Keith Branche, a 41-year-old stay-at-home father, is a man on a mission. He wants to revive interest in one often overlooked pillar of West Windsor Township — its volunteer fire department.
A native of Groton, Connecticut, Branche settled in West Windsor one year ago with his wife, Wendy, and 2-year-old son Murphy. But before Branche ever came to central New Jersey he made sure to do his research and find his way of contributing to the community. He called the West Windsor Fire Company to make sure that there was a volunteer role for him to step into.
After 9/11 most of the nation came to recognize the unique bonds that firefighters share. Several memorials to “fallen brothers” who died at the World Trade Center were built in New York and New Jersey. Branche said firefighters quickly become part of an extended family and pillars of the town they serve.
“No matter where you go it’s a family atmosphere. You hang out together, your families hang out together; we have backyard picnics and barbecues. It ties you in with the community so it’s really enjoyable,” he says.
Letting the community know about participating in the West Windsor Fire Department is a new strategy for 2012 and beyond. Specific dates for community engagement have not been set as of yet, but Branche says open houses will be planned and fire trucks will participate in some church events, fairs and festivals this summer.
“We’re going to really increase our presence and make sure people know we’re all-volunteer,” Branche said.
Branche says the volunteer fire company bases itself in the concept of “neighbors helping neighbors” and regardless of an individual’s strengths or abilities, there are a variety of ways in which one can contribute. “We are serving the community well, but in order to continue service, you need to grow any organization, and that includes the fire department,” he said.
One problem that Branche has been concerned with in West Windsor is letting residents know that the fire department is all-volunteer. Only two people work at the department full-time, Monday through Friday, as township employees.
Branche says that after moving into his new house in LeParc II he began meeting his new neighbors. But none of them were aware that West Windsor’s fire department was volunteer-based; they all thought it was paid.
The fire department aims at attracting two to three new volunteers each year. While some may fret about the dangers of being a volunteer firefighter, Branche says “anything you do has an inherent danger to it which you need to be aware of . On the same side of the coin, that makes us emphasize training. You train to be able to predict and react to situations that can cause danger or actually stay out of danger,” Branche says.
Branche sees two phenomena converging in today’s firefighter environment: extensive training combined with fewer fires happening in the nation due to awareness and preventative methods. This means that firefighters do generally encounter less live fire experience, but that is a positive.
In 2011 the West Windsor Fire Department put members through 1,000 hours of training, both in-house and at fire academies where full classes were held. The fire department pays for its volunteers’ training.
Time commitment has traditionally been a deterrent for community members, especially because people commute and work long hours. But Branche says the volunteer company accepts any time that members are willing to dedicate. All volunteers have careers and families as their priorities , and the department only has a few minimal requirements.
“We encourage a volunteer firefighter to make it to eight drills in a year, and there are four or five required drills which are spread out. But nobody’s going to say a person only made it to 5 percent of calls — we’re happy to have anybody who shows up,” Branche said.
The West Windsor department schedules two drills per month in-house aside from a few drills that are required from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. One of the OSHA drills is a live burn drill held at a fire academy. Another is a HAZMAT drill to promote awareness of chemical dangers and blood-borne pathogens. There’s also a mandatory CPR drill each year.
Branche says help is also needed in other roles. Some volunteers help the department only in its fundraising efforts and in hall rentals (which is part of the department’s income). Others can take active roles with the fire police, a situation that Branche says with educating the community. Different facets of the organization are readily available for anyone who volunteers.
“Generation to generation, people gauge their intent of helping. Particularly when people move away from actively fighting fires to helping with the apparatus and communications,” Branche said.
The department also hopes to introduce junior frefighters, usually high schoolers ages 16 to 18. Participation can especially be rewarding for junior members. Branche said West Windsor has produced at least a dozen professional firefighters around the country.
Firefighting was built into Branche’s DNA. “I grew up with the fire service. When I was a kid my father was a chief, my uncle was a chief, and to this day my two older brothers are both volunteer firemen. Once it gets into your blood it stays there,” Branche said.
The oldest of Branche’s brothers got back into volunteering for the fire department after several years, while the middle one retired from the Air Force and currently serves as a firefighter in East Hampton, Long Island. His mother is retired while his father owns a janitorial business and is a state fire marshal in Connecticut.
Branche studied culinary arts at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, RI. He went on to Cornell University, earned his bachelor’s degree in hospitality management. He worked as a restaurant cook before going on to Cornell, and Branche says he spent 20 years in the industry. Three years ago he was the general manager of a country club in Tuxedo Park, New York.
In addition to Murphy, Branche has a 17-year-old son, Nicholas, who lives in Philadelphia. Wendy Branche works for Tyco International on Roszel Road. Ironically, one of Tyco’s business units provides fire protection and detection products & services. According to Branche, Tyco’s Scott Safety business makes the S.C.B.A air pack which fire fighters use to breath (SCBA stands for self-contained breathing apparatus).
Families dominate in West Windsor’s fire department as well. According to Branche, West Windsor has four or five actual families with father-son duos, brothers, and husbands and wives involved. The department even has one father and son duo that will go through fire fighter training together this summer.
Branche carried on his family tradition in each town he’s lived in. He’s a member of the volunteer fire company in Spring Lake, New Jersey where Branche and his wife also spend some time. He is also a social member of two other fire departments: Secaucus, and Woodbury, New York, near the Woodbury Commons outlet mall.
Having lived in New York City, Branche was disappointed — he couldn’t be a firefighter because there are no volunteer fire companies. All New York firemen are paid professionals.
Branche says volunteers are a special breed, but West Windsor is full of extraordinary people. “Anybody who gets out of bed at 3 a.m. to go help a stranger because they were in a car crash or their carbon monoxide alarm went off — it takes a special kind of person to do that. But I believe those people are out there,” he says.
For more information on volunteering with the West Windsor Fire Department, please call 609-799-3311 or visit the fire company’s website at westwindsorfire.com and click on the “Joining the WWFD” tab in the left-hand column.
