In order to aid its efforts in wildland fire suppression and fire protection, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service operates a system of 21 fire towers at locations throughout the state of New Jersey in the United States.[1] From these fire towers, using an instrument called the Osborne Fire Finder, or an alidade, and topographical maps, trained fire observers are able to spot and triangulate the location of possible wildfires. After ascertaining the location, the observer will file a "smoke report" which will be investigated and appropriate action taken by a local firewarden.
Founded in 1906, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service is the largest firefighting department within New Jersey and is an agency within the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, a division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. With 85 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."[2] The agency covers a primary response area of 3719638acres comprising 77% of the state's land area and administered by three regional divisions. This primary response area includes the state's rural and suburban areas, as well as its public state parks and forests. In 2014, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service responded to 1,063 wildfire events that destroyed 6692acres. The service conducted controlled burns or prescribed burns on 15326acres statewide.[3]
The first fire lookout towers were often privately constructed during the late nineteenth century—many by large-tract landowners or corporations. However, after the creation of the Forest Fire Service, the state began erecting towers—some temporary, others permanent. The oldest erected by the Forest Fire Service that is in continuing operation is Culvers Station (then called the Normanook Fire Tower), first used in 1908, along the ridge of Kittatinny Mountain near Culver's Lake and the Culver's Gap. Many of the state's fire towers were built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). More were erected during World War II, to aid both the Forest Fire Service and to the Aircraft Warning Service, operating from mid-1941 to mid-1944, in which fire observers were assigned additional duty as enemy aircraft spotters. During World War II, the Lakewood Station was "used to listen to German U-boat communications in the Atlantic Ocean 12 miles to the east".[4] Fire towers are located at key points of observation and on diverse terrain from northern New Jersey's mountain-and-valley terrain to the comparatively flat and low-elevation coastal plains in the south and central sections of the state. Today, these 21 towers provide New Jersey an inexpensive and effective first response system that aids the New Jersey Forest Fire Service in quickly suppressing and in preventing damage caused by reported wildfires. The Forest Fire Service estimates that 25 percent of wildfires within the state every year are first spotted by a lookout.[5]
A number of these fire towers are listed on the National Historic Lookout Register.
| scope=col width=40 | US# | scope=col width=40 | NJ# | scope=col width=100 | Image | scope=col width=250 | Tower Name | scope=col width=60 | Elevation | scope=col width=60 | Height | scope=col width=140 | NJFFS Division Sections covered[6] | scope=col width=200 | Location of tower | scope=col width=80 | County | scope=col width=70 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 1 | Culvers Station (previously Normanook Fire Tower) | 1509feet | 47feet | Div. A Sec. A1 (PA,NY) | Stokes State Forest, Sandyston Township 41.1878°N -119.988°W | [7] [8] | ||||||||||||
| 45 | 2 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Ramapo Station (previously Wind-beam Lookout) | 1011feet | 50feet | Div. A Sec. A2 (A5&NY) | Ramapo Mountain State Forest N41°03.521' W074°15.330' | [9] | ||||||||||
| 244 | 6 | Bearfort Station | 1331feet | 68feet | Div. A Sec. A2, A5 (A1) | Bearfort Mountain West Milford Township 41.1042°N -99.044°W | [10] | ||||||||||||
| 246 | 8 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Budd Lake Station (previously 95 Mile Tree Lookout) | 1182feet | 60feet | Div. A Sec. A6,A3,(A4,A8,A7) | Mount Olive Township N40°53.704' W074°45.026' | [11] | ||||||||||
| 247 | 9 | Catfish Station | 1555feet | 60feet | Div. A Sec. A3 (A6,PA) | Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area near Blairstown N41°02.855' W074°58.347' | [12] | ||||||||||||
| 553 | 12 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Greystone Station | 909feet | 92feet | Div. A Sec. A7 A8,(A5,B10) | Union Hill, Denville N40°51.341' W074°30.690' | [13] | ||||||||||
| 563 | 16 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Milton Station | 1341feet | 80feet | Div. A Sec. A4(A5) | Morris County Park Jefferson Township N41°00.520' W074°32.433' | [14] | ||||||||||
| 243 | 5 | Bass River Station | 47feet | 80feet | Div. B Sec. B4,B2,C7 | Bass River State Forest 39.6116°N -100.197°W | [15] | ||||||||||||
| 564 | 17 | Apple Pie Hill Station | 179feet | 60feet | Div. B Sec. B1,B2,B3 | Tabernacle Township N39°48.443' W074°35.363' | [16] | ||||||||||||
| 565 | 18 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Batsto Station | 70feet | 100feet | Div. B Sec. B2(B4,C8,C6) | Wharton State Forest N39°38.976' W074°38.567' | [17] | ||||||||||
| 248 | 10 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Cedar Bridge Station | 204feet | 100feet | Div. B Sec. B7,B5,B4,B2 | Lacey Township N39°50.380' W074°22.836' | [18] | ||||||||||
| 554 | 13 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Jamesburg Station (previously Old Bridge Fire Tower) | 48feet | 60feet | Div. B Sec. B10,A7 (B9,A8) | Thompson County Park Monroe Township N40°20.233' W074°26.318' | [19] | ||||||||||
| 555 | 14 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Lakewood Station | 136feet | 80feet | Div. B Sec. B7,B8,B9(B5,B6,B10) | Lakewood N40°04.234' W074°13.674' | [20] | ||||||||||
| 556 | 15 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Lebanon Station | 136feet | 80feet | Div. B Sec. B3,B6,(B5,B2) | Brendan T. Byrne State Forest N39°53.531' W074°34.880' | |||||||||||
| 568 | 21 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Medford Station | 141feet | 100feet | Div. B Sec. B1,B3(B2,C11) | Piper's Corner, Medford Township N39°50.504' W074°47.375' | [21] | ||||||||||
| 245 | 7 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Belleplain Station | 56feet | 100feet | Div. C Sec. C2(C4,C5,C6) | Belleplain State Forest near Woodbine N39°17.036' W074°50.948' | [22] [23] | ||||||||||
| 249 | 11 | McKeetown Station | 75feet | 100feet | Div. C Sec. C6,C7,(C4,C5) | Egg Harbor Township N39°26.304' W074°37.039' | [24] | ||||||||||||
| 566 | 19 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Blue Anchor Station | 152feet | 86feet | Div. C Sec. C11,C6,C9 | Winslow Township N39°40.978' W074°53.348' | [25] | ||||||||||
| 567 | 20 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Dias Creek Station | 13feet | 100feet | Div. C Sec. C1,C2 | Middle Township N39°06.271' W074°52.699' | [26] | ||||||||||
| 569 | 22 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Millville Station | 83feet | 100feet | Div. C Sec. C3,C10,(C9) | Millville N39°23.939' W075°04.436' | [27] | ||||||||||
| 570 | 23 | bgcolor="Maroon" | - | Mizpah Station | 106feet | 100feet | Div. C Sec. C4,C5,(C9) | Mizpah, Hamilton Township N39°28.989' W074°50.851' | [28] |
| scope=col width=40 | US# | scope=col width=40 | NJ# | scope=col width=100 | Image | scope=col width=250 | Tower Name | scope=col width=60 | Elevation | scope=col width=60 | Height | scope=col width=140 | NJFFS Division Sections covered | scope=col width=200 | Location of tower | scope=col width=80 | County | scope=col width=50 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 3 | Batsto Mansion House Station (also known as Batsto Manor House Station) | 72feet | - | Div. B | Batsto Village State Historic Site N39°38.604' W074°38.893' | [29] | ||||||||||||
| 83 | 4 | Green Pond Mountain Lookout (or Picatinny Arsenal Tower) | 1240feet | - | Div. A | Picatinny Arsenal Jefferson Township N40°57.003' W074°34.132' | [30] |