By John Burton
MIDDLETOWN – A change will be coming to township emergency services, as paid, professional EMS workers begin responding to daytime calls in the coming weeks. Daytime hours are considered 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
To address the chronic inability to recruit volunteers, the township’s five First Aid Squads have recently joined together to establish an independent paid service called Middletown Emergency Medical Services.
The problem was there were not enough volunteers to cover calls during the day.
“Daytime is very difficult hours for any volunteer service, but particularly for First Aid,” observed Anthony Mercantante, township administrator. “And we’re smart enough to realize nobody is volunteering anymore, especially in the daytime, so, it’s being increasingly difficult to answer calls during the day.”
MIDDLETOWN – A change will be coming to township emergency services, as paid, professional EMS workers begin responding to daytime calls in the coming weeks. Daytime hours are considered 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
To address the chronic inability to recruit volunteers, the township’s five First Aid Squads have recently joined together to establish an independent paid service called Middletown Emergency Medical Services.
The problem was there were not enough volunteers to cover calls during the day.
“Daytime is very difficult hours for any volunteer service, but particularly for First Aid,” observed Anthony Mercantante, township administrator. “And we’re smart enough to realize nobody is volunteering anymore, especially in the daytime, so, it’s being increasingly difficult to answer calls during the day.”
Middletown’s EMS chief Bob Pfleger said the new entity does not aim to eliminate the current First Aid volunteers. “We’re not replacing them. We’re not kicking them out,” Pfleger stressed, speaking of the existing volunteers. “Obviously, we’re here to make sure everyone is taken care of when they call 9-1-1.”
The plan, Pfleger explained, is to hire a staff of about 15 or 16 full-time emergency medical technicians (EMTs), who will be available during the daytime hours to answer calls.
The plan, Pfleger explained, is to hire a staff of about 15 or 16 full-time emergency medical technicians (EMTs), who will be available during the daytime hours to answer calls.
Volunteers would continue to serve the community during the evening and overnight hours, Pfleger said.
Middletown is a sprawling community of more than 40 square miles with a population of more than 66,000 residents. Pfleger pointed out emergency services can be very active, getting on average more than 14 calls a day. “It can be quiet for a few hours,” he said, “and then you get three, four, five calls in one shot.”
Middletown is not alone in its difficulty in recruiting and retaining a volunteer force, Mercantante.
The commitment to fulfill training for basic life support (BLS) state certification has increased steadily over the years. According to Pfleger, when he first qualified nearly 40 years ago, he needed about 80 hours of classroom training; now the number is more than 200 hours, he said. Additional follow-up training is also required, he said.
And just given the nature of careers and family commitments has only exacerbated the situation. Mercantante said, “It’s hard to get volunteers to commit that much time and don’t have daytime jobs.”
Today the First Aid squads have a total of roughly 70 members. At its height in the early 1990s the number was about 200, Pfleger said.
To supplement volunteers, the township in the last few years has been relying on the Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC), a professional paramedic ambulance service. The township allows MONOC to use a township facility at 1 Penelope Lane at no cost, according to Mercantante. But by forming this new group, “it may be more economically viable,” for the long run, Mercantante offered.
Middletown is a sprawling community of more than 40 square miles with a population of more than 66,000 residents. Pfleger pointed out emergency services can be very active, getting on average more than 14 calls a day. “It can be quiet for a few hours,” he said, “and then you get three, four, five calls in one shot.”
Middletown is not alone in its difficulty in recruiting and retaining a volunteer force, Mercantante.
The commitment to fulfill training for basic life support (BLS) state certification has increased steadily over the years. According to Pfleger, when he first qualified nearly 40 years ago, he needed about 80 hours of classroom training; now the number is more than 200 hours, he said. Additional follow-up training is also required, he said.
And just given the nature of careers and family commitments has only exacerbated the situation. Mercantante said, “It’s hard to get volunteers to commit that much time and don’t have daytime jobs.”
Today the First Aid squads have a total of roughly 70 members. At its height in the early 1990s the number was about 200, Pfleger said.
To supplement volunteers, the township in the last few years has been relying on the Monmouth Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC), a professional paramedic ambulance service. The township allows MONOC to use a township facility at 1 Penelope Lane at no cost, according to Mercantante. But by forming this new group, “it may be more economically viable,” for the long run, Mercantante offered.
Middletown Emergency Medical Services, Inc., would operate independently of the municipal government. It will have a five-member board, made up of a member from each township First Aid squad, with the board responsible for equipment and hiring a full-time administrator who will run day-to-day operations, along with staffing, according to Pfleger.
The entity will use the 1 Penelope Lane facility and will pay rent, Mercantante said.
For patients who have to use this service to be transported to a hospital, “It’s going to be a cost to somebody,” Mercantante acknowledged. For most, that means individual health insurance providers or the Medicaid or Medicare federal programs will pay. For the uninsured, traditionally there is a policy of “soft billing.” In those cases, the service may bill the patient for its work but usually doesn’t go to excessive measures, such as turning it over to a debt collection agency to collect.
The entity will use the 1 Penelope Lane facility and will pay rent, Mercantante said.
For patients who have to use this service to be transported to a hospital, “It’s going to be a cost to somebody,” Mercantante acknowledged. For most, that means individual health insurance providers or the Medicaid or Medicare federal programs will pay. For the uninsured, traditionally there is a policy of “soft billing.” In those cases, the service may bill the patient for its work but usually doesn’t go to excessive measures, such as turning it over to a debt collection agency to collect.
Tinton Falls, Howell and Toms River have also established independent EMS services to supplement their volunteers.
Tinton Falls has been doing it for about seven to eight years, said Tinton Falls Mayor Gerald Turning Sr. this week, and “it’s worked out very, very well,” with volunteers still providing coverage at night. “My original goal was very, very simple: To get an ambulance to someone who needs it as quickly as possible during the day,” he said. “And when it was all volunteers, it simply wasn’t happening.” Emergency services could take 20- to-30 minutes to arrive at a destination. “And that’s something that is not beneficial to the community,” Turning said.
Middletown Emergency Medical Services is expected to begin operating by the end of September or early October, Pfleger said.
Tinton Falls has been doing it for about seven to eight years, said Tinton Falls Mayor Gerald Turning Sr. this week, and “it’s worked out very, very well,” with volunteers still providing coverage at night. “My original goal was very, very simple: To get an ambulance to someone who needs it as quickly as possible during the day,” he said. “And when it was all volunteers, it simply wasn’t happening.” Emergency services could take 20- to-30 minutes to arrive at a destination. “And that’s something that is not beneficial to the community,” Turning said.
Middletown Emergency Medical Services is expected to begin operating by the end of September or early October, Pfleger said.
