The Branch Volunteer Fire Station, a community pillar for the past 37 years, is under new management.

Princeton Fire Department began manning the station Monday, April 4 and will assume responsibility for staffing the station.

Former Branch Fire Chief Jimmy Knipp said the growth of neighboring developments, such as Bridgewater, has made it hard for the Branch Volunteer Fire Department to cope with increased demands for service.

“Quite frankly, volunteers have been difficult to find,” Knipp said. “It’s not like it was 25 years ago.”

While Princeton will assume control of the operations, said Knipp, he will work with the incoming staff to handle administrative duties, such as signing over the building to Princeton. He added that the change was needed because his volunteer fire department has struggled to keep up with the growth over the past few years.

The Branch Volunteer Fire Station was built in 1987, two years after the department was founded in 1985.

“Years ago, this fire district was shared by Lucas and Princeton,” Knipp said. “The community got together and helped fund the construction of a fire station and the founding of a volunteer fire department.”

In addition to helping fight fires in the community, the Branch Volunteer Fire Department partnered with All Community Outreach in Allen to help distribute food, school supplies and toys at Christmas time. It ended its outreach efforts in December 2021 in anticipation of the transition.

“It was good for the community,” Knipp said.

For the full story, see the April 14 issue of The Princeton Herald.