The purpose for which this Corporation is formed is as follows:

To educate residents of the State of New Jersey and of each community therein, through local chapters of this State Association, in the prevention, detection  and extinguishment of fires; To enhance the safety of all who reside or pass through this State by continuing the training of firefighters and the public in fire safety and by the training of firefighters in the protection of life and  property; To promote and encourage the formation of local branches; To aid and  assist by the moral support and influence of this State Association all  aforementioned qualified members of this State Association, and their widows/widowers and orphan children who may not otherwise be provided for, and  to encourage said Locals to educate and assist the public in any manner possible in connection with the area of emergency services, including but not limited to  encouraging greater public understanding of fire safety and fire fighting; To  instruct the youth of this State in fire safety and prevention and to encourage Locals to sponsor programs and to encourage youth involvement in fire  prevention; To provide for the mutual benefit and advancement of the interests and prosperity of all firefighters in the State who are now or hereafter become members of any Local; To protect and defend, as deemed advisable, the rights,  benefits and privileges to which any member now or hereafter may become entitled; To collect and compile from time to time the statistics and other  information concerning firefighters to better protect the public welfare.
 

History

The New Jersey State Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association was first organized and established on December 11, 1897, at the first F.M.B.A.  Annual convention which was held in Jersey City, NJ. At that seemingly uneventful gathering, whereupon only six original member locals - Jersey City,  Paterson, Hoboken, Newark, Trenton and Camden, united to incorporate under the  banner of the F.M.B.A., birth was given to a new era in the history of the  career fire service in New Jersey. In retrospect, it is, at best difficult, to  estimate if our founding fathers possessed full awareness of the time enduring significance and the tremendous positive impact this organization was destined to have upon its members, their families and the general public throughout the decades to follow. Given that particularly industrious point of our society's  growth and development, the time was perfect to organize such an association. And organize they did. By 1907, less than a decade from its inception, local membership doubled from six to twelve locals, with total membership increasing to 1,157. Today with 106 Fire and EMS locals on its roster, the New Jersey State Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association proudly maintains an active membership of over 5,000 career personnel.