Better, Faster, Stronger: C. Raymond Davis & Sons Completes New Headquarters for the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad

C. Raymond Davis & Sons has recently completed the new headquarters for the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad (PFARS), located at 2 Mount Lucas Road in Princeton, NJ. 

At 16,000 sqft, the state-of-the-art facility is more than triple the size of the squad's previous headquarters, providing much-needed space for the current squad of eight career and 65 volunteer EMTs. The squad had been operating out of their previous location since 1963, which was only about 5,000 sqft and could not house all of their emergency vehicles.

Designed by Pacheco Ross Architects (which later merged with H2M Architects + Engineers), the new building provides a much more welcoming, functional, and efficient space for the growing squad. The building houses training areas for practicing rescue skills, a conference room, an exercise room, a duty room with desks and computers, several offices, a kitchen and dining area, a social room with a television and comfortable seating, and plenty of storage space. There are also six bunk rooms for volunteers on the overnight shift.

Spacious engine bays line one side of the building, which hold the squad's fleet of four ambulances, a rescue truck, a technical rescue trailer, two four-wheel drive vehicles, and a boat. The building is also equipped with an alerting system with a blue light, speakers, and monitors that display the details of each emergency call.

The building's structure consists of structural steel, CFMF, brick, cast stone and metal panels with an EPDM roof. The mechanical system is a VRF system with heat recovery, RTU’s, and ductless split systems. Flooring throughout includes bamboo flooring, VCT, rubber matting, and ceramic tile. The walls consist of painted GWB and wood Wains coating. LED light fixtures are used throughout.

"Our new headquarters is beautiful, functional, and well-constructed," said Mark Freda, President of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad. "Few projects reach this level of teamwork; but this one did. The final product shows this. It is a project we are all very proud of."

"As the Project Architect, I greatly appreciated their attention to detail, professionalism, and the team spirited approach to moving this project to a successful conclusion," said Eric Neiler of H2M Architects + Engineers. "Overall, the construction of the PFARS facility was a tremendous success due to the commitment to excellence by C Raymond Davis."

C. Raymond Davis & Sons is proud to have served as the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad's builder on a project they had been planning for 15 years.