Politics & Government
Bill Would Hurt Emergency Services, Officials Say
Under a proposed new bill, a portion of money from traffic tickets previously allocated to volunteers under the Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund (EMTTF) would go to paid emergency responders.
Manalapan's volunteer emergency medical services could soon face major changes if a proposed state bill cutting the amount of money volunteers receive for training is passed, officials said.
Under Senate Bill S-818 proposed by State Sen. Joseph Vitale, a portion of money from traffic tickets previously allocated to volunteers under the Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund (EMTTF) would go to paid emergency responders, such as firefighters, in an effort to help the state cope with budget shortfalls.
The Manalapan Township Committee publicly opposed Vitale's bill earlier this month, joining the New Jersey First Aid Council Board of Trustees, which publicly opposed the bill in January. The bill would harm volunteer units across New Jersey, the state board reasoned.
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"The bill as written will change the way the volunteer rescue squad functions and cost the municipalities money unnecessarily," Manalapan Deputy Mayor Susan Cohen wrote in an e-mail to patch.com. Cohen did not elaborate further.
Jan Zachary, the outgoing president of the Englishtown-Manalapan First Aid Squad, agreed with Cohen.
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Paid emergency services' access to state money will "minimize the amount of money volunteer squads can get," Zachary explained. "Paid services are funded. Why should they receive money from that account?"
Zachary's unit has between 40 to 42 active volunteers, he said. The squad generally has two emergency medical technicians respond to each dispatch, whether it is for a car wreck or a medical emergency.
The certification course for the trained responders runs $400-500. Re-certification is required every three years.
Vitale's plan would make it difficult for towns like Manalapan to maintain their current levels of volunteers, Zachary said.
"The state keeps asking EMT's for new training to be certified as an EMT," Zachary said. "Who's going to pay for this stuff? We're volunteer squads. We can't ask the members to pay for it."
Manalapan residents pay for the first aid squad through tax money. Around 33 percent of that money goes to insurance, 25 percent to vehicle maintenance and the rest goes toward supplies, Zachary said.
"That doesn't leave too much for training," he noted.
Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas did not return a phone call seeking comment.
