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Bass River Medford Medford Lakes Pemberton Pemberton Borough Shamong Southampton Tabernacle Washington Woodland
Vol. 1 - No. 37
Southeastern Burlington County’s News Leader
10 Blazes Keep Firefighters Busy
Pemberton Fire Dept. Looking to Recruit More Volunteers in Wake of Fires
May 13-19, 2017 Student Enrollment Data Discrepancies Lead to Added Outrage Over Layoffs By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
Volunteer firefighters extinguish a recent fire in Pemberton Township. By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
PEMBERTON—It has been a busy time for the Pemberton Township Volunteer Fire Department. The 39-member department has battled 10 fires, most of which have involved structures, since the beginning of spring. Several residents have been displaced by the fires and one person has died. “We responded to five fires in March, four in April, and one in May,” said Fire Chief Craig Augustoni. “There were seven total working fires in 2016. So we are already three up and the fires last year were spread out over time, too.” The latest fire happened on May 4 at a dwelling located in the 400 block of Tennessee Trail. “The fire started on the outside, we believe from a discarded cigarette, and set the rear exterior wall on fire,” Augustoni said. “The fire did not extend into the house, although there was smoke inside. There was moderate damage to
the exterior back wall.” The other nine fires this year have also been listed as non-suspicious fires. “They are all accidental,” Augustoni said. “They are so diverse in what happened. All 10 of them have a different origin.” Only some of the affected structures had working smoke detectors and the fire department is urging residents without working smoke detectors to call them. The department will provide working smoke detectors free of charge to residents. “We carry smoke detectors on the trucks,” Augustoni said. “Every vehicle is equipped with smoke detectors. If residents call the office, we will take care of them.” The fire chief stressed that home fires are preventable. “Unplug malfunctioning pieces of equipment,” Augustoni said. “Make sure you have working smoke detectors. Call the fire department immediately if there is a fire. Take another look at everything before you leave a room.
PHOTO BY TOM WALKER
Make sure you have the proper permits when doing any installations, especially anything that demands a lot of electricity.” The unusual rash of accidental fires in the township has come at a time in which volunteer firefighting agencies throughout the state and country are struggling to recruit volunteers. “From High Point to Cape May, it’s bad because people just don’t have the time,” Augustoni said. “There is a recruitment problem. People have two or three jobs today and can’t make the commitment to volunteer.” Augustoni, who became a firefighter in 1975 and has been a resident of the township since 1966, is hoping his department’s efforts to combat the recent fires will cause everyone in the community to appreciate the sacrifices volunteer firefighters make every day and drive recruitment upward. “Every one of these people who were at the scene of these fires, including the one on Easter, are volunteers,” he said. “They spend
FIREFIGHTERS>>PAGE 20
LITTLE EGG HARBOR—Pinelands Regional School District officials are on the defensive after discrepancies were discovered in student enrollment data recently given to the public. The district’s student population became front and center after Susan Ernst, president of the Pinelands Regional Board of Education, provided enrollment statistics to the community at board meetings in defense of an unpopular plan to eliminate teaching positions in the district. The plan which leaked out to parents on April 3—to the displeasure of many—was confirmed by district officials on May 1 following weeks of confusion and apprehension. It calls for five non-tenured teachers and one tenured teacher, including four football coaches, to be eliminated. Brian Wilkinson, head coach of the Pinelands Wildcats varsity football team, is among those facing a job cut. Seven positions will also be eliminated through attrition. The Pine Barrens Tribune investigated Pinelands Regional School District’s student enrollment statistics after receiving several messages from parents concerned that Ernst and her colleagues were providing inaccurate data to the public. Community members also took the floor at the board’s May 1 meeting questioning the accuracy of the statistics they had been given. “Our student population continues to decline,” said Ernst during an April 19 meeting of the board. “Since Superstorm Sandy, we have lost 300 students. That’s more than an entire grade level. Two years ago, we lost 50 students. Last year, we lost 70 students and this year we’re down another 27 students. Up until now, this board has tried not to make cuts in staff and instead, what we’ve attempted to do, is manage through retirements and resignations. Unfortunately, we are now at a point where that is not enough.” Ernst repeated the statistics in an emailed statement to this newspaper on April 24 in response to several inquiries about the layoff proposal. According to statistics maintained by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the district has lost only 54 students since Superstorm Sandy swept ashore on Oct. 29, 2012. During the 2012-2013 school year, the state records show 1,622 students were enrolled in the district. The state lists 1,568 students as enrolled in the district this year. The state’s database also shows that enrollment increased from the
LAYOFFS>>PAGE 20
Now Direct Mailed to Over 2,250 Homes in LeisureTowne and 195 Homes in Hampton Lakes
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