The 149th New Jersey State Firemen’s Association Convention brings firefighters, fire trucks, vendors and families to the Shore for one of Wildwood’s biggest September traditions — and drivers should expect road closures and heavy pedestrian traffic.
WILDWOOD, NJ — If Wildwood seems packed with fire trucks and firefighters this weekend, there is a reason.
The annual New Jersey State Firemen’s Association Convention has returned to the Wildwoods, bringing firefighters and their families from across New Jersey to the resort for meetings, a massive fire equipment expo and Saturday’s traditional firefighter parade.
Activity surrounding the Wildwoods Convention Center got underway Thursday, Sept. 17, ahead of the formal convention sessions Friday and Saturday. The New Jersey State Firemen’s Association has an executive committee meeting scheduled at the Convention Center Thursday morning.
This year marks the 149th convention and the 51st consecutive year the event has been held in the Wildwoods.
What exactly is the Wildwood firefighter convention?
The event is part business meeting, part trade show and part annual reunion for New Jersey’s fire service.
The New Jersey State Firemen’s Association holds its annual convention inside the Wildwoods Convention Center, with the formal 2026 sessions scheduled for Friday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Sept. 19.
The association itself has roots going back nearly 150 years.
Its organizational meeting was held in Newark on May 22, 1879, when delegates from fire departments around New Jersey gathered to consider establishing a permanent statewide association. The first annual convention followed in Trenton that September, with 28 departments represented.
Today, the organization is closely connected to New Jersey’s local firemen’s relief associations and programs serving firefighters and their families.
Who actually hosts everything in Wildwood?
There are several pieces to the weekend.
The New Jersey State Firemen’s Association conducts the convention itself at the Convention Center. Outside, the Five Mile Beach Volunteer Firemen’s Association hosts the NJ Fire Expo in the surrounding parking lots and Fox Park.
That outdoor portion is one reason the event is much more visible than a typical professional convention.
Fire apparatus manufacturers and equipment companies bring trucks, rescue equipment, firefighting gear and other products to Wildwood. Visitors can walk among displays of new engines and specialized apparatus while vendors demonstrate equipment used by modern fire departments.
The exhibitor areas spill beyond the Convention Center into adjacent parking areas and Fox Park across Ocean Avenue.
Why firefighters keep coming back to Wildwood
The convention has become as much a Jersey Shore tradition as an organizational meeting.
Wildwood has hosted it for 51 consecutive years, creating generations of firefighters who associate September in the resort with the annual gathering.
Shore News Network previously profiled Toms River firefighter and teacher Elizabeth Seneca, who recalled attending the Wildwood convention as a child because firefighting ran through her family. She eventually became a volunteer firefighter herself and an instructor at the Toms River fire academy.
That generational connection is a large part of the weekend. Firefighters come from departments across New Jersey, but many bring spouses, children and other family members.
For departments, there is also the practical attraction: hundreds of firefighters can see new apparatus and equipment in one place while meeting firefighters from other communities.
Then come the fire trucks
The weekend’s most visible event happens Saturday.
The New Jersey State Firefighters Memorial Parade steps off at 2 p.m. at Cresse and New Jersey avenues before traveling north on New Jersey Avenue to 21st Avenue.
Fire companies from New Jersey and neighboring states participate and compete for awards. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday inside the Convention Center.
The parade is free to watch.
The Wildwoods tourism office lists meetings, seminars and voting among the official convention activities, with the Fire Expo and apparatus displays operating alongside them.
It is also a major September weekend for Wildwood
The timing matters for the Shore resort.
By mid-September, the traditional summer vacation season has wound down and schools are back in session. The firefighters convention brings a substantial influx of visitors back to hotels, restaurants, bars and businesses during Wildwood’s shoulder season.
The convention’s longevity has made it one of the resort’s signature post-summer gatherings.
Shore News Network has previously described the firefighter convention as one of Wildwood’s major annual events. When the 2020 convention was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was among the significant Wildwood events lost that season.
The event returned and has continued its long relationship with the resort.
More coverage of events along the southern Jersey Shore can be found through Shore News Network’s Wildwood, Cape May County and New Jersey coverage.
Traffic warning around the Convention Center
Drivers heading through Wildwood should expect congestion beginning Thursday and continuing through the convention.
Road closures are in place along Ocean Avenue near the Wildwoods Convention Center and along the 300 East block of Burk Avenue as exhibitor areas occupy space around the Convention Center and Fox Park.
Motorists should also watch for significantly increased pedestrian traffic as firefighters, families and other visitors move between hotels, the Convention Center, Fox Park, restaurants and the Boardwalk.
Saturday’s 2 p.m. memorial parade will bring another round of traffic impacts along New Jersey Avenue between Cresse and 21st avenues.
For anyone who isn’t attending the convention, the simplest advice may be the most useful: expect Wildwood to be much busier than an ordinary September weekend.