In the 76 years that Bob Higgins has been a member of the Princeton Fire Department, he has put out a lot of fires – from brush fires to house fires.
Higgins, who is 97 years old, was honored for his seven decades of service as a volunteer firefighter by Mayor Mark Freda, Fire Chief Adam Kooker and members of the Princeton Fire Department at a special ceremony Aug. 30.
Higgins was presented with a plaque – “In appreciation for 76 years of dedicated service, you are a shining example at Princeton Engine Co. No. 1.”
The event to honor Higgins was suggested by the staff at Brandywine Princeton in South Brunswick Township, where Higgins now lives. Officials jumped at the chance to arrange the event to honor him.
Higgins, who grew up on Patton Avenue, joined Princeton Engine Co. No. 1 as an auxiliary member when he was 16 years old. It is one of three fire companies – along with Princeton Hook & Ladder Co. and Mercer Engine Co. No. 3 – that make up the Princeton Fire Department.
Higgins became a full-time member at 21 years old following in his father’s footsteps. It is a tradition to serve as a firefighter – whether as a volunteer or as a paid firefighter – that runs deep in many Princeton families.
He served continuously, except for a stint in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was offered the title of fire chief when he returned home from the war, but declined because of work conflicts.
Higgins recalled that the last fire he fought happened about 15 years ago, when he was around 80 years old.
Asked about the most memorable fires that he fought, Higgins recalled the Dillon Gym fire on the Princeton University campus, and the Benson Building fire on Witherspoon Street at Spring Street.
Dillon Gym burned down in May 1944. The cause of the fire was never determined, according to published reports in the Princeton Alumni Weekly.
Five fire departments responded from as far away as Trenton, but the gym could not be saved. Mementos in the building, such as the ice hockey stick belonging to Princeton University ice hockey player Hobey Baker and the round football used in the Yale-Princeton football game in 1873, were among the items destroyed in the fire.
Princeton University alumni rallied and Dillon Gym was rebuilt
The second most memorable fire in town – at least from Higgins’ perspective – was the January 1977 blaze that destroyed the Benson Building on the corner of Witherspoon Street and Spring Street.
The building was home to about 15 stores and offices, according to Princeton Hook & Ladder Co. archives. Unofficial estimates placed the damage at $1 million – the equivalent of $5.2 million in 2024 dollars.
A new building was built on the site of the former Benson Building.
