Lawrence Township is seeking proposals from experts to study whether the three volunteer fire companies and the township’s emergency medical services should be moved into one building – and if so, where should a new fire and EMS headquarters be located.
The Lawrence Township Council authorized a request for proposals from experts for a study at its Dec. 3 meeting. The deadline for consultants to submit a proposal is Jan. 10, 2025.
A contract for a consultant is anticipated to be awarded by the Township Council later in January. The consultant is expected to complete the study and issue a report in six months.
A subcommittee of the Public Safety Coordinating Committee recommended a study of the issues, following an earlier consultant’s suggestion to build a new fire station on township-owned land on the corner of Route 206 and West Long Drive.
The proposal for a new fire station at that location drew fierce opposition from some residents in the Long Acres neighborhood. The entrance to Long Acres is on West Long Drive.
Residents said they were concerned about a fire station’s impact on their property values and quality of life. Some residents questioned consultant Cotter Strategies LLC’s and the process by which it was chosen. They called for more transparency.
In response, the Public Safety Coordinating Committee formed a subcommittee that has recommended hiring another consultant. It would be the third consultant hired to study the firefighting program in Lawrence Township since 2017.
The hired consulting firm will be asked to study two issues – whether the volunteer fire companies should be consolidated and if so, where should they be housed.
The consultant’s report should “determine the best model for the township to consider with regard to the possible consolidation of and/or construction of new fire and EMS services within the township.”
The report should also “recommend the location or locations of any such fire and EMS services within the township, and the reasons for the recommended locations.”
Recommendations for future staffing requirements for fire and EMS services over the next – three-year, five-year and seven-year – time frames will be made by the consultant.
An evaluation of response times, based on existing staff and equipment, will be part of the study. It may offer recommendations for improvements to the response times, which is how many minutes it takes for a fire engine or ambulance to respond to a call for help.
Finally, the consultant will conduct an inventory of fire and EMS equipment and make recommendations for replacement or repair of the gear.
Lawrence Township officials had commissioned two studies – in 2017 and in 2023 – that focused on assessments of the township’s firefighting program.
The township employs career firefighters who work daytime during the week. After hours and on weekends, volunteer firefighters from the Slackwood, Lawrence Road and Lawrenceville fire companies respond to calls.
The Slackwood Fire Co. is located at 21 Slack Ave. The Lawrence Road Fire Co. is located at 1252 Lawrence Road. The Lawrenceville Fire Co. is located at 64 Phillips Ave. in the village of Lawrenceville. The Lawrence Emergency Medical Service is at 165 on Pilla Ave.
The Rodgers Group LLC study and the Cotter Strategies LLC reports both recommended building a new fire station. The Rodgers Group LLC study was released in 2020. The Cotter Strategies LLC study was released in 2023.
The Rodgers Group study called for conducting an in-depth study to determine the feasibility of building a new fire station in a central location. It would accommodate the fire department, EMS and emergency management functions.
The Rodgers Group study did not recommend a specific location, but illustrations in the report appeared to locate a new fire station near Rider University. West Long Drive, which is the entrance to the Long Acres development, borders Rider University.
The Cotter Strategies report specifically called for building a new fire station on township-owned land on the corner of West Long Drive and Route 206.
The new fire station would become part of the Lawrence Township Municipal Complex, which includes the municipal building, the Lawrence Township Police Department and the Lawrence Township Municipal Court.
The new building also would house the Lawrence EMS and possibly the Office of Emergency Management, the Emergency Operations Center, the 9-1-1 communications center and the Department of Public Works administrative offices.
