug} 20: Dragway Wildfire (1,778 acres), Waterford Township, Camden County, and Shamong and Medford, Burlington County 
• {Sept} 2: Airpark Wildfire (810 acres), Lacey Township, Ocean County

Among other things this additional investment will help to purchase new vehicles and equipment, and to hire more firefighters and for additional contracted air support.