Welcome to Evesham Fire-Rescue's webpage. Please take a moment to learn about your fire and emergency services department, organization, operations and history.

Evesham Township is located in Burlington County, NJ and includes a mix of residential and commercial/retail properties, along with a large area of wildland-urban interface. Our township is located in southern New Jersey, on the borders of Burlington and Camden Counties, and encompasses 30 square miles. Our mutual aid districts for Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) include Medford and Mount Laurel in Burlington County, along with Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Waterford and Berlin in Camden County.

Evesham Fire-Rescue is a combination career/volunteer agency that delivers both Fire and EMS services to a rapidly growing community of over 45,000 residents. We currently have 34 uniformed career personnel including our Chief, one Assistant Chief, two Deputy Chiefs, one Captain, six Lieutenants, and twenty-three Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technicians. The majority of our career personnel also carry the additional title of Fire Inspector and perform inspection duties in cooperation with our Fire Prevention Division. In addition, we have four non-uniformed personnel, including our business administrator, network professional, and two full-time clerical support personnel.

Our volunteer staff encompasses about 110 fire and emergency medical personnel. Volunteer firefighters must complete a minimum of a 110 hour course to certify as New Jersey Firefighter Level 1 and our volunteer emergency medical personnel must complete a minimum 140 hour course to certify as New Jersey Emergency Medical Technicians.

Our career personnel work Monday through Friday, from 700am to 600pm. On these same days, two personnel are assigned to work from 500am to 4oopm. These two personnel provide an immediate response of one BLS (Basic Life Support) Unit, until the rest of the career personnel arrive at 700am.

Evenings and weekends are covered by volunteer members, using a mix of duty crews in-station for both Fire and EMS, as well as additional personnel responding from home. This blend of career and volunteer staffing offers a high quality and cost effective system for providing Emergency Services to the residents and visitors of Evesham Township.

Emergency response operations are delivered from one or all of our three fire-rescue stations which are located strategically throughout Evesham Township. Station 221 is located on Main Street in downtown Marlton, Station 223 is located on Merchants Way in the Kings Grant section of the township and Station 225 is located on Hopewell Road in the Marlton Lakes/Sanctuary section of the township. Each station has a mix of apparatus that provides for both fire and emergency medical services response.

Business operations are conducted from our Fire Administration Office is located within the Evesham Township Municipal Building. The Fire Administration Office is home to our Division of Fire Prevention/Education. In addition, our Business Administrator and clerical staff also work from the Fire Administration Office and provide extensive support to the operations of the Fire Department and Board of Fire Commissioners. The administration office is open Monday through Friday from 830am to 430pm and can be reached by calling (856) 983-2750.

Governance of Evesham Fire-Rescue is provided by the Evesham Township Fire District No. 1 through a publicly elected five member Board of Fire Commissioners. The Fire District created by Evesham Township Ordinance No. 68-20 has all the powers of municipal government except the power to legislate. All local legislation (ordinances) are created through the Evesham Township Council. The Fire District is the responsible public agency for providing all Fire and Emergency Medical Services for and to the township. In addition, the Fire District operates the Office of Emergency Management and provides Uniform Construction Code services to the townships' Department of Community Development.

The Board of Fire Commissioners are responsible for establishing operational policies, hiring and appointing members, and the funding for the operations of the Fire District within the guidelines and statutes of the State of New Jersey. The board, as public officials, must follow all of the rules that are promulgated for public agencies.

The Board of Fire Commissioners each serve a three year term, with the elections staggered over the three year term. The election is required by law to be held on the third Saturday in February between the hours of 2:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Approval of the annual budget is also on the ballot at the same election. From time to time, special elections must be held to approve bond issues and/or capital expenditures.

Fire Chief Thaddeus Lowden is the Chief of the Department and is responsible for the daily operations of the Fire Department reporting directly to the Board of Fire Commissioners.

Ted Lowden is a 32-year veteran of the fire service. Chief Lowden's fire service career began in 1975, when he joined the Marlton Fire Company (Evesham Township). Chief Lowden worked his way up through all of the ranks within the volunteer department. Chief Lowden also acted as the department training officer during his service with the Marlton Fire Company. In 1984 he was appointed as a career firefighter, and then later, was appointed to the position of career Deputy Fire Marshal. In 1988, at the age of 34, he was promoted to the rank of career Fire Chief.

Chief Lowden is active in many fire service organizations which include: the New Jersey State Career Fire Chiefs Association, the National Society of Executive Fire Officers, Burlington County 200 Club, New Jersey Fire Chiefs Association, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Lowden has served as a charter member of the Burlington County Fire Advisory Board and as a past President of the Burlington County Fire Chiefs Association. In Burlington County, he currently serves as a Deputy Fire Coordinator and was a representative on the Emergency Services Academy New Building Committee, as well as Chairperson of the Burlington County Emergency Services Advisory Board. On a National level, Chief Lowden serves with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group as a subject matter expert, and is the 2nd Vice-President of the Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Lowden has designed and authored curriculum for the National Fire Academy, is a graduate of their Executive Fire Officer Program, and serves as an adjunct instructor. He has published a number of articles in fire service trade journals and holds the national designation of Chief Fire Officer as issued by IAFC/ICMA.

Chief Lowden has been the recipient of numerous awards through his career including two life saving awards, the Burlington County 200 Club’s Distinguished Service Award in 2002 and the Burlington County Emergency Services Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Chief Lowden was also the runner up for the Fire Chief of the Year Award as sponsored by the International Association of Fire Chiefs in 2005. Chief Lowden also acts as an independent fire protection consultant and has served as a presenter at many fire service educational conferences through the United States.

Chief Lowden is a life long resident of Evesham Township. He attended the Evesham School system and graduated Lenape High School in 1975. Chief Lowden continues to reside in Evesham, with his wife Mary of 27 years, and his son "T.J.". Chief Lowden has an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Fire Science from Burlington County College, a Bachelor's Degree in Fire Science from the University of Maryland, and a Masters Degree in Public Safety Administration from St. Joseph's University in May of 2002.