Fire Department

Princeton Fire Department primarily provides services to the City of Princeton, WV. We do more than fight fires! Not only do we provide fire suppression, education, and prevention; we also provide emergency medical services through our affiliation with Princeton Rescue Squad, response to vehicle accidents and rescues, mitigation for incidents involving hazardous materials, and specialized technicians for complex technical rescue situations. Princeton Fire Department also provides some services to areas surrounding the City of Princeton through automatic and mutual aid agreements with other local fire department partners. We also serve as a regional HAZMAT response agency for Mercer County and areas of McDowell County.

The FD provides essential emergency and life-safety services to the people of Princeton. The efforts of the FD, WV American Water Co., and Mercer County 911 allowed Princeton to achieve an Insurance Services Office (ISO) Class 2 rating; the second-best rating on a scale of 1-10. This rating provides homeowners and businesses with the lowest insurance premiums in the area.

100 Years Strong

Since 1911 the Princeton City Fire Department has provided firefighting services to the citizens and visitors to the City of Princeton, Gateway to Four Seasons Country. Since those humble beginnings, this department has grown to become a leader in firefighting and specialized services to the citizens whom it protects. Princeton City Fire Department is a combination department with 13 full-time paid personnel and a volunteer force. Paid firefighters staff two stations 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Volunteer and off-duty members respond to assist on-duty personnel in a large variety of situations.

Personnel have strived to bring more services to the community such as EMS- First Responder, Fire Inspections, Community CPR and Safety Courses, Extrication, Confined Space Rescue, and all with minimum cost to taxpayers. This is a progressive department dedicated to providing its citizens with a full range of services at no additional cost.

Fire Season

Fire season is each year from March 1st through May 31st and October 1st through December 31st. This means no outdoor burning is permitted between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM. City residents will need to get a burning permit by calling the Main Station at 304-487-5017

We have a supply of smoke detectors, bicycle helmets, and car seats and are always giving them out.

Fire Prevention Divison

Princeton Fire Department has an established Division of Fire Prevention which consists of fire inspectors who are certified by the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA). These inspectors protect the community through application of the City’s Fire Prevention Code and the West Virginia State Fire Code.

The intent of the Fire Prevention Division is to prescribe regulations consistent with nationally recognized good practice for the safeguarding, to a reasonable degree, of life and property from the hazards of fire and explosion arising from the storage, handling and use of hazardous substances, materials and devices, and from conditions hazardous to life and property.

In addition to emergency response, the Fire Department (FD) provides fire safety and prevention education to area schools, senior groups, and other agencies and individuals. Certified Fire Inspectors enforce the City’s Fire Prevention Code and sign-off on certificates of occupancy for new businesses within the City Limits. All outdoor burning within the City requires a permit from the FD

Princeton Fire Department is working on a cancer prevention initiative to protect its members and their families from the effects of repeated occupational exposures to numerous cancer-causing agents. The International Association of Firefighters now considers cancer to be the number one cause of Line-of-Duty Deaths and many industry agencies have named cancer as the most dangerous threat to firefighter health and wellness. We want our firefighters and their families to have the best possible chance at having a long and healthy life once their service with Princeton Fire Department has come to an end.

Princeton Fire Department is evaluated by the West Virginia State Fire Marshal for training, testing, and equipment requirements.

We are periodically evaluated by the Insurance Services Office (ISO) to determine our Public Protection Classification rating. A Public Protection Class rating is determined by evaluating a fire department against professionally accepted industry standards. ISO currently rates Princeton Fire Department a Class 2 fire department. This is the second best rating possible, meaning homeowners and businesses within the City of Princeton may receive some of the lowest fire insurance premiums possible for this region.

Also, our NFPA certified fire inspectors must renew their certifications every three years by submitting records of completed inspections and continuing education.