We are the labor union that represents the career firefighters who protect Lawrence Township (Lawrenceville), NJ Firefighters’ Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA) Local 96 represents the career firefighters who protect Lawrence Township (Lawrenceville), which is located in Mercer County in central New Jersey. The Lawrence Township Fire Department is a combination organization made up of three vol
unteer fire companies and a small staff of career firefighters who are responsible for protecting lives and property within the 22 square miles of Lawrence Township. In addition to providing first-due firefighting and rescue services to Lawrence Township, LTFD also regularly assists neighboring municipalities through various mutual aid agreements. While Lawrence Township’s nighttime population (2010 census) is 33,472, the daytime population swells to well over 100,000 as professionals, students and consumers work, learn and shop at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Educational Testing Service, Rider University, Lawrenceville School, Quaker Bridge Mall, Mercer Mall, Lawrence Shopping Center, and other venues, and also travel through town along Interstate 95, Route 1 and other major roadways. The township’s three volunteer fire companies date back to 1906, 1914 and 1915, respectively. Like other volunteer and combination fire departments around the country, LTFD’s volunteer ranks have declined in recent years. The reality is that – with increasing economic demands being made on families, and with 911 responses and mandatory training requirements continually growing – fewer people today are able to invest the time and make the commitments necessary to being an active volunteer firefighter. In an effort both to support its volunteer fire companies and to ensure a timely response to emergencies, Lawrence Township employees four career firefighters who, using the Mercer County fire radio designation of Station 20, respond to all 911 calls (fires, traffic accidents, rescues, medical emergencies, hazardous materials spills, etc.) Monday through Friday – the hours when most volunteers are working their fulltime jobs and the township’s volunteer availability is its lowest.
