Princeton hires new fire chief

The Princeton Fire and Rescue Department (PFRD) will soon welcome a new fire chief following the City Council’s vote during its meeting on Thursday, June 13.

Steve Zumberge was approved by the Princeton City Council and hired to the part-time fire chief position for the PFRD pending a psychological evaluation and background check.

Zumberge will replace the previous fire chief, Ron Lawrence, who retired from the position following the submission of a vote of no confidence against him by the firefighters in the department. Since Lawrence’s retirement in February, Assistant Chief Josh Vaccari has been filling in as the temporary fire chief.

After a three-month hiring process with multiple interviews, each containing multiple city leaders, community members, and members of the PFRD, Zumberge was selected as the best candidate to fill the position.

“It was kind of a long process (the interview process). I was excited and a little bit surprised (to be selected), but I was very excited,” Zumberge said.

While Zumberge currently lives in Norwood Young America, Minnesota, he was originally from Green Isle, Minnesota, and he plans to move to Princeton in August.

“We’re not going to be out-of-towners very long,” Zumberge said.

Zumberge’s experience as a firefighter began in Green Isle.

“I started with the paid on-call Green Isle Fire Department,” Zumberge said. “Then we moved to Norwood Young America, and there I started as a member of the paid on-call Norwood Young America Fire Department.”

Zumberge’s experience has also helped to prepare him for his role with the PFRD as his previous fire departments both operate serving multiple communities and governing bodies, similarly to the PFRD.

“Every community is a little different, especially with larger fire departments that cover multiple jurisdictions areas with more than one governing body — that can be challenging, but that’s what I’ve been doing here (Norwood Young America) for the last 13 years,” Zumberge said. “I know there’s always challenges with that type of department, but you have to be a bit of a bridge builder, and I have a knack of getting people to work together to achieve a goal, and I want to narrow those gaps between governing bodies.”

Altogether, he has over 13 years of experience as a firefighter.

“I became a captain and then chief in 2011 (in Norwood Young America). So I’ve been doing it for 13 plus years,” Zumberge said. “Now, my wife and I decided it was time for one last adventure and wanted to be more of a full-time member of the emergency services.”

Zumberge has been married to his wife, Kate, for about 35 years and together they have two adult children, Jessica and Jordan.

What interested Zumberge most about the Princeton fire chief position was the location of the city itself.

“It’s closer to where we go to hunt and fish. I’ve always taken an interest in Princeton, just from driving through, and my daughter did her internship at the hospital in Princeton,” Zumberge said. “It’s a beautiful area, and the people match that same description. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people already, and they are good, solid people in that community.”

Since being hired to the PFRD, Zumberge has already met with members of the department to begin the process of getting to know them.

“My goal since I’ve met with some of the firefighters is to get to know them better,” Zumberge said. “I really want to get to know them and the community to find out what their needs are, and how I can fulfill many of those needs.”

According to Zumberge, he has a vague understanding about the issues the PFRD had with its previous chief, but he hopes to help the department move forward and foster a new sense of communication and transparency with the firefighters.

“I think just whatever happened in the past is in the past. I just want to present myself as an opportunity and a new chapter,” Zumberge said. “I want to turn the page. It’s time to move on. Our goals will be communication, openness, and transparency. I don’t know exactly what went on before, and, for me, I think what I will hopefully bring to the community and the department is a new chapter starting on my first day.”

Zumberge expects to start in his role as the new part-time fire chief in mid-July pending his background check and psychological evaluation, and he is looking forward to the opportunity to become a part of the Princeton community.

“I really look forward to the opportunity to serve them and get to know everybody. I look at it as a tremendous opportunity in a tremendous town, and I just want to keep the tradition going,” Zumberge said.

Reach Chloe Smith at chloe.smith@apgecm.com