By Matthew Hersh

Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad (PFARS), one of New Jersey’s oldest and most respected emergency medical services organizations, has selected Ari Meisel as its inaugural executive director, following a competitive search that drew more than 25 applicants and included six finalists.

Meisel, a Princeton resident and current vice president of PFARS, succeeds outgoing President Mark Freda, who has been a PFARS volunteer for 50 years and has served as president since 2018. Freda, who is also mayor of Princeton, will stay with PFARS in an advisory capacity during the transition period.

The appointment marks a significant milestone for the 87-year-old organization as it transitions to a professional executive leadership model designed to support its volunteer workforce, strengthen operations, and expand its capacity to serve the greater Princeton community.

“PFARS has an extraordinary legacy of service, and this appointment reflects our commitment to maintaining and growing an organization that can meet the needs of our community for the next 90 years,” said Freda. “After a rigorous and thoughtful search process, the board is confident that Ari is the right person to lead PFARS into this next chapter.”

Meisel brings a unique combination of emergency services experience and organizational leadership to the role. He is perhaps best known as the founder of Less Doing, a productivity consulting firm, and the author of several books on systems-thinking and operational efficiency. These are skills he will now apply directly to the organization he has long called home.

“I am humbled and energized by this opportunity,” said Meisel. “PFARS is more than an EMS organization. It is a cornerstone of this community. My focus will be on empowering our incredible volunteers, modernizing our systems, and ensuring we have the resources and infrastructure to serve Princeton at the highest level.”

Meisel assumes responsibility for day-to-day operations, fundraising, community partnerships, and organizational development.

Meisel, who joined PFARS in 2021, has served three terms as vice president and has held the rank of lieutenant. Before PFARS, Meisel worked across six different EMS organizations from in Upstate New York, New York City, Eastern Long Island, and Trenton.

“I came in with a broad perspective on what makes a squad operate well,” said Meisel. “That range of experience is actually one of the things that drew me to this role. I’ve seen a lot of different models, and PFARS is genuinely one of a kind.”

With a background in operations efficiency, Meisel said maintaining a well-resourced first aid squad and placing it on a growth trajectory is among his top priorities.

“We are grateful for the support we receive from the Municipality of Princeton, but that funding represents only a small fraction of our overall budget,” he said. “The vast majority of what it takes to run PFARS comes from transport billing, community donations, and fundraising. That has been the model for 86 years, and it’s something I’m deeply proud of. It also means we have to be intentional about revenue development. My focus as executive director is making sure the financial foundation is as strong as the operational one. That means launching a community subscription program, building corporate partnerships with local businesses, pursuing grant funding, and creating events and educational programming that connect Princeton residents with our mission. The opportunity is significant, and I’m excited to get after it.”

Among Meisel’s top priorities is to strengthen operating revenue so that PFARS can sustain its current capabilities without drawing down reserves. “PFARS maintains an extraordinary range of services for a community our size: BLS ambulance response plus technical rescue capabilities including vehicle rescue, swift water, rope, confined space, trench, ice rescue, structural collapse, and marine operations. That level of readiness requires ongoing investment in equipment and training,” Meisel said, adding that PFARS is not currently considering a major capital campaign. “But, as our revenue base grows, we’ll be in a much stronger position to invest in next-generation equipment and facilities,” he said.

Meisel is committed to strengthening the relationship between PFARS and the municipality in several key areas, including waging a public education campaign around CPR training, Stop the Bleed programs, and emergency preparedness events.

Meisel also signaled a need to maintain and grow PFARS’ public stature in the community.

“Most Princeton residents don’t realize that their ambulance service is overwhelmingly funded by the community itself, and that many of the people who respond to their 911 calls are volunteers,” he said. “The more the municipality helps us tell that story, the stronger PFARS will be for the long-term.”

As he transitions into this new role, Meisel said having a mayor who understands emergency services from the inside “is a tremendous asset for Princeton,” and looks forward to further building that relationship.

For Freda, the departure is bittersweet. “My workload was very challenging holding the PFARS position and being mayor. I needed more balance and more time to be the mayor while still sneaking in some down time.”

Freda noted the accomplishments during his tenure, including the successful fundraising effort to completely finance the new PFARS headquarters that opened in December 2019 and establishing an Advancement Committee to help further fundraising development. “We have refined a lot of our internal processes and PFARS is in a good position right now. And when you walk out the door you want everything better than when you started,” he said.

Freda’s perspective as mayor and departing PFARS president has provided him with better insight on how municipal government and emergency services work together. Between his time with PFARS, the Princeton Fire Department, and 11 years as police commissioner during his first stint on then-Princeton Borough Council, Freda said he looks forward to further forging a partnership and that his firsthand knowledge and experience in emergency response “has been invaluable.”

“My experience has given me so much firsthand knowledge and experience with emergency services-related matters and that helps a lot when discussing budgets, service levels, equipment needs and so much more,” Freda said. “At the end of the day we need to provide the best level of service we can while realizing we do not have unlimited funds. So setting priorities based on truly understanding the needs is a big advantage to have.”

At a time of limited funding and resources for first aid squads, attracting community support and building a strong volunteer base are focus areas for the mayor.

“PFARS is a combination EMS agency, using both volunteers and paid staff, and PFARS and Princeton Fire Department need more volunteers,” said Freda. “This is a serious time commitment; but what you get back is well worth it. These are both exciting and highly rewarding agencies to join. PFARS is an independent nonprofit, so donations are always needed. Princeton Fire is a municipal agency and directly supported by tax dollars. Both deliver a very high level of services that most communities do not have, so supporting both is important.”