‘Too Big A Part Of My Life': Princeton Mayor Steps Down From 51-Year EMS Career

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Mayor Mark Freda is stepping down as executive director of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad (PFARS) after more than five decades with the organization he first joined as a teenager in 1975.

Freda, who has led PFARS as its top administrator in recent years, said the decision came down to balance. With the demands of the mayor's office and a desire to reclaim personal time, he said he feels confident the squad is well-positioned for the future — pointing to the construction of a modern headquarters that replaced the organization's original 1963 building as one of his defining accomplishments.

But Freda's retirement comes against a sobering backdrop for volunteer emergency services statewide. He warned that more EMTs are retiring each year than are being trained to replace them, causing squads across New Jersey to fold and increasing pressure on the agencies that remain.

He called on the state to designate EMS an essential service, saying current efforts to address the crisis fall short.

Freda said he is unlikely to walk away from emergency services entirely, suggesting he will find ways to stay involved in Princeton's EMS community. "It is just too big a part of my life to totally walk away from," he said.

Here’s a Q&A with Patch:

What made this the right time to step away?

Working with really great people at PFARS for the last few years, I feel I have done almost all I can to position PFARS really well for the future. It is a great nonprofit that is so essential to the community. At some point we all need some balance in our lives, and retiring from PFARS will allow me to more easily devote time to being mayor while giving me back time for my personal life.

What do you hope your successor prioritizes?

Maintaining the unbelievably high quality of the service PFARS delivers. While understanding that the changing landscape of EMS in New Jersey requires a lot of time, thought and effort to remain successful and fulfill our mission. And of course, as in any nonprofit today, secure more funding. FARS is not a municipal entity, it is a stand alone nonprofit; yet what it provides cannot be funded over the long term without more financial support.

Will you ever really be done with emergency services?

Not likely. Maybe I'll be the person in the back of the room at meetings that throws out a good idea every now and then. I am pretty sure I will still find ways to help our emergency services here in Princeton, it is just too big a part of my life to totally walk away from.

If you could point to one moment or decision that defined your time with PFARS, what would it be?

That is a difficult one to answer. We have had some many defining moments over my 51 years there. But more recently I would say the decisions we made that allowed us to build our now very modern headquarters, which replaced our 1963 building. Huge upgrade for PFARS, badly needed and a real game changer.

What's the biggest challenge facing volunteer EMS squads right now?

More EMTs retire each year than new EMTs come on board. Numerous squads go under each year, placing more pressure on the remaining EMS agencies. And creating more demand for paid EMTs, many of whom come from the volunteer ranks. We are not training new EMTs fast enough, nor are we changing the rules around training EMTs to deal with the challenges of EMS today. How most towns deal with the disappearance of their volunteer squad is inadequate. The State of New Jersey needs to make EMS an essential service immediately and truly address this problem; it is not right now.

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