They Say It Is Putting Both ‘Life and Property’ at Risk, Contending
It's the Result of 5 to 10 Years of Neglect and Lack of Accountability
By Douglas D. Melegari
Staff Writer
MEDFORD—Multiple whistleblowers in the Medford Township Department of Fire and EMS have approached the Pine Barrens Tribune several times over the course of the last several months to describe a situation in which the municipality’s fire hydrant system is in “dire straits” after some “five to 10 years” of purported neglect, which they claim has now put both life and property at risk.
The whistleblowers, in several interviews with this newspaper, but who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution, contend that the repairs to inoperable hydrants, as well as the testing of others to make sure they can be easily opened and are in working order in case of emergency (they describe that the testing of the fire hydrants has not occurred for many years in most cases despite an annual requirement), needs to be urgently made a “top priority” by the township manager, Kathy Burger, with one of the whistleblowers even calling for a “task force” to be created in hopes that it will accelerate the process.
The township’s Division of Municipal Utilities, which handles municipal water and sewer services, is reportedly responsible for the maintenance of the fire hydrants. Burger oversees all township departments.
And the whistleblowers have told this newspaper that they are just “scratching the surface...
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