'We Ran Our Butts Off' During Sandy, Says Moorestown Fire Chief

Hurricane Sandy was the most intimidating weather event in Moorestown’s history, according to the firefighters who braved the storm.

Between fire districts 1 and 2, there were roughly 75 firefighters either on the street responding to calls or on standby at the fire stations during the height of the storm.

Matt Orsini, deputy chief in District 2, said it was cramped quarters at the Lenola Fire Hall, with roughly 20-25 volunteer firefighters holing up at the station for more than 24 hours while Sandy battered the town.

“People brought up their sleeping bags, mattresses. People slept on the couch,” said Orsini. “It wasn’t the most comfortable situation.”

District 1 Chief Anthony Green said conditions were similar at the firehouses on Main Street and Chester Avenue, with 53 firefighters rotating between standby and running calls.

“Looking at the report, we ran our butts off, especially at the height of the storm,” he said. “I had every piece of apparatus out on the street.”

According to Fire District No. 1’s October incident report, firefighters responded to 118 incidents, more than half of them directly related to the storm. There were 43 incidents of downed power lines and 22 for “storm, tornado/hurricane assessment.”

An incident report for Fire District No. 2 was not immediately available.

Green and Orsini both agreed Sandy was the most significant storm they've faced in their time with the department.  

“I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been around for 15 years as a firefighter,” said Orsini. “That was the most worried I was ever, because of that wind.”

"We've had some pretty serious storms, but nothing that's generated the kind of call volume this one did," Green said. "This one tops them all, as far back as I can remember."

Fortunately, the township’s emergency management team had plenty of warning about the storm, so they were well-prepared when it hit, he added.

In the end, Moorestown’s firefighters managed the mess, and did such a stellar job they were recognized for their efforts by town council earlier this week. Mayor John Button presented proclamations to each of the township’s emergency response teams—police, fire, EMS—declaring this week as “Emergency Personnel and First Responders Appreciation Week.”

“It was really great somebody besides the leadership of the fire department recognized the efforts of our guys,” said Green.

“I haven’t seen that type of collective cooperation, organization and commitment in a long time,” Orsini said. “I guess because they were so busy, they were happy. I thought they did an exceptional job.”

To view the complete October incident report for Fire District 1, click on the attached PDF above.