We, the members of the Minotola Volunteer Fire Company, who have served the residents of the Borough of Buena for over 100 years, are deeply saddened to announce effective December 18, 2023, at 7:00pm we will voluntarily cease providing fire service to the Borough of Buena. This decision has not been easy, but it is necessary to protect the health, safety and integrity of our dedicated volunteer members and our organization, as well as the community at large.
Borough Council dissolved the Fire District in October and has now assumed the responsibilities of the former District. We agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding with the Borough, to aid in the dissolution process, and have worked in good faith to assist them through this administrative transitional period.
The Minotola Volunteer Fire Company has kept our end of the bargain, sadly the Borough has not.
Members of Borough Council testified before the state’s Local Finance Board, during the Dissolution proceedings, that it would, in good faith, negotiate a fair contract with the Minotola Volunteer Fire Company. A contract between parties is required to spell out the terms of service to the Borough, just like the contract that exists between the Borough and the Franklin Township Police Department. We have faithfully done our job, without a contract, AND without any interruption of service with the hope the Borough would do the right things for the Minotola Volunteer Fire Company AND the residents of the Borough of Buena.
As soon as the dissolution of the Fire District was approved, Borough Council showed their true colors and their plan to bully their way into control of our organization. They immediately began work on an Ordinance that contains many examples of municipal overreach into the area of firematic services, our corporate structure, and the daily operations of our Volunteer Fire Company. (Please read the Ordinance which is available on the Borough’s website and understand the way it is written could have disastrous budgetary (increases in taxes) consequences.) Borough Council’s overreach is obvious when considering the precedence in existing case law regarding a municipal governing body’s involvement in the daily operations and governance of the Fire Company. All of this was confirmed by the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety on behalf of the Minotola Volunteer Fire Company.
The Minotola Volunteer Fire Company and the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety have, on several occasions, requested meetings with representatives of the Borough Council to discuss these issues of municipal overreach. The requests have gone unanswered, and the Borough has made it clear they have no intention of discussing our concerns or allowing us to handle our mandate without overstepping their authority.
The dissolution of the Landisville Fire District and the removal of the Landisville Fire Company from service in 2020 had huge repercussions. We must emphatically say this…
We had nothing to do with the dissolution of the Landisville Fire District nor did we play any role in the removal of Landisville Fire Company from service.
The volunteer members of the Minotola Volunteer Fire Company were dealt a hand of cards that we were forced to play. We have played the hand to the best of our ability responding to over 200 calls for service in 2023 with a 100% response rate.
We do this job because we love serving our community and suspending service goes against everything we are and everything we proudly stand for as First Responders. However, we must protect ourselves from what appears to be a vindictive Council with a one-track mind, determined to do things their way without regard for the wreckage left in their wake.
In order to ensure the health and safety of the residents of the Borough of Buena, the Minotola Volunteer Fire Company has been working closely with the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety, Shore Region Coordinator and the Atlantic County Fire Coordinator to establish a response plan for the Borough of Buena once we are out of service.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the support you have shown the Minotola Volunteer Fire Company and its members over the past 100 years.
