Associate Members From University Gear Up to Become New Fire Department Volunteers

Dilshanie Perera

Borough Council passed a resolution at last week’s meeting giving approval for three more Princeton University employees to become associate members of the Princeton Fire Department.

A total of 23 Princeton University employees have signed up for the position, with most of them having already received training.

In March, Council created a special “Associate Member” category at the Fire Department, enabling the University to launch a pilot program that allows staff members to respond to calls during normal work hours.

University Fire Marshal Bob Gregory explained that the pilot program would “work out all the bugs” before being made available to the rest of the staff at the University.

Employees in Facilities, Public Safety, and Health Services comprise most of the squad of associate members, Mr. Gregory said.

Seven individuals are in training in a Fire Fighter 1 program, with the remaining already trained. They will work with all three fire companies in Princeton.

The associate members received their fire fighting uniforms, equipment, and gear last Thursday, with Mr. Gregory explaining that “in the next two weeks, we’ll be going over the apparatus, and getting used to where the equipment is.” He added that all new members would receive pagers alerting them to emergencies when they are on call.

Many of the associate members have previous fire fighting experience, with some having volunteered in neighboring municipalities. Mr. Gregory pointed out two members, Michael Kervan and Bob Allen, who both have been a part of the Cranbury Fire Company.

“It’s great having that experience here,” Mr. Gregory said.

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