City Of Camden Fire Department

Organized in 1869, the Camden Fire Department was New Jersey's first fully paid career fire force, providing professional fire protection while nearby cities such as Newark and Philadelphia still relied on volunteers. The department continued to lead technologically, fielding one of the nation's first fully motorized fire apparatus fleets in 1916, well ahead of Philadelphia and New York, which were still using fire horses at the time.

Today the department is led by Chief of Department Jesse M. Flax and operates out of the Fire Administration Building at 4 North 3rd Street. It furnishes fire suppression, rescue services, emergency medical support, and mitigation of special hazards to the community, while also supporting the Camden Police Department, Camden County EMS, and municipal emergency management operations. The Office of the Fire Marshal, housed within the same Fire Administration Building, handles fire prevention, permitting, and inspection functions for the city.

The department's stated mission emphasizes rapid emergency response, public fire-safety education, cost-effective and equitable service delivery across all areas of the city, and maintaining technical competence through quality management. City records also show ongoing capital investment in the department's physical infrastructure, including improvement work at Fire Station #11 on North 27th Street.