Since being established in 1799 the Woodbury Fire Department has been through its ups and downs and has made major changes with time and technology. The present-day fire department is a combination department utilizing both career and volunteer personnel. There are five career and 15 active volunteer firefighters. The city firefighters protect 10,000 plus city residents in a 2.1 square mile area as well as many neighboring communities.
Woodbury consists mainly of one and two-family residential but also hosts a wide variety of mid-rise residential and commercial structures and light industrial occupancies, and with Woodbury being the county seat there are many government and judicial buildings throughout too. The city is also home to five schools, two Conrail right-of-way and rail yards, a branch off of the Delaware River (Woodbury Creek), and a hospital with the busiest emergency room in South Jersey. On average the department runs approximately 600 calls per year.