Jamie Alkhateeb, Hook and Ladder deputy chief, to oversee three fire companies
By: Courtney Gross
Following the unexpected resignation of Princeton Fire Department Chief Pat McAvenia in late September, Hook and Ladder Deputy Chief Jamie Alkhateeb has been selected as his successor under the department’s seniority system.
A Princeton firefighter for four years and counting, Mr. Alkhateeb, 33, said he will take his oath of office at Tuesday’s meeting of the Princeton Borough Council.
The new chief joined his first fire department at age 18 and was a former member of the Princeton Junction Fire Company. He grew up in West Windsor and is a Plainsboro resident.
As soon as Mr. Alkhateeb completed training more than a decade ago, he fell in love with public service, he said. During the day, he works as a firefighter at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and also owns an Internet software company.
Drawn to the service because it allows him to work closely with others as a team, Mr. Alkhateeb said while training to become a firefighter he once suffered from heat exhaustion during a routine drill. His mentor immediately pulled him out of danger an act that highlighted the solidarity a firefighter might have with the department, he said.
"If there’s one thing I love about the fire service, it’s the brotherhood," Mr. Alkhateeb said. "It’s not even an extended family, it is a family."
During his tenure as chief, Mr. Alkhateeb hopes to review the structure of the department and standardize its procedure to guarantee all of the three companies are following the same guidelines. One word he will focus on is "department," he said, ensuring all three parts work as one.
"We all decided we are going to move forward with sticking to a new structure, reviewing our old ordinances, and see how it fits with the fire department in 2006 and 2007," Mr. Alkhateeb said.
Part of this review is revising ordinances that apply to the fire department, Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi said. Mr. Bruschi said a committee will be formed to review these ordinances a process that could eventually help the department retain leadership and volunteers.
The department responds to an overwhelming number of alarms, Mr. Bruschi said, and some are unnecessary. By reviewing the alarm ordinance, for example, the burden on the department could be reduced.
Additional funding to conduct the review, possibly with assistance from outside sources, could also be gained, Mr. Bruschi said. He expects the review to continue for the next several months.
Formally, Mr. Bruschi said, the next in line for the department’s top position would have been Keith Wadsworth, deputy chief of Mercer Engine Company No. 3. But, Mr. Bruschi said, Mr. Wadsworth declined the position.
Mr. Alkhateeb said some have mistaken the competitive streak among the department’s three companies as an internal battle. Ultimately, he said, they are just firefighters trying to do their jobs and protect the community.
"Along with past leadership, current leadership, along with future leadership, I think people will see the Princeton Fire Department is doing everything they can do with highly motivated people to make the department flourish," Mr. Alkhateeb said.

