Emergency Services: Police, Fire, First Aid

Both Borough and Township Police dispatch fire and ambulance vehicles. All officers are trained in emergency first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Fire and first aid equipment are standard in all patrol cars. For joggers, ID tags (Borough) and cards (Township) are available at the Police Departments. Bicycle registration is also offered by both departments.

BOROUGH POLICE

The Borough is served by a 32-member police force including a chief, a captain a lieutenant, 5 sergeants, 4 detectives and 20 uniformed patrol officers. There are 4 civilian dispatchers. The Police Department has a Crime Prevention Unit, which offers inspection and self-protection programs. The Department has 3 meter officers and 10 crossing guards. All members of the Department are appointed by the Mayor and Borough Council, following a qualifying examination. The Department's equipment includes 6 marked and 3 unmarked cars, 1 motorscooter, and a radio transmitter in operation 24 hours a day. The transmitter is used by the fire and engineering department as well as by the ambulance and rescue unit. Borough Police are in contact with the Statewide Radio Network and the Mercer County Crime Alert Network. Radar is used on Borough streets. The Breathalyzer and videotape unit are kept in Borough Hall, which also houses the 5-cell jail.

TOWNSHIP POLICE

The Township has 31 police officers, including a chief, 2 lieutenants, 5 sergeants, 4 detectives, and 18 uniformed patrol officers. Township police have a Crime Prevention Unit offering self-defense programs, free inspection of your premises and an engraver which can be borrowed to mark possessions. The Department also includes an Arson Unit, 15 crossing guards, and 4 civilian dispatchers. All members of the Department are appointed by the Mayor with approval of Township Committee, after a qualifying examination.

The Township has 6 marked and 6 unmarked cars, and a Small Animal Control Van. Radar is used in the Township and in addition to regular radio transmitters, the police monitor CB Channel 9. They are in contact with the Mercer County Crime Alert Network and the National Crime Information Center. There are 2 cells in the Township Hall jail.

UNIVERSITY PUBLIC SAFETY

A force of nineteen commissioned police officers and 33 security officers works closely with Borough and Township police. Members enforce University rules and regulations as well as work in conjunction with municipal officers to investigate infractions of the law.

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Fire protection in Princeton is provided by three volunteer fire companies. The companies are, with their dates of founding: The Princeton Hook and Ladder Fire Company (1788), located on Harrison Street North; Princeton Engine Company No. 1 (1794), located on Chestnut Street; and Fire Station 63: Mercer Engine Company No. 3 (1847), located on 353 Witherspoon Street in 1992.

Volunteer firefighters may be residents of the Borough, the Township or another municipality as long as they live within a twelve-mile radius of the Medical Center at Princeton. Volunteer firefighters must be at least 18 years of age. There is a junior firefighter program for 16- and 17-year-olds. Formal fire training schools are run once or twice a year. Members attend on their own time. Also, fire company drills are held frequently throughout the year.

The fire department equipment consists of seven fire trucks, including a Mack aerialscope with a boom capable of extending 75 feet.

There is no permanent staff at the firehouses. When an alarm is called in, either by telephone or from one of the telephone alarm call boxes, it goes directly to either the Borough or Township police headquarters, which alerts the Fire Department through the use of voice pagers. This allows firefighters to get a fire vehicle on the road quickly. In special emergencies the Fire Department goes to the aid of nearby districts. Conversely, if all the Princeton vehicles are in use, outside help from area fire departments is called in to staff the Princeton firehouses.

TO REPORT A FIRE

Princeton Borough: 9-1-1 Princeton Township: 9-1-1

If emergency calls are made to "Operator", the caller should be careful to state whether the fire broke out in the Borough or in the Township.

PRINCETON FIRST AID AND RESCUE SQUAD

The volunteer squad includes women, men, and cadets (ages 16-17). During the day, two municipally-funded, full-time Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) provide free professional emergency care within minutes. Each night volunteer crews sleep at the Squad House so they can respond promptly to any emergency. All Squad members are graduates of the state-certified Emergency Medical Technician training program. They must also take frequent refresher courses, attend at least six emergency drills annually, and serve on the night shift regularly.

All three ambulances housed at the building are fully equipped to handle any type of emergency in a prompt, reliable and efficient manner. Ambulance personnel can receive and carry out instructions from emergency room doctors while still at an accident scene. The Rescue 68 truck carries extrication equipment for auto accidents, ropes, scene lighting, compressed air, and also provides support to the Fire Department. The 4-wheel drive rescue vehicle can be used for backwoods rescue, as well as for transporting the rescue boat. In life-threatening situations such as heart attacks one of 3 lifemobiles available in Mercer County can be called in by the Squad.

Some of the squad members are also Red Cross instructors and help the Red Cross to provide first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to local citizens. Special demonstrations are also held for local schools, churches, and scout organizations. New volunteers are always welcome.

NOTE: To call an ambulance in an emergency, call 9-1-1

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