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Volunteer Firefighter Tells Edison Council Volunteers Felt 'Disrespected' After Funeral Response; Officials Pledge Review
Summary
A veteran volunteer firefighter said the township failed to properly honor a fallen volunteer, delivering a tactical van instead of a fire truck and sending no career firefighters to the funeral; council members expressed regret and said administration will investigate.
Morris Kaplan, a long‑time volunteer firefighter, told the Edison Township Council on July 22 that volunteers felt "disrespected" after a recent funeral for a fellow firefighter because the township sent only a tactical van and not a fire truck, and he said no career firefighters attended the funeral despite the deceased's decades of service.
"The township and the Edison fire department disrespected the volunteers," Kaplan said, recounting 35 years of service and saying volunteers had historically been acknowledged more fully. He said the township mailed a proclamation and that volunteers received little visible recognition.
Council members and the fire chief thanked Kaplan for his service and called the reported treatment unacceptable. The council asked administration to investigate what happened and whether the department’s process for responding to volunteer‑standby or funeral requests needs clarification. "I don't know if it's an oversight, if it's protocol or what, but it really to me is unacceptable," the Council President said.
The fire chief and administration said they would look into the reported incident and discuss potential remediation with the mayor, public‑safety director and fire chief. No formal disciplinary or policy action was taken at the meeting; staff said they would follow up with the volunteer company and report back to the council.
