Monmouth & Ocean Career Firefighters Association

31/10/2026

Before your family heads out this Halloween, take a few minutes to plan for a safe night.

IAFF Local 3874 reminds residents across Monmouth and Ocean counties to:

- Carry a flashlight or glow stick and add reflective tape to costumes and bags.
- Keep costumes well-fitted and vision clear. Avoid long, trailing fabric.
- Accompany children under 12. Older children should travel in groups on familiar, well-lit routes.
- Use corners and crosswalks. Never cross between parked cars.
- Slow down, put phones away, and watch for children near driveways and intersections. Drive sober.
- Use battery-operated candles. Keep decorations away from heat and keep exits clear.

Save this guide and share it with a parent, neighbor, or driver. Have a safe Halloween.



Safety guidance: NFPA, U.S. Fire Administration, NHTSA and Safe Kids Worldwide.
Photos: Toni Cuenca and Sergey Platonov / Pexels; U.S. Fire Administration.

28/10/2026

24 hours a day, 365 days a year—ready at a moment’s notice.

On National First Responders Day, the career firefighters and fire officers of IAFF Local 3874 want to recognize all the police officers, dispatchers, EMS crews, and fellow firefighters who serve alongside us in our communities.

To the residents and families across Monmouth and Ocean Counties: thank you for your continued trust and support. We are honored to serve you.

19/10/2026

17/10/2026

🚒🔥 TRAINING TOGETHER. WORKING TOGETHER. GETTING STRONGER TOGETHER! 🔥🚒

This morning, members of Southard Fire Dept. No.1, along with Southard Fire Department Career Staff – IAFF Local 3874, Monmouth & Ocean Career Firefighters Association and Freewood Acres Fire Company No. 1 came together for a live burn training drill at the Monmouth County Fire Marshal's Office and Fire Academy.

🔥 Training is the foundation of everything we do!

Live burn training provides firefighters with valuable hands-on experience in realistic fire conditions while strengthening teamwork, communication, and coordination between departments.

🚒 Whether volunteer or career, we share the same mission: to protect lives, property, and the community we proudly serve.

Working and training together ensures that when the alarm sounds, we're prepared to respond safely, efficiently, and as one team.

👏 Thank you to all the firefighters who dedicated their Saturday morning to improving their skills and strengthening our departments!

🚨 WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? JOIN OUR TEAM! 🚨

Southard Fire Department #1 is always looking for new volunteer members! No experience is necessary, and training is provided. Whether you're interested in firefighting, our Junior Firefighter Program (ages 14+ there's a place for you!

🔥 Answer the Call. Serve with Pride.

📍 Southard Fire Department #1 – District 3, Howell, NJ

🔗 Join Today: https://www.southardfire.org/become-a-member/

09/10/2026

Earlier this week the Howell shop stationed at southardfire_19.3 stopped by howell_pal to talk to the kids about fire safety and our gear. By request they also showed them how our ladder truck works.

Thank you to Howell Pal for continuously inviting us back. Strong communities are built through service, connection, and engagement - and we are proud to stand alongside the residents we serve every day.

02/10/2026

Please join IAFF Local 3874 in congratulating Neptune Township Firefighters David Hoecker, John Fritz Jr., Frank Martuscelli Jr., and Michael Greco on completing their probationary year!

Each brought years of service and community involvement to the career staff. Their October 2025 appointments also helped support an expanded staffing model that, together with our Neptune Township Fire Department partners, provides a staffed fire suppression unit 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We thank the Board of Fire Commissioners, Fire Chief Albert Fritz Jr., and our volunteer partners for their continued commitment to working together for the residents we serve.

Congratulations to these four members and their families. We are proud to have you serving alongside us.

Meet the firefighters and read their story: https://monmouthoceanfirefighters.org/neptuneffsoffprobation/

Four Neptune Township Firefighters Complete Their Probationary Year IAFF Local 3874 · Neptune Township Shop · October 2, 2026 IAFF Local 3874 congratulates Firefighters David Hoecker, John Fritz Jr., Frank Martuscelli Jr.,…

15/09/2026

Preparing for fires where neighborhoods meet the woods.

Our members Steven Porth, Nicholas Havens, and James Harper from the Jackson Township Shop, along with Christopher Schmidt from the Millstone Township Shop, attended the IAFF’s Responding to the Interface program in Monroe Township.

Hosted by our neighbors in IAFF Local 3170, the training brought them together with fellow IAFF and Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ) members from across the state.

The program focuses on preparing structural firefighters for fires where homes and wooded areas meet, with attention to firefighter safety and protecting structures threatened by wildfire.

Training alongside other departments gives our members an opportunity to learn together and prepare for challenges that cross town lines.

We thank IAFF Local 3170 for hosting and the IAFF for providing the program!

Monroe Professional Firefighters I.A.F.F Local 3170
Edison, NJ Firefighters IAFF Local 1197
International Association of Fire Fighters
New Jersey Firefighters PFANJ

Members from our Jackson Township and Millstone Township shops joined firefighters from across New Jersey for the IAFF’s Responding to the Interface program, hosted by our neighbors in Monroe Township, IAFF Local 3170.

11/09/2026

25 years later, we remember.

On September 11, 2001, 2,977 people were killed, including 343 members of the FDNY. We honor each of them, and we remember the responders and survivors lost to related illnesses in the years since.

Behind every name is a person who should still be here. Their lives deserve to be remembered, and their families deserve support that continues beyond an anniversary.

September 11, 2001 — September 11, 2026.

11/09/2026

06/09/2026

Labor Day looks different from inside a firehouse.

While many families gather for the holiday, IAFF Local 3874 members will be on duty across Monmouth and Ocean counties. The doors remain open, the alarms still come in, and the work continues.

That does not make Labor Day less meaningful to us. It makes its meaning clear.

This holiday grew from working people standing together for dignity, safer conditions, fair treatment, and time with their families. Firefighters are part of that history.

Their work lives on whenever we protect one another, support our families, and make sure no member has to stand alone, including the communities we're sworn to protect. That is what solidarity means to us.

That is OUR PEOPLE FIRST.

Read the full story:
https://monmouthoceanfirefighters.org/labor-day-honoring-the-work-and-protecting-our-people/



New Jersey Firefighters PFANJ
International Association of Fire Fighters

For IAFF Local 3874, Labor Day honors the working people who built our communities, the rights secured through solidarity, and our responsibility to protect one another, our families, and the future of the fire service.