SAVE THE KEASBEY FIRE DEPARTMENT
The Issue
CHANGE.ORG ASKS FOR DONATIONS PLEASE BYPASS IT.
Protect Public Safety. Preserve 118 Years of Service.
The Keasbey Fire Department currently has eight paid firefighters who provide continuous staffing of the fire station 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This dedicated staffing ensures that trained personnel are available around the clock to respond to emergencies and provide timely fire protection services to Keasbey and the surrounding community.
For more than 118 years, the Keasbey Fire Department has faithfully protected the residents, businesses, industries, and visitors of the Keasbey community. Since 1908, generations of firefighters have answered emergency calls, protected lives and property, and served with courage, dedication, and pride.
Today, that legacy faces an uncertain future.
Woodbridge Township has proposed closing the Keasbey Firehouse and transferring its fire protection responsibilities to another fire district. This proposal affects far more than a building. It affects a community, its history, its firefighters, and the future of public safety in Keasbey.
The Keasbey Firehouse is more than brick and mortar. It represents more than a century of service, sacrifice, and commitment to protecting one of Woodbridge Township's oldest communities. Before a decision affecting that legacy is made, the people of Keasbey and all who care about this community deserve transparency, equal access to information, and a meaningful opportunity to participate in the process.
A Legacy Forged in Fire
The Keasbey Fire Department was not created by chance. It was born from tragedy.
In 1908, a devastating fire at the Ostrander Fire Brick Company exposed a painful reality: the community had no local fire department to protect its homes, businesses, or industries. Residents believed that had a local fire company existed, some of the buildings might have been saved.
Rather than accept that loss, the people of Keasbey chose to act. On June 1, 1908, residents gathered at Harry Schoenbrun's General Store and organized Protection Fire Company No. 1, creating what would become today's Keasbey Fire Department.
They refused to allow tragedy to define the future of their community. Instead, they built a fire department dedicated to protecting future generations from experiencing the same loss.
What began with volunteers, hand equipment, and horse-drawn apparatus evolved into a modern fire department. As Keasbey grew into an important industrial center, its fire department grew alongside it, answering every call with the same mission: to protect lives, property, and the community it serves.
Throughout its history, the department has continually adapted to meet changing public safety needs, including the recent replacement of its 40-year-old aerial ladder truck with a new Pierce 100-foot aerial ladder. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Keasbey firefighters also answered the call to assist during one of the darkest moments in our nation's history.
For 118 years, the Keasbey Fire Department has stood ready to answer every call. Today, that tradition of service faces one of its greatest challenges.
Why Residents Are Concerned
The proposed closure of the Keasbey Firehouse is one of the most significant public safety decisions affecting this community in generations. People believe decisions of this magnitude should be discussed, supported by transparency, objective analysis, and meaningful public participation.
Questions the Public Deserves Answered
1.. Were all Woodbridge Township fire districts independently evaluated using the same methodology, standards, and performance criteria? If not, why was only Keasbey Fire District No. 4 selected for an independent review?
·2. Was Fire District No. 7 independently evaluated before being recommended to assume responsibility for protecting Keasbey?
3. Was a comparative analysis performed between Fire District No. 4 and Fire District No. 7, and if so, will it be released?
4. Will the complete consultant report, deployment studies, financial analyses, and supporting documents be released before any final decision?
5. If only Hillside Gardens received the July 8, 2026 communication, why weren't all Keasbey residents, businesses, and stakeholders notified equally?
6. How do recent investments align with a proposal to close the firehouse? Residents deserve a clear explanation of how these investments fit within the Township's long-term plans for fire protection in Keasbey.
7. Residents were previously informed that a new, state-of-the-art firehouse would be constructed as part of the Keasbey redevelopment project. What changed? When did those plans change, why did they change, and when was the public informed?
We Respectfully Request
1. Release the complete independent operational review and all supporting documentation before any decision is made.
2. Explain why Keasbey was selected for independent review and whether other districts received comparable evaluations.
3. Release any comparative analyses involving Fire District No. 7.
4. Provide a public update regarding the replacement firehouse.
5. Ensure equal public notification and participation.
6. Conduct one or more well-publicized public meetings, allowing residents, business owners, firefighters, and other stakeholders a meaningful opportunity to review the supporting information, ask questions, and provide public comment before any final action is taken.
7. Demonstrate, through objective evidence and a publicly available operational analysis, that dissolving Keasbey Fire District No. 4 and transferring all fire suppression services to Fords Fire District No. 7 will maintain or improve the level of fire protection currently provided to the Keasbey community. This analysis should include, at a minimum, response time comparisons, travel distance and routing, roadway and traffic considerations, staffing levels, apparatus availability, simultaneous incident coverage, deployment capabilities, and the ability to effectively protect Keasbey's residential neighborhoods, industrial facilities, warehouses, businesses, transportation corridors, and critical infrastructure.
8. Release the complete NJ Department of Community Affairs assessment report and all supporting documentation relied upon in recommending the dissolution of Keasbey Fire District No. 4 and expansion of Fords Fire District No. 7.
9. Do not close the Keasbey Firehouse.
The Future of Keasbey Is Being Decided
More than 118 years ago, the people of Keasbey turned tragedy into action by creating Protection Fire Company No. 1. The decisions made today will shape this community for generations. Residents deserve the opportunity to review the facts, ask questions, and participate meaningfully before any final decision is made.
Attend the Public Meetings
Finance Committee Meeting – 11:00 a.m. August 12, 2026
Woodbridge Township Council Meeting – 6:00 p.m. August 12, 2026
Read the information.
Ask the questions.
Expect the answers.
Make your voice heard.
Honor the Past.
Demand Transparency.
Protect the Future
A Personal Note
Woodbridge Township is my hometown. Specifically, Hopelawn.
No matter where life takes me or how far I may roam, Woodbridge Township will always be home. More specifically, the neighborhoods of Hopelawn, Keasbey, Fords, and the surrounding communities are where my roots will always be.
Growing up in Hopelawn, right next to Keasbey, I was fortunate to learn about the history of this area from my father. He shared stories about the communities that make up Woodbridge Township stories that many people today have never heard. One of those stories was how the devastating 1908 fire at the Ostrander Fire Brick Company brought the people of Keasbey together to establish Protection Fire Company No. 1.
To me, Hopelawn and Keasbey have always been two of the forgotten towns of Woodbridge Township. Hearing a proposal to close a firehouse that has faithfully served Keasbey for more than 118 years only reinforces why I believe these communities deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Every neighborhood in Woodbridge has a history worth remembering and a legacy worth protecting.
I hope you'll join me in standing with the Keasbey Fire Department and every firefighter who has put their life on the line to protect a community that I believe has too often been forgotten within Woodbridge Township by signing this petition.
788
The Issue
CHANGE.ORG ASKS FOR DONATIONS PLEASE BYPASS IT.
Protect Public Safety. Preserve 118 Years of Service.
The Keasbey Fire Department currently has eight paid firefighters who provide continuous staffing of the fire station 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This dedicated staffing ensures that trained personnel are available around the clock to respond to emergencies and provide timely fire protection services to Keasbey and the surrounding community.
For more than 118 years, the Keasbey Fire Department has faithfully protected the residents, businesses, industries, and visitors of the Keasbey community. Since 1908, generations of firefighters have answered emergency calls, protected lives and property, and served with courage, dedication, and pride.
Today, that legacy faces an uncertain future.
Woodbridge Township has proposed closing the Keasbey Firehouse and transferring its fire protection responsibilities to another fire district. This proposal affects far more than a building. It affects a community, its history, its firefighters, and the future of public safety in Keasbey.
The Keasbey Firehouse is more than brick and mortar. It represents more than a century of service, sacrifice, and commitment to protecting one of Woodbridge Township's oldest communities. Before a decision affecting that legacy is made, the people of Keasbey and all who care about this community deserve transparency, equal access to information, and a meaningful opportunity to participate in the process.
A Legacy Forged in Fire
The Keasbey Fire Department was not created by chance. It was born from tragedy.
In 1908, a devastating fire at the Ostrander Fire Brick Company exposed a painful reality: the community had no local fire department to protect its homes, businesses, or industries. Residents believed that had a local fire company existed, some of the buildings might have been saved.
Rather than accept that loss, the people of Keasbey chose to act. On June 1, 1908, residents gathered at Harry Schoenbrun's General Store and organized Protection Fire Company No. 1, creating what would become today's Keasbey Fire Department.
They refused to allow tragedy to define the future of their community. Instead, they built a fire department dedicated to protecting future generations from experiencing the same loss.
What began with volunteers, hand equipment, and horse-drawn apparatus evolved into a modern fire department. As Keasbey grew into an important industrial center, its fire department grew alongside it, answering every call with the same mission: to protect lives, property, and the community it serves.
Throughout its history, the department has continually adapted to meet changing public safety needs, including the recent replacement of its 40-year-old aerial ladder truck with a new Pierce 100-foot aerial ladder. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Keasbey firefighters also answered the call to assist during one of the darkest moments in our nation's history.
For 118 years, the Keasbey Fire Department has stood ready to answer every call. Today, that tradition of service faces one of its greatest challenges.
Why Residents Are Concerned
The proposed closure of the Keasbey Firehouse is one of the most significant public safety decisions affecting this community in generations. People believe decisions of this magnitude should be discussed, supported by transparency, objective analysis, and meaningful public participation.
Questions the Public Deserves Answered
1.. Were all Woodbridge Township fire districts independently evaluated using the same methodology, standards, and performance criteria? If not, why was only Keasbey Fire District No. 4 selected for an independent review?
·2. Was Fire District No. 7 independently evaluated before being recommended to assume responsibility for protecting Keasbey?
3. Was a comparative analysis performed between Fire District No. 4 and Fire District No. 7, and if so, will it be released?
4. Will the complete consultant report, deployment studies, financial analyses, and supporting documents be released before any final decision?
5. If only Hillside Gardens received the July 8, 2026 communication, why weren't all Keasbey residents, businesses, and stakeholders notified equally?
6. How do recent investments align with a proposal to close the firehouse? Residents deserve a clear explanation of how these investments fit within the Township's long-term plans for fire protection in Keasbey.
7. Residents were previously informed that a new, state-of-the-art firehouse would be constructed as part of the Keasbey redevelopment project. What changed? When did those plans change, why did they change, and when was the public informed?
We Respectfully Request
1. Release the complete independent operational review and all supporting documentation before any decision is made.
2. Explain why Keasbey was selected for independent review and whether other districts received comparable evaluations.
3. Release any comparative analyses involving Fire District No. 7.
4. Provide a public update regarding the replacement firehouse.
5. Ensure equal public notification and participation.
6. Conduct one or more well-publicized public meetings, allowing residents, business owners, firefighters, and other stakeholders a meaningful opportunity to review the supporting information, ask questions, and provide public comment before any final action is taken.
7. Demonstrate, through objective evidence and a publicly available operational analysis, that dissolving Keasbey Fire District No. 4 and transferring all fire suppression services to Fords Fire District No. 7 will maintain or improve the level of fire protection currently provided to the Keasbey community. This analysis should include, at a minimum, response time comparisons, travel distance and routing, roadway and traffic considerations, staffing levels, apparatus availability, simultaneous incident coverage, deployment capabilities, and the ability to effectively protect Keasbey's residential neighborhoods, industrial facilities, warehouses, businesses, transportation corridors, and critical infrastructure.
8. Release the complete NJ Department of Community Affairs assessment report and all supporting documentation relied upon in recommending the dissolution of Keasbey Fire District No. 4 and expansion of Fords Fire District No. 7.
9. Do not close the Keasbey Firehouse.
The Future of Keasbey Is Being Decided
More than 118 years ago, the people of Keasbey turned tragedy into action by creating Protection Fire Company No. 1. The decisions made today will shape this community for generations. Residents deserve the opportunity to review the facts, ask questions, and participate meaningfully before any final decision is made.
Attend the Public Meetings
Finance Committee Meeting – 11:00 a.m. August 12, 2026
Woodbridge Township Council Meeting – 6:00 p.m. August 12, 2026
Read the information.
Ask the questions.
Expect the answers.
Make your voice heard.
Honor the Past.
Demand Transparency.
Protect the Future
A Personal Note
Woodbridge Township is my hometown. Specifically, Hopelawn.
No matter where life takes me or how far I may roam, Woodbridge Township will always be home. More specifically, the neighborhoods of Hopelawn, Keasbey, Fords, and the surrounding communities are where my roots will always be.
Growing up in Hopelawn, right next to Keasbey, I was fortunate to learn about the history of this area from my father. He shared stories about the communities that make up Woodbridge Township stories that many people today have never heard. One of those stories was how the devastating 1908 fire at the Ostrander Fire Brick Company brought the people of Keasbey together to establish Protection Fire Company No. 1.
To me, Hopelawn and Keasbey have always been two of the forgotten towns of Woodbridge Township. Hearing a proposal to close a firehouse that has faithfully served Keasbey for more than 118 years only reinforces why I believe these communities deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Every neighborhood in Woodbridge has a history worth remembering and a legacy worth protecting.
I hope you'll join me in standing with the Keasbey Fire Department and every firefighter who has put their life on the line to protect a community that I believe has too often been forgotten within Woodbridge Township by signing this petition.
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Petition created on July 17, 2026