By Jennifer Amato
Staff Writer
SOUTH BRUNSWICK – Roger Potts refuses to slow down.
Potts is currently a member of the Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Department, visiting the firehouse three to four times a week.
He is the commissioner for South Brunswick Fire District No. 2.
He is part of the Monmouth Junction Fireman’s Relief Association.
He is the secretary of the N.J. Fire and Emergency Services Institute.
He is vice president of the N.J. State Association of Fire Districts, the legislative chair for the N.J. State Association of Fire Districts and part of the N.J. State Fire Safety Commission.
He has held each position for decades —- and continues to do so, all before his 84th birthday.
“I always thought it was important to give back,” he said.
Potts recently received an award from the Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Department to celebrate his 61st year of service.
In addition, he has received the Barry Indik Award for distinguished service, the Outstanding Firefighter award, a key to South Brunswick, and awards from Pioneer Grange No. 1, Citizens for Independent Living and VFW Post 9111.
“It’s nice to be appreciated,” he said.
Fire Chief Scott Smith said that Potts always strives to see his fellow firefighters do their best.
“He’s probably one of the most dedicated individuals in the history of our department,” Smith said. “He’s been a member for so long. He has a great deal of pride in the organization.
“He’s a wonderful, very caring person. He’s very hard working. He takes a tremendous amount of pride making sure we’re all going to do well and succeed.”
Potts was born Nov. 25, 1932, in Princeton.
He attended Franklin Township grammar schools and graduated from Princeton High School in 1950. He then graduated from the International Correspondence School in industrial management. He took courses at Mercer County Community College for business administration and classes in planning and zoning at Rutgers University and then classes in municipal land use from the Rutgers Center for Government Services and from Somerset Community College.
Potts operated a dump truck during the construction of the New Jersey Turnpike from June 1950-April 1951.
He subsequently joined Public Service Electric & Gas Co. (PSE&G) through December 1993. He had started as a temporary employee, performing appliance conversion from manufactured gas to natural gas, and then moved through the ranks to assistant distribution supervisor, second in charge of a department with 93 bargaining unit employees and 12 supervisors, where he was charged with the installation and maintenance of more than 1,000 miles of gas mains and services in 27 municipalities.
He married the late Gloria Zwonetcheck of Monmouth Junction in 1953, just months before he was shipped out of the country. Serving in the New Jersey National Guard from 1951-53, he joined the U.S. Army through 1955 and served with the 1st Division Combat Engineers in Germany.
Their twin sons were born in 1955, but Barry passed away in 2008 and Garry passed away in 2011. He has five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Upon returning home from service, Potts moved in with his mother-in-law and said he heard constant sirens for the first aid squad.
“From then on, it was first aid and fire [for me],” he said. “There was nobody to respond to the calls, that’s all.”
He served as captain of the Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad for seven years.
“I delivered two babies. One was on my birthday. That one got named after me. I’m glad it wasn’t a girl,” Potts laughed.
“All the things I’ve done has been my favorite. The most rewarding was the first aid squad – you relieve people of pain and get them to the hospital or get care. … Just to help people is probably the most rewarding thing you could do.”
He then built his house in 1957 with the help of a carpenter: it cost only $25 per day to do the work. He put his own expansion on the house a few years ago.
“It’s a good place to live. There are good people here. I like the people here,” he said of South Brunswick.
Potts decided to join the fire department, inspired by his father, brothers and uncle. all of whom were active in fire service. Potts and his four brothers served in Princeton, and then he and one of his brothers came to Monmouth Junction. He had five brothers and two sisters in all.
“The fire department was the center of social life years ago,” he said. “There were not a lot of theaters in them days.”
Potts studied advanced fire and arson investigation at the N.J. Fire College.
He also served with the N.J. Fire Safety Commission, on the Governor’s Fire Service Task Force, is a N.J. Exempt Fireman and is a life delegate of the N.J. Fireman’s Association.
He was actively involved in the development of a study on emergency management for the N.J. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Institute. He continues to testify for and against legislative bills, such as providing pension for volunteer firefighters and moving the fire district elections to November without having to consolidate departments.
“He is a vocal voice for the fire department. He works very, very hard to champion for the fire service,” Smith said. “He is a very well-respected person within fire service in the state of New Jersey.”
Potts said when he first began, there were probably 4,000 residents in South Brunswick, compared to about 45,000 today. He said the homes were older structures, built in the 1920s and 1930s, so the wiring was different and there were wood burning stoves.
“Today’s homes are much safer,” he said. “When I started with the fire company you just squirted water. Today, they know where it is, how it burns and how to go about it.”
He continued to fight fires until 20 years ago, at the age of 63. He said he remembers a huge fire that burned two warehouses, and said that extrication work due to motor vehicle accidents is “sometimes difficult, emotional work.”
In the meantime, Potts also found time to volunteer with the South Brunswick Little League, Recreation, Board of Health, Environmental Commission, Transportation Advisory Board, Capital Improvements Advisory Board, Planning Board, Industrial Commission and Historical Preservation Advisory Task Force; and the Mayor’s Task Force on Hazardous Waste, Land Fill Study and Prevent A Polluted Environment.
He played Santa for the Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Department’s Santacade for years, including in 2015, and was chairman of the South Brunswick July 4 Parade Committee before it stopped in the 1990s.
“You hope you’re accomplishing something for someone and you’re still being reasonable,” he said. “My wife always said I don’t know how to say no – except to her.”
With no intention of slowing down, Potts said his goal is to make it to the next significant anniversary of the Monmouth Junction Volunteer Fire Department, which will be in 2024.
“I told them I’d be around for their 100th anniversary,” he said.
“We’re all hoping that he can make it,” Smith said.
Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@gmnews.com.
