Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company

What Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company does

Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company is a non-profit volunteer fire and emergency services organization founded in 1910, serving the Borough of Wildwood Crest — a barrier-island community in Cape May County, New Jersey with roughly 3,270 year-round residents that swells to approximately 80,000 during the summer tourist season. The company is the designated primary response provider for fire, rescue, and marine emergencies within the borough, handling approximately 225 alarms per year, and holds an ISO Class 3 rating — a classification achieved by only a small share of U.S. fire departments and one that directly affects property insurance rates for borough residents and businesses.

The organization operates from a 5-bay firehouse built in 1990 (with a museum bay added in 2004), and maintains a specialized fleet including Engine 438, Engine 439 (an E-One Quint acquired in 2007–2008 for $340,000), Tower 460 (a 91-foot aerial platform acquired in 2001–2003 for $648,030), Brush 424, Marine 4 (a marine response vessel), and SS475, alongside restored historic apparatus including Old Betsy. The active volunteer roster numbers approximately 22 members, supported by a 45-member broader membership and a Ladies Auxiliary that drives community fundraising.

The company's operating model is a hybrid of municipal appropriation from the Borough of Wildwood Crest and community fundraising. It is not a revenue-generating enterprise; it is a publicly-funded emergency services provider with a civic-mission operating model. Service demand is structurally seasonal, scaling roughly 24x from winter to summer, which drives both apparatus capacity requirements (justifying specialized equipment like Tower 460 and Marine 4) and ongoing capital reinvestment cycles.

Name

Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company

Legal name

Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company No. 1

Website

https://crestfire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company is a non-profit volunteer fire and rescue organization founded in 1910, serving as the designated emergency response provider for the Borough of Wildwood Crest, NJ — a barrier island community of ~3,270 year-round residents that expands to ~80,000 seasonally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fire Protection and Emergency Response Services

NAICS

Fire Protection (92216)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Fire & Rescue Services (Fire Suppression, Rescue) (BPAIAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emergency Storm Damage Response & Hazard Mitigation (HSAIADAG)

Keywords

• Volunteer fire services
• Emergency response
• Fire suppression
• Marine rescue
• Fire prevention education

Headquarters

HQ city

Wildwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal Funding: The fire company is funded by the Borough of Wildwood Crest as a public emergency service organization
2. Community Fundraising: Various fundraisers conducted by members and the Ladies Auxiliary, including donations from the community and local businesses

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company provides volunteer fire suppression, emergency response, marine rescue, and fire prevention education services to the Borough of Wildwood Crest, NJ. The all-volunteer department mans two engines, one 91-ft aerial platform, a brush truck, a special service vehicle, and a marine rescue boat, and operates the Knox-Box Rapid Entry System for commercial and residential properties. Services are delivered at no direct charge to residents and visitors and are funded through the Borough and community fundraising.

Product overview

Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 operates as an all-volunteer fire department serving a barrier island resort community in southern Cape May County, New Jersey. The company maintains a fleet of specialized fire apparatus including two engines (Quint 439 and Squad 438), one 91-ft aerial platform (Tower 460), and a utility/brush truck (Brush 424), supported by a marine rescue vessel (Marine 4) and special service vehicle (SS475) for hazmat and technical rescue operations. The department also preserves its historic 1927 American LaFrance pumper 'Old Betsy' as a museum display. Services include structural fire suppression, wildland fire response, marine rescue, rapid intervention team (RIT) operations, and community fire prevention education programs including a 'Smoke House' training facility for children.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engine 438 (Squad 4)
• Engine 439 (Quint 4) 2001 E-One HP-75 sidestacker quint with 75-ft 3-section aluminum aerial ladder, 2000 GPM Hale pump, and 500-gallon water tank used for structural firefighting and aerial operations in Wildwood Crest.
• Tower 460 (Tower 4) 2000 E-One/Bronto Skylift aerial platform quint with 91-ft articulated boom, 1500 GPM pump, and 500-gallon water tank providing elevated rescue and suppression capabilities for high-rise beachfront structures.
• Special Service 475 (SS475) 1993 E-One special service vehicle with 10-man tilt cab, 16-ft walk-in body, 6000 psi air cascade system, 20kw PTO generator, hazmat suits, SCBAs, and rapid intervention team equipment supporting technical rescue and hazmat operations.
• Brush Truck 424 (B424) 2013 Ford F-350 with removable skid pump used for wildland fire response and vegetation fire suppression in and around Wildwood Crest.
• Marine 4 2007 AB Inflatables 14-ft rigid hull inflatable boat with 2000-lb capacity and 25 hp Yamaha motor used for water rescue and marine fire suppression around the barrier island.
• Knox-Box Rapid Entry System Secure rapid entry program allowing the Wildwood Crest Fire Department to access commercial and residential properties using a master key, mandated for commercial properties with alarm systems, industrial properties, and multi-unit residential buildings with restricted access.
• Fire Prevention Education Program Community fire prevention services including a Smoke House training simulator for children, smoke detector maintenance education, and an annual fire safety quiz, conducted by the Bureau of Fire Prevention for Wildwood Crest residents and visitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO Class 3 fire protection rating
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered notable and minor.

• McKinley Fire CompanynotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 August 2007Purchased a 2001 E-One 2000 g.p.m./75-ft. Quint (Engine 439) from McKinley Fire Company of Abington Township, PA for $340,000 including additional equipment.
• Stone Harbor Fire CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2006Purchased a 1993 Chevrolet Suburban utility vehicle (Utility 410) from Stone Harbor Fire Company in 2006. The vehicle was used as a utility vehicle until it was retired in 2013.
• ESI Equipment Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2002ESI Equipment Inc. of Jenkintown, PA, the local Holmatro dealer, provided an initial 8-hour training course on the new Holmatro hydraulic tools to 20 fire company members. Instructors John Evans and Rob Mortka conducted the training.
• Lee's Emergency VehiclesnotableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 28 August 2000Lee's Emergency Vehicles in Tuckerton, NJ performed the complete refurbishment of Old Betsy, the 1927 American LaFrance pumper. The truck was totally disassembled down to the frame rails, repainted, and reconstructed to original condition. Special thanks to Lee Eggert and his staff for restoring Old Betsy to 'better than new' condition.
• Wildwood Crest Historical SocietynotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Wildwood Crest Historical Society made a generous donation toward the refurbishment of Old Betsy, the 1927 American LaFrance pumper. This project was funded entirely by donations, fund-raising activities, and a donation by the Historical Society.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Rio Grande Fire Company: Mutual aid volunteer fire company in the Cape May County mainland area; participates in the same regional response framework as Wildwood Crest for larger emergencies.
• Stone Harbor Fire Company: Neighboring volunteer fire company in Stone Harbor, NJ — a similar barrier-island borough. Directly comparable as a small coastal volunteer fire department; Wildwood Crest has previously sourced used utility vehicles from Stone Harbor.
• Cape May Fire Department: Larger Cape May County fire service operating under the same state regulatory framework; comparable as a regional fire-protection peer, though typically serves a denser municipality.
• Middle Township Fire Department: Nearby mainland township fire department operating in Cape May County; comparable as a regional NJ volunteer/combination fire service providing mutual aid to Wildwood Crest when needed.
• Wildwood Fire Department: Mutual aid partner volunteer fire department serving the City of Wildwood, adjacent to Wildwood Crest; operates under the same NJ volunteer fire-company framework and supports response overflow.
• West Wildwood Fire Department: Mutual aid partner serving the small neighboring borough of West Wildwood; Wildwood Crest has previously onboarded experienced West Wildwood members, evidencing direct personnel and operational overlap.
• North Wildwood Fire Department: Mutual aid partner volunteer fire department serving neighboring North Wildwood on the same barrier island; provides the same municipal fire-protection service model and shares incident response in large-scale events.
• Town Bank Fire Company: Mutual aid partner fire company in the greater Cape May area; part of the same county-wide mutual aid system that Wildwood Crest relies on for surge capacity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WildwoodCrestVolunteerFireDept
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildwood-crest-fire-company-number-one

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wildwood Crest Volunteer Fire Company