Our Daily Challenge
The City of Cape May is America’s Oldest Seaside Resort. With hundreds of Victorian homes, many of which are on the National Historic Register. We have some of the richest history in America. With all these historic homes come unique firefighting challenges.
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Our town was built in a time when horse and carriage was the means of travel. Tight streets with homes placed extremely near each other. These homes being so close to each other present a very real concern of rapid fire spread from one home to another. This can be seen no clearer than on Jackson Street. Three and four-story homes, placed within mere feet of each other create a fire load that requires a highly trained and rapid response.
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It is essential that Cape May employ firefighters that are able to rapidly respond to our unique hazards. Our balloon frame buildings are very susceptible to fire spread due to large open voids that run from the basement to the attic. It is imperative that hose lines get deployed and placed to the proper locations to halt fire spread. Attacking a fire is much more than putting water on a fire. Firefighters must know how to anticipate and control where fire will travel. We must understand the science of combustion and how pressure affects fire travel, something as little as closing a door can be overseen by an untrained person. Without the knowledge of how and where fire spreads in these buildings a small fire can rapidly become a conflagration such as that seen in the 1800’s.
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We have some of the largest wood frame hotels in the country. These hotels are rich in their own history and have made for lodging to some very historic figures over the years. Congress Hall, The Inn of Cape May and the Chalfonte Hotel require firefighters that know the buildings like the back of their hands. Hidden voids, layers of utilities and wood that has been dried for over 100 years need firefighters that are trained to make split second decisions. If this is not done by highly skilled persons it could change the history and economy of our town.
The Washington Street Mall is one of our greatest attractions, drawing thousands of visitors every weekend. It is vital to protect not only those that visit the mall but the buildings and businesses that make it thrive. Many towns have tried to recreate what Cape May has had for generations, but their buildings are newer and do not have the historic charm as ours do. These towns cannot replicate our natural beauty or our sea-breeze. Multi story buildings built with adjoining walls and connected basements are conduits for fire spread. These buildings and businesses require many firefighters be deployed rapidly to ensure a fire can be contained to as small an area as possible.
Poor pay has led to rapid turnover in the department. This turnover leads to experienced firefighters leaving and taking their valuable knowledge with them. This knowledge cannot simply be replaced by a new hire, our firefighters are constantly learning, not only from training but from every call they respond to. Every time a firefighter enters a home, they are learning the buildings layout, its construction, its special hazards. We are building relationships with our community and learning how to best serve those that rely on us. It is apparent the city administration does not focus on fire safety; the city would rather watch trained and experienced firefighters leave and replace them with an entry level firefighter at a lower cost. The taxpayers and visitors of Cape May deserve better.
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Cape May Firefighters are as much a part of the community as those we serve. We care about our residents and visitors passionately and do whatever it takes to protect and help them in their time of need. We will always put the community first because that is what you deserve. We understand how important it is to embrace our history, but we also know that when our requests are ignored to help us retain our skilled firefighters, it means the city administration is not preparing for the dangers that our community face. We need your support, please reach out to the city leadership and demand the fire, medical and technical rescue services that you deserve are properly funded and staffed.
Cape May Burned Once.
We are here to keep it from happening again.
The summer of 1878 proved to be one of the most successful seasons yet for Cape May and Congress Hall. Unfortunately, a devastating fire was about to ruin everything. The 1878 fire was not the first to spread through Cape May. In 1869, a fire swept through the area of Jackson Street, destroying three hotels situated along the beach. Congress Hall was spared during this fire, but it would not be so lucky nine years later. On November 9, 1878, a fire broke out at the Ocean House hotel, located directly across from Congress Hall. Though well populated in the summer, Cape May had few year-round residents, as emphasized by its under-staffed fire department. With only one hose, they were ill-equipped to combat the blaze, and officials quickly dispatched a train with supplies from Camden, New Jersey. However, by the time the train arrived, it was too late to save Congress Hall and the six other hotels that were destroyed, and it had then spread to the surrounding cottages, eventually leaving only the skeletal remains of a once-booming resort community.
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Though the fire was determined to be caused by an unknown arsonist, the city council bore the brunt of the blame. All of the buildings had been constructed with highly flammable wood, a dangerous situation for a town with a small fire department.
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Several Philadelphia newspapers reported that the fire was a blessing in disguise, virtually forcing the city of Cape May to rebuild according to the modern architectural aesthetic. Unfortunately for Cape May and Congress Hall, the city would do the exact opposite.
