By Glenn Epps
The Express-Times
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Tensions surrounding a dispute between volunteers at a local fire department and its township are heating up.
Last year, the Mountain Lake Fire Company department’s chief and volunteers accused elected officials of interfering with emergency response operations and unfairly punishing one of its members, jeopardizing the company’s effectiveness.
| EARLIER: N.J. fire department dispute boils over after driving ban
Now, in a series of posts to Facebook, the fire department alleges that due to a driver shortage and the time commitments of the department’s volunteer members, it is even less capable of fulfilling its mission.
When major winter storms hit New Jersey earlier this month, shutting some schools for two days and leaving families snowed in behind more than a foot of snow, the department’s crew suffered its first non-response, said Mountain Lake Fire Company Chief Pete Hubert.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, for the first time ever, Mt. Lake Fire Company was not able to get a truck out for a call. Unfortunately the only driver available at the time was not allowed to drive as per Liberty Township Committee. Fortunately it was not a life threatening call,” the department shared in a Jan. 10 post.
Five of the department’s regular members were called into work at their regular full-time job after New Jersey declared a State of Emergency, leaving one volunteer capable of driving the fire truck available over the weekend, the post states.
The department has made multiple attempts to increase volunteer qualifications but dwindling membership in the organization was partly to blame, a Jan. 24 post says.
Courses for pump operators are held yearly, nearby, but the number of hours that are required in order to fulfill the course make it a difficult commitment for interested volunteers.
“We are a volunteer fire company and do not get paid, so our real jobs take presidence [sic]. We advertise all the time for membership but residents do not have the time or drive like years past,” according to the department’s statement.
The fire company’s volunteers respond to roughly 200 calls in Liberty Township and portions of White Township every year, according to the department chiefs.
The Mountain Lake Fire Company chief and deputy chief have also claimed Mayor John Inscho, who served 50 years as a member of the fire department, has used this opportunity to fulfill a personal vendetta against the firefighter with whom he was once friends.
Township officials have denied the accusations.
Mayor John Inscho did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the allegations, or any other matter. Deputy Mayor Dan Grover deferred all comments to the town’s attorney.
The volunteer facing the driving ban by the township is a 30-year veteran of the fire company and one of only eight responders capable of operating the department’s vehicle. He received a five-year driving suspension in 2025, but can continue to serve in his voluntary capacity as a firefighter, according to the township’s attorney.
The Mountain Lake Fire Company has made multiple requests to reduce the censure of the volunteer’s participation. The town has stood by its October 2025 decision to suspend the volunteer’s driving privileges.
The township had not discussed the matter again, as of Friday, Grover confirmed.
The township is in the process of rewriting its code for the fire department, Liberty Township attorney Richard Wenner said.
The Liberty Township committee is scheduled to meet 7 p.m. Feb. 5 inside the municipal building at 349 Mountain Lake Road in Great Meadows.
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