Mayor Greg Buontempo and the Holmdel Township Committee broke ground on a new firehouse at the Crawfords Corner Road Municipal Complex yesterday, October 6th. Mayor Buontempo, Deputy Mayor Cathy Weber, Committeeman Rocco Pascucci and Committeeman Prakash Santhana were joined by Congressman Chris Smith (CD4), Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (LD13), members of Holmdel Fire and Rescue Company #2, Arcari and Iovino Architects, CME Associates and Pharos Enterprises. The ceremonial groundbreaking marked the culmination of years of effort to bring the project to fruition.


 “Fire protection is a top priority for this governing body,” said Mayor Buontempo. “In addition to improving facilities, we are addressing this issue on two other fronts; equipment and membership. Last year the Township approved and ordered a new pumper truck for which we expect delivery later this year. Volunteer recruitment is up. The Department has added seven new members with several more in the pipeline. These volunteers risk their lives to protect ours.”


 The new $4.1 million centrally located firehouse will be a 10,600 square foot state-of-the-art facility that will help satisfy the need to house larger equipment and accounts for the expanding volunteer base of the Fire Company. Designed with contemporary firehouses in mind, the project will have three zones: live/work, response readiness, and garage bays. The purpose of these zones is to create an efficient layout and clean environment. Visually, the building textures and materials were chosen to reflect the aesthetic of local farm and municipal buildings.


 The location was selected after a careful analysis of several sites in town. Once selected, the Township needed to work with the United States Postal Service in order to amend their existing lease of Township property. Congressman Chris Smith was instrumental in facilitating this process.


 “Words are inadequate, really, for all of us to thank you for the work that you do, for the sacrifices you make,” said the Congressman directly to numerous volunteer firefighters in attendance. He continued, “this firehouse, in my opinion, is just a grateful town and grateful mayor and Township leaders saying we need the best training and the best venue, all of which make your job more doable. Again, I can’t thank you enough for what you do.”


 Holmdel Fire and Rescue Company #2 currently has 40 active firefighters on their roster and has taken an aggressive approach to recruit new members. Three firefighters recently graduated the academy and three more are expected to graduate in November. Additional candidates will be enrolled in the spring class. To date in 2020 the Company has responded to over 450 calls.


Having this firehouse in a central location will allow us to provide better coverage for the entire town and reduce response times. It will also give our members an ideal location to have meetings and conduct training for years to come. We look forward to the day that we can move into this new firehouse and continue to provide the residents of Holmdel with the best fire protection possible.”


 The project will officially begin after demolition of an existing storage facility on the site and is expected to be completed within eighteen month

  Fire Company President Brian McGraw spoke. “The Fire Company is extremely pleased to be breaking ground today for this new firehouse.



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