In the state of New Jersey in the United States, a State Firewarden is appointed as the administrative director of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The New Jersey Forest Fire Service is an agency within the state's Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and directly overseen by that department's Division of Parks and Forestry. Founded in 1906 with a focus on wildland fire suppression and fire protection, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is the largest firefighting department within the state of New Jersey with 89 full-time professional firefighters (career civil service positions), and approximately 2,000 trained part-time on-call wildland firefighters throughout the state. Its mission is to protect "life and property, as well as the state's natural resources, from wildfire".New Jersey Forest Fire Service, "About Us". Retrieved 19 April 2015.
Pursuant to , the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is led by a "State Firewarden" serving under the NJDEP Commissioner who "shall administer and supervise the Forest Fire Service, cooperating agencies, and such laws as shall deal with the protection of forests, from wildfire".N.J.S.A. 13:9-13. General powers of state firewarden. The current state firewarden is William Donnelly.New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, NJDEP Easy Access Program Listing: Natural & Historic Resources. Retrieved 24 April 2015. Fourteen individuals have occupied the State Firewarden position since the establishment of the Forest Fire Service in 1906.New Jersey Forest Fire Service, New Jersey Forest Fire Service: State Firewardens. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
List of state firewardens #NameTenure 1 Theophilus P. Price 1906–1910 2 Charles P. Wilber 1910–1923 3 Leonidas Coyle 1923–1937 4 LeRoy S. Fales 1937–1944 5 William J. Seidel 1944–1960 6 R. Wesley Davis 1960–1968 7 William B. Phoenix 1968–1975 8 James A. Cumming, Jr. 1975–1982 9 David B. Harrison 1982–2001 10 Maris G. Gabliks 2001–2011 11 Michael Drake 2011–2012 12 William P. Edwards 2013–2017 13 Steve Holmes 2017–2018 14 Gregory McLaughlin 2018–2023 15 William Donnelly 2024–present
See also Government of New Jersey List of New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire towers List of New Jersey administrative agencies Wildfire suppression
References
External links New Jersey Forest Fire Service (official website)