Hamilton Township Fire Prevention Bureau, 200 Mercer St, Hamilton, NJ 08690, US

One of the three volunteer fire companies that protect Lawrence Township, Slackwood Fire Company was organized in 1907 and is located at 21 Slack Avenue. Membership in the fire company is open to all township residents who are willing to volunteer their time. High school students as young as 14 can join as cadet members to learn more about the fire service. To be eligible to actively fight fires and respond to emergency incidents, members must be at least 18 years of age and have completed the state-certified 120-hour basic firefighting course offered at the Mercer County Fire Academy. Fire company members are required to participate in many hours of training each month to maintain their skills. The volunteers of Slackwood Fire Company respond to more than 600 emergencies every year. Six Slackwood volunteers have died in the line of duty over the years - five were killed after their fire engine collided with a tractor-trailer in 1934; another suffered a fatal heart attack in 1986 while helping direct traffic at the scene of a structure fire. Slackwood Fire Company is designated as Station 21 under Mercer County's firehouse numbering system. While the fire company's primary response area is located in the southern end of town (known as Lawrence Township Fire District 1), Slackwood firefighters respond to fires, traffic accidents, hazardous materials spills, floods and other emergencies throughout Lawrence Township to aid the township's other fire companies, Lawrence Road and Lawrenceville. Through mutual aid agreements with neighboring municipalities, Slackwood firefighters respond into Ewing, Hopewell and elsewhere to assist when needed at major incidents. Similarly, firefighters from other towns respond into Lawrence Township to help out whenever needed. The fire company's volunteers hold periodic fundraisers to help pay for fuel, equipment and supplies that are not covered by the township. The hall attached to the firehouse is sometimes rented out for meetings and other functions as an additional fundraiser, however township ordinances prohibit the use of the hall for some types of social events. In 2007, Slackwood Fire Company celebrated its 100th anniversary with a large parade of fire apparatus that made its way along Princeton Pike. Nicknamed the "Southside Mutts," Slackwood Fire Company members have a firefighting bulldog as their mascot.