Protecting Lives and Properties From Fire Risks
Mission
The Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department has been providing VOLUNTEER service to the community since 1916. We currently provide fire protection and rescue services to the residents of Middlebush with pride and dedication.
The mission of this organization is to protect lives and property within Fire District One and Franklin Township, NJ. We are responsible for providing our members with the necessary tools and support to achieve this mission in a safe and efficient manner and for maintaining a good-natured social climate for our members and their families.
We are available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.
Our emergency calls
Last year, we responded to over 900 emergency calls. Our emergency calls, firehouse maintenance, and training exercises amount to a significant number of volunteer hours and dollars.
If you are interested in financially assisting our service to the community, please feel free and encouraged to donate. Every amount helps!
If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our Volunteer Info section of the website. Below is the district recruitment video, which details the work the men and women of our fire district put in day over day to protect our citizens.
History
The Middlebush Giant
The Middlebush Vol. Fire Department supports some of the history of the Middlebush section of Franklin Township. A retired tanker that our department once had (44-4, a 1987 Pemfab 4,200-gallon tanker) earned its nickname as “The Middlebush Giant” after the great Colonel Routh Goshen, the original Middlebush Giant. In 2014, Middlebush obtained a new tanker (T44, a 2014 KME 4,200-gallon tanker), which earned its nickname as “The Middlebush Giant II” to reference the village’s history once again.
Pemfab Engine 44-2
44-4, a 1987 Pemfab 4,200-gallon tanker, nicknamed “Middlebush Giant” and T44, a 2014 KME 4,200-gallon tanker, nicknamed “Middlebush Giant II”
Arthur James, also known as Colonel Routh Goshen, got his nickname “Middlebush Giant” for reportedly being the tallest man in the world, standing at 7 feet, 11 inches and weighing 400 pounds.
The Middlebush Giant
Goshen-Routh_10
Colonel Routh Goshen aka “Middlebush Giant”
Colonel Routh Goshen lived in the Middlebush section of Franklin Township from 1884 until 1899 when he died at his home on Amwell Road. Colonel Routh Goshen is buried at the Middlebush Cemetery in Franklin Township.
Goshen-Routh_02
Currently we also have a smaller version of the Middlebush Giant, 44-2, which is known as the “Little Giant.” 44-2 is a 2003 Seagrave pumper/tanker that carries 1,500 gallons of water. For further information, please view our Apparatus section on this website or contact our department at (732) 873-2399.
For more information on Colonel Routh Goshen, visit the Franklin Township Library or read online at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlebush_Giant.
Volunteer Information
The Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department is accepting applications for membership.
Becoming a member of the Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department is easy. Stop by or call the firehouse at
(732) 873-2399 any Tuesday evening between 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Our members will be more than happy to answer your questions, tour the firehouse, and talk for a bit about what it means to be a Middlebush volunteer firefighter.
If your neighbor’s house caught fire, wouldn’t you want to do more than watch? Of course you would! Join the Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department and become a volunteer firefighter. To become a firefighter, you’ll need more than just a desire to help people. You’ll need courage, dedication, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn new skills and face new challenges.
All required training classes are made available at no cost and have varying availability to accommodate most people’s schedules. All firefighters receive basic firefighting training by certified instructors at the Somerset County Emergency Service Training Academy [SCESTA]. Additional training is offered in advanced firefighting, pump operation, first aid, and other specialized areas that further enhance our skill set.
Besides attending training offered at the fire academy and responding to emergency calls, members meet each Tuesday evening for training drills or truck and house maintenance. Once a member has attained certain minimum levels of training, they are then able to participate in fire suppression and rescue operations. After additional training, members may become apparatus drivers and operators.
[Phase 5 Swede and Burn Building at SCESTA, Hillsborough, NJ]
There are many opportunities for members to participate in various fire department activities and committees, such as fire prevention and education, fund raising and training. We also have an active ladies auxiliary who is always seeking new members in support of the department.
Volunteers are expected to participate on a regular basis within the limits of their personal schedules. Please don’t let a “lack of time” dissuade you from providing a valuable service to our community. Everybody has something to contribute even when time is at a premium!
Volunteer Information
The Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department is accepting applications for membership.
Becoming a member of the Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department is easy. Stop by or call the firehouse at (732) 873-2399 any Tuesday evening between 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Our members will be more than happy to answer your questions, tour the firehouse, and talk for a bit about what it means to be a Middlebush volunteer firefighter.
If your neighbor’s house caught fire, wouldn’t you want to do more than watch? Of course you would! Join the Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department and become a volunteer firefighter. To become a firefighter, you’ll need more than just a desire to help people. You’ll need courage, dedication, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn new skills and face new challenges.
All required training classes are made available at no cost and have varying availability to accommodate most people’s schedules. All firefighters receive basic firefighting training by certified instructors at the Somerset County Emergency Service Training Academy [SCESTA]. Additional training is offered in advanced firefighting, pump operation, first aid, and other specialized areas that further enhance our skill set.
Besides attending training offered at the fire academy and responding to emergency calls, members meet each Tuesday evening for training drills or truck and house maintenance. Once a member has attained certain minimum levels of training, they are then able to participate in fire suppression and rescue operations. After additional training, members may become apparatus drivers and operators.
[Phase 5 Swede and Burn Building at SCESTA, Hillsborough, NJ]
There are many opportunities for members to participate in various fire department activities and committees, such as fire prevention and education, fund raising and training. We also have an active ladies auxiliary who is always seeking new members in support of the department.
Volunteers are expected to participate on a regular basis within the limits of their personal schedules. Please don’t let a “lack of time” dissuade you from providing a valuable service to our community. Everybody has something to contribute even when time is at a premium!