Articles Township government
Branchburg's Emergency Services, Explained: Who Serves, What the Committee Funded, What the Budget Lists
The Mayor's 100%-volunteer statement, the Emergency Services page roster, the radio, vehicle, fire-gear, towing and e-bike decisions the Township Committee made from November 2025 to August 2026, the 2026 appropriations for police, fire and emergency management, and the 29 budgeted officers.
The short version
- Mayor James Schworn’s February 2026 message states that Branchburg’s fire and rescue services are 100% volunteer and unpaid.
- The 2026 user-friendly budget’s Public Safety service category totals $5,450,614, and its personnel table lists 29 full-time police officers and zero firefighters.
- The adopted budget’s 2026 lines include $3,900,000 for police salaries and wages, $425,000 for fire hydrant service and $165,564 in aid to volunteer fire companies.
- The Township Committee adopted a $1,200,000 radio bond for the emergency services (Nov. 2025), $240,000 for police vehicles and equipment and $150,000 for volunteer fire-company gear (May 2026), a new police towing ordinance and an e-bike ordinance, and in September 2026 an $18.06 million bond for a new police headquarters.
The volunteer model, as stated
The February 2026 installment of the Mayor’s “Notes from the Dais,” titled “Our Volunteer Emergency Services & Community Commitment,” says Branchburg’s fire and rescue services are 100% volunteer, that “these men and women are not paid,” and that the Township “is committed to prioritizing emergency services” and to providing “full support and necessary resources” for their members. The message describes administering oaths at the companies’ installation dinners. It is the Mayor’s statement in a municipal publication. The budget lines and Committee decisions below record the Township’s appropriations and purchases for the companies.
Who the record lists
The Township’s Emergency Services page lists:
| Agency / official | As listed |
|---|---|
| Branchburg Rescue Squad | 113 River Road |
| Neshanic Volunteer Fire Department | Maple Ave., Neshanic Station |
| North Branch Volunteer Fire Company | 11639 Route 28 |
| Readington Volunteer Fire Company | Hillcrest Road, Whitehouse Station |
| Country Hills Volunteer Fire Department | Station #1 and Station #2 |
| Fire Official | Joe Olive |
| Fire Inspector | Wayne Winsmann |
| Emergency Management Coordinator | Captain Edward Edgar |
| Deputy Coordinator | James Norgalis |
The page also lists the Branchburg Police Department at 590 Old York Road. It does not state which agency serves which area at which times, response coverage, calls, staffing or vacancies.
What the Township Committee decided
| Date | Decision | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 10, 2025 | Ordinance No. 2025-1502: $1,200,000 for communications equipment, including a $60,000 down payment and $1,140,000 in bonds or notes, 10-year period of usefulness | 4–0 (Aye: Schworn, Owens, Beatrice, Young) |
| Nov. 10, 2025 | Consent purchases of fire apparatus equipment for the Country Hills Volunteer Fire Department (2025-200) and the North Branch Volunteer Fire Company (2025-201) | 4–0 |
| Dec. 22, 2025 | Purchase of air packs for the “NVFC” (as the minutes abbreviate it) from Witmer Public Safety, Inc. (2025-219) | 5–0 |
| Jan. 12, 2026 | Consent authorizations including mobile radios and communications equipment from Motorola Solutions, Inc. | 5–0 |
| Feb. 23, 2026 | Police Department new hire, Ramirez (2026-58) | 4–0 |
| May 11, 2026 | Settlement agreement in Forlenza v. Township of Branchburg and Branchburg Police Department authorized (consent Resolution No. 2026-94) | 4–0 |
| May 11, 2026 | Ordinance No. 2026-1511, towing: motion to adopt by Mr. Owens, seconded by Mr. Beatrice, after a hearing with no comment | Minutes record the motion |
| May 26, 2026 | Ordinance No. 2026-1513: $240,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund for three police SUVs, radar units, radios, tasers and handguns | 4–0 (Aye: Columbus, Owens, Beatrice, Schworn) |
| May 26, 2026 | Ordinance No. 2026-1515: $150,000 for SCBA air packs (North Branch), thermal imaging cameras (Neshanic), fire gear (Country Hills) and turnout gear (Readington) | 4–0 |
| June 8, 2026 | Air packs for the North Branch Volunteer Fire Company from Fire Equipment Company (2026-113) | 5–0 |
| July 13, 2026 | Memorandum of understanding for the Police Department’s ARRIVE Together program with Bridgewater Behavioral Health Services (2026-136) | 5–0 |
| Aug. 10, 2026 | Ordinance No. 2026-1516, e-bikes and motorized bicycles in parks and open space | 5–0 |
| Sept. 28, 2026 | Ordinance No. 2026-1518: $18,060,000 for a municipal annex with a new Police Headquarters and Emergency Management Office | 5–0 |
Radios. Then-Mayor Thomas Young said Ordinance No. 2025-1502 “will allocate funding to upgrade the radios for our Emergency Services Agencies.” On Dec. 22, 2025, Township Administrator Gregory Bonin said the Administration would coordinate and facilitate the radio purchases for the fire and rescue companies.
Towing. Ordinance No. 2026-1511, introduced April 27, 2026 and recommended by the Police Department, changes the police towing list from a weekly rotation to a rotation per incident, keeps the 20-minute response requirement (moving a tower that cannot respond to the bottom of the list), replaces the Township’s fee table with the New Jersey State Police rate schedule as a ceiling, and requires written estimates and receipts.
E-bikes. Ordinance No. 2026-1516 bars electric motorized bicycles, motorized bicycles, low-speed electric bicycles and scooters, and motorcycles from footpaths, walkways and trails in public parks, recreation areas and open space. It recites that the Police Department identified increased use of these vehicles on paths, sidewalks and trails and that the Chief of Police recommended the changes; Mayor Schworn said it enforces the State requirements at White Oak Park.
Officers. On March 23, 2026, Police Chief Buck introduced three new patrol officers — Owen Booker, Daniel Soffer and Oscar Ramirez — and Mayor Schworn administered their oaths. The Chief presented the 2025 awards: Officer of the Year to Nicholas Reisinger and Top Cop to Hector Lopez.
The meeting pages give the full account of each evening, for example November 10, 2025, May 26, 2026 and August 10, 2026.
What the 2026 budget lists
The user-friendly budget’s service-type schedule shows Public Safety: $5,450,614 — $5,385,464 in the general budget and $65,150 in public/private offsets. That is a service-category total; the summarized line does not separate police, EMS, fire, emergency management or other components, and it should not be described as any one agency’s cost.
The adopted budget’s current-fund detail separately appropriates for 2026:
| Line | 2026 appropriation |
|---|---|
| Police — salaries and wages | $3,900,000 |
| Police — other expenses | $425,000 |
| Fire hydrant service | $425,000 |
| Aid to Volunteer Fire Companies | $165,564 |
| Aid to Adjoining Fire Companies | $100,000 |
| Volunteer Incentive Program | $60,000 |
| Maintenance of fire vehicles | $102,000 |
| Bureau of Fire Prevention — salaries | $150,000 |
| Bureau of Fire Prevention — other expenses | $5,900 |
| First Aid Organization contribution | $63,000 |
| School crossing guards — salaries / expenses | $32,000 / $2,000 |
| Emergency management — salaries / expenses | $8,000 / $7,000 |
These are appropriations, not paid amounts or proof of distribution. The 2025 audit’s schedules show different, modified and expended figures for 2025 — for example, aid to volunteer fire companies was budgeted at $140,000 for 2025 and expended at that amount. The UFB and the line-detail schedule classify spending differently, so the two are not a direct subtotal reconciliation.
The personnel table in the UFB lists 88 full-time and 24 part-time budgeted positions townshipwide at a total budgeted personnel cost of $14,546,314.68, including 29 full-time police officers at a total cost of $5,667,657 (base pay $3,438,000) and zero firefighters. Budgeted position counts are not filled-position counts, shift rosters or vacancy figures.
The six-year capital program plans $1,500,000 for emergency-services equipment and $1,236,000 for police equipment.
The police headquarters
The Mayor’s 2026 annual letter describes the current headquarters as not meeting modern operational requirements and not fully compliant with DOJ accessibility standards or the ADA, and proposes a new headquarters and Office of Emergency Management at the former Old York School property. On September 28, 2026 the Committee adopted Ordinance No. 2026-1518, 5–0, appropriating $18,060,000 for a municipal annex housing a new Police Headquarters and Emergency Management Office; the project is tracked in the municipal annex issue.
Questions residents can ask
The budget and minutes report appropriations, budgeted positions and purchases. Residents who want more can ask at a meeting or of the Clerk for:
- each company’s membership, apparatus, coverage, call volume and mutual-aid arrangements;
- how the separate police, fire, rescue and OEM lines reconcile to the UFB’s $5,450,614 category;
- current police staffing, vacancy and overtime figures.
What residents can do
- Read the record: the Emergency Services page, the February 2026 message, the budget documents, and the Committee’s minutes on the Agendas/Minutes page.
- Ask at a public meeting: Township Committee meetings (second and fourth Monday, 7:00 p.m., Municipal Building courtroom) are the public forum for staffing and service questions.
- Request records: the Municipal Clerk handles records and OPRA requests.