10/21/2026
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
Freehold Township Fire District # 2 Urges Community to Vote on Crucial Funding for New SCBA Air Bottles
Freehold Township N.J. October 21, 2026 the Freehold Township Fire District # 2 and the East Freehold Fire Company is officially calling on community residents to vote in the upcoming public referendum on Tuesday November 10th at the Dutch Lane Road fire station from 6-9PM to approve essential funding for new Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) air bottles. These air cylinders are the single most critical piece of safety equipment firefighters wear, providing the clean, life-saving breathing air needed to breathe inside burning buildings and hazardous environments.
The department's current inventory of SCBA cylinders is rapidly approaching the end of its mandatory, federally regulated 15-year lifespan. By law, these bottles must be retired from service. Without a voter-approved upgrade, the department faces a critical shortage of compliant breathing equipment, directly impacting its ability to safely and effectively respond to structure fires and hazardous material emergencies.
