Rockaway Borough Council members want to pay the borough's volunteer firefighters for the work they already do for free, introducing an ordinance that would create quarterly stipends tied to call responses and drill attendance. The measure, which could pay qualifying members up to $7,000 a year, comes as the Rockaway Volunteer Fire Department leans on 40 active members to answer roughly 150 fire calls annually within the borough, plus mutual aid runs to neighboring Denville and Dover.
What the Ordinance Would Pay For
As reported by The Citizen, the ordinance would create stipends based on participation in fire calls and drills. To qualify, a member must be in good standing, keep certifications and training current, attend at least half of quarterly drills, and respond to at least 25% of calls, with junior firefighters eligible for stipends tied to the activities they're legally allowed to perform. The actual stipend amount would depend on a member's overall attendance across calls, drills, training and other department events, and the borough has capped total stipends at $7,000 per member each calendar year, the outlet's report notes.
The proposal instead establishes a quarterly stipend program rather than directly reimbursing firefighters for completed training.
Program Oversight
The fire department will report back to the council annually on participation, program costs, and how the incentive affects recruitment and retention.
That $10,000 figure is a rounding error against Rockaway Borough's adopted 2026 municipal budget of $11,781,585, representing less than 0.1% of total municipal spending, per the Borough of Rockaway Municipal Budget Presentation, which also notes more than 63% of the budget comes from local property taxes. The stipend measure was formally introduced as Ordinance #26-21, amending Chapter 33 of the municipal code governing the fire department, according to a Borough of Rockaway public legal notice.
Staying Within Federal Rules for Volunteers
Officials have been careful to frame the payments as stipends rather than wages. The Citizen's report describes the stipend payments as nominal, intended to preserve firefighters' volunteer status under federal and state law rather than convert them into paid employees. That distinction matters because the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, under 29 C.F.R. § 553.106, requires volunteer firefighter compensation to stay below 20% of what a full-time career firefighter would earn for comparable work, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs' FLSA Compliance Guide. Stipends tied too directly to hourly productivity risk reclassifying volunteers as employees.
There are also tax implications. Under the federal Volunteer Responder Incentive Protection Act, up to $50 per month or $600 annually in volunteer emergency responder stipends is exempt from federal income tax, with anything above that threshold subject to taxation, according to a New Jersey Division of Local Government Services local finance notice. Stipends above the $600 annual exclusion would be subject to taxation.
Why Council Leaders Say the Timing Matters
The stipend program is intended to support recruitment. Nationally, volunteer firefighting has seen a decline in participation even as call volumes have risen, and the outlet notes that volunteer organizations must adapt to societal changes to attract and retain members.
Rockaway's predicament reflects a statewide pattern. Only 8.3% of New Jersey fire departments are staffed entirely by career firefighters, according to NJ Spotlight News, meaning more than 91% of municipal departments rely fully or partially on volunteers.
The Rockaway Volunteer Fire Department has 40 active volunteer members.
New Jersey Volunteer Incentives
New Jersey's Emergency Services Volunteer Length of Service Award Program Act provides LOSAP benefits for volunteer firefighters, with voter referendum approval required and a $1,150 base contribution subject to CPI adjustments, according to state Division of Local Government Services guidance tied to a Lavallette ordinance.
The Rockaway Borough Council is set to consider Ordinance #26-21 at its meeting next Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the Rockaway Borough Community Center, 21-25 Union Street. A public hearing and vote are scheduled for that session.
