A special subcommittee of the Lawrence Township Public Safety Coordinating Committee that was formed to study fire and emergency services is expected to make a presentation at the Township Council’s May 6 meeting.
The presentation was set for the Township Council’s April 15 meeting, but the presenter was unable to attend.
Lawrence Township officials advertised for a request for proposals for a study in December 2024. Seven consultants responded and their proposals were sent to the special subcommittee for review. It is not known when a contract will be awarded to the winning consultant.
This is not the first time that the township has studied the issue of fire and emergency services. Studies were commissioned by the township in 2017 and 2023. The proposed study, which would be the third one, was triggered by a suggestion in the 2023 study to locate a new fire and EMS station on the corner of Route 206 and West Long Drive.
Some residents in the Long Acres neighborhood objected to the suggestion to locate a fire and EMS station on township-owned land on the corner of Route 206 and West Long Drive. They cited the potential impact on their property values and quality of life.
West Long Drive is the entrance to the Long Acres neighborhood.
Residents questioned consultant Cotter Strategies LLC’s study, which recommended that location in its report in 2023. They questioned the process by which the firm was chosen, and called for more transparency. That’s when township officials decided to seek another study.
Meanwhile, the request for proposals asked for the consultants to study whether Lawrence Township’s three volunteer fire companies and its emergency medical services unit should be moved into one building – and if so, where a new fire and EMS headquarters should be located.
The selected consulting firm’s report should “determine the best model for the township to consider with regard to the possible consolidation and/or construction of the 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 recommendation.” Future staffing requirements over the next three- , five- and seven-year time frames also will be made.
Lawrence 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.
An evaluation of response times, based on existing staff and equipment, would be part of the study. Recommendations may be offered for improvements to response time, which is how many minutes it takes for a fire engine or ambulance to respond to a call for help.
An inventory of fire and EMS equipment would be included in the study, along with recommendations for repair or replacement of the gear.
The two earlier studies commissioned by Lawrence Township in 2017 and 2023 focused on assessments of the township’s firefighting program. Both consultants recommended building a new fire station.
The Rodgers Group LLC study, which was released in 2017, 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 LLC 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 neighborhood, borders Rider University.
The Cotter Strategies LLC report issued in 2023 specifically called for building a fire station on township-owned land on the corner of Route 206 and West Long Drive, which upset residents in the Long Acres neighborhood.
The new fire station proposed by Cotter Strategies LLC 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.
It would also 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.
