The South Orange Fire Department protects a community of approximately 17,000 residents in an area of about 2.4 square miles. In addition, this public safety agency is charged with providing protection to the Seton Hall University population of approximately 10,000 students, professional staff, educators, and administration.

Largely a suburban residential community featuring single family structures, a portion of the Village is made up of a downtown business district, apartment houses, and multi family dwellings.

Two engine companies, one ladder company, one rescue company, and an incident commander are strategically deployed to respond to various emergency incidents and other calls for assistance as well as assisting other public safety agencies and departments within the Village and in neighboring communities.

In addition to fire suppression, the South Orange Fire Department is responsible for fire prevention and education, origin and cause investigations, hazardous material operations and response, and confined space rescue. All members are certified in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation ( CPR ) and Automated External Defibrillation ( AED ) for immediate intervention on the fire ground and in quarters.