The Plainsboro Fire Company honored Roy and Ted Wagner for 45 years of active service to the community as volunteer firefighters at a special meeting in the firehouse on June 3.
When the Wagners joined the fire company on June 4, 1968, the town was a mostly agricultural community that had a population of about 1,600 and was mainly known for its farms, especially the Walker Gordon Farm on Plainsboro Road; and as the location of Princeton University’s James Forrestal Campus.
As a fire department press release stated, “45 years later, the twin brothers are still answering the call. Roy currently serves as the fire company’s assistant chief and Ted is chairman of the elected Board of Commissioners of Plainsboro Fire District No. 1. Among them, they have served as chief of the fire company for 20 of the fire company’s 53 years in existence and have been Top 10 responders for their entire firefighting careers.”
They followed their father, Ted Wagner Sr., one of Plainsboro’s first firefighters, into the fire company. Firefighting has continued in their families. Ted’s sons, Jeff and Brian, have both served as Plainsboro firefighters. Brian currently serves as Plainsboro’s deputy fire chief. Jeff is a captain in Millstone. Ted’s wife, Judy, was an associate member and headed the fire company’s refreshment committee for many years.
Roy’s son Matt, a career firefighter in Millstone, served as chief in Plainsboro and his daughter, Beth, is an associate member. Roy’s wife, Vicki, is an associate member and secretary.
“It’s often said that when someone becomes a volunteer firefighter, his entire family also joins. The Wagner family has taken this to a new height,” said Plainsboro Fire Company President Ron Sost. “They have set a high standard for community service as individuals who can be counted on at any time of the day or night to respond to emergencies, fix a broken piece of equipment, or help someone in need. We thank them for their many years of service to the community.”
During the Wagners’ time in service Plainsboro has been transformed into a suburban community of 22,000 residents with thousands of garden apartment and condo units, townhouses, single-family homes, shopping centers, hotels, and office complexes.
“Over the course of their four decades of service, as their town grew around them, Roy and Ted have led the transformation of the Plainsboro Fire Company into a modern, efficient, and effective firefighting unit that consistently adapted and improved to protect a rapidly growing and changing community,” said Plainsboro Fire Chief Jim Pedley. “They have served as line officers for most of their years of service, led numerous truck and facility expansion and improvement efforts and welcomed and trained hundreds of new firefighters who have served Plainsboro and other communities with distinction. Plainsboro and its residents owe them a debt of gratitude.”
