EMT857

My township is still all volunteer Fire and EMS (separate agencies) with a population of approx. 40,000. There are two separate squads for each side of town, combined about 3,600 (split pretty evenly) calls a year. Each has 3 rigs plus a first responder truck.

Generally an EMS duty crew is always signed up in advance and can respond from home and second assignment crews are usually who ever is available or bounces to the other squad. There have been times 6-7 calls in town have been going and we've run out of rigs.

As for Fire, 3 companies, all on the 24/7 who ever is around responds and for working fire mutual aid is called. But they still have the potential for 6-7 days with out any calls.

A New Jersey point of view...

As a volunteer EMT-B I would absolutely agree that paid ALS is the way to go. My county is still mainly volunteer BLS first response with Monoc ALS dispatched as needed. A few paid day crews exist here and there. On a busy day we're lucky if they can meet us on the way to the hospital and in the past two years they've actually cut back on MICU rigs on the road. They shut down one post in my town of 45k people in 32 square miles. We have 6 BLS rigs capable of covering the town, to staff these rigs is another story.

Average transport times I would say are 20-30 minutes on top of first waiting an average of 15 minutes for a crew to arrive on a good day. If the squad doesn't have a crew, you could wait 30-45 minutes for a mutual aid crew to get out. We've had days we've run more mutual aid calls than our own.

As much as I enjoy it as a volunteer, I'll be glad when the services go paid ALS. It will be better for the population, but New Jersey being the fine corrupt state it is, who knows when that will happen.

I know in Howell, Monmouth County, NJ the Police Dept runs a few BLS crews during the day and in Toms River, Ocean County, NJ a similar setup.

The New Jersey State Police have a medivac fleet who are first response and if any of their birds are unavailable they go to the private services such as Monoc or Atlantic Air

Chevy Tahoe or Suburban

Ford Exploder

Dodge Durango

Any of these will suffice. Right now the name of the dealership in NJ that our old Ford Explorer came from is not coming to mind. But I believe they had given a discount to the squad. We just sold it to a rescue squad in Somerset where it will probably meet its demise. Remember what ever you get is inevitably going to be beaten to h*ll has people will probably drive it like it's stolen. Irresponsible yes, reality as well unfortunately.

Let's see NJ Monmouth/Ocean Counties

10-1 get ready for info

10-2 phone call

10-7 dinner break

10-9 on location

10-24 drunk driver

10-13 motor vehicle stop

In trouble, not sure what the 10 code is. For my town PD dispatchers also dispatch fire and ems so the one time I had to request PD I just told them location and that I needed an officer nothing more. It has been stressed to Fire/EMS not to use 10 code which most of us don't. The old-timers/rednecks/uber-whackers love to, fortunately not too many left.

Being 20 and from New Jersey already has me red flagged on this forum, but freedom of speech is a wonderful thing.

I am very well aware and will completely agree with you that the state is in the stone age and has a metric sh*tton of problems. As much as I enjoy being part of the "first aid squad" and volunteer fire dept, it will be a great day when this state finally gets its act together and mandates 100% ALS response.

I joined the cadet division of the squad when I was 16 and was allowed to ride along with only CPR for the Professional Rescuer and ARC First Aid. Cadets are allowed to assist with in the scope of their training which is essentially assisting and observing. Never allowed in the back with out an active EMT-B. Cadets are never ever allowed to even get behind the wheel of the ambulance to move it with out a patient inside. Also they will be told to hang back if the crew chief feels that the particular call may upset the cadet. Report cards are mandatory at the end of each grading period and cadets have been suspended for not keeping up to standards. Also the squad has relieved cadets of membership who have answered calls or have been at the building during school hours.

Once the advisers and other active members see that you're truly interested they will recommend that you complete the EMT-B course and continue on to be an active member. Once the cadet turns 18 they first need to be accepted to the squad and then will serve a probationary period of at least a year if not more if necessary. Driving is the last part of the training.

I feel it is absurd that post 53 gets away with what they do. While CBS shows like that can be rather biased, their website seems to back it up quite well. There is absolutely no reason for a student to leave a high school class in order to answer a ems or fire call. Same goes for someone in college too.

As for someones comment about it keeping kids away from drugs and alcohol, I know quite a few cadets that are into drugs and will drink. It definitely won't stop them all.

The few of you that are defending this, you need a serious reality check.

I KNOW those addresses and its eating at me that I can't remember the names! :evil:

That W New Jersey Ave in Villas by any chance?

Where I first started in Jersey the county radio standardized the unit numbers for the entire county. All units had a four digit call number. Each municipality had a two digit number, based in alphabetical order. There were no agencies from 1 to 10, they started at 11. The next two numbers indicated what type of unit the vehicle was. There was no separation of BLS to ALS. EMS had the designations from 50 to 65. Officer units were 50 to 54, a first responder (non-transport) was 55, ambulances were 56 to 62, rescue (non-transport) units were 63 to 65. Fire units followed from 66 up to 99.

Units were always pronounced.... 5956 was "fifty nine, fifty six"

So an ambulance would be 4257 for instance, first responder unit for another agency would be 1555. Some larger agencies would add hundreds to their unit type numbers ass needed if they exceeded the system..... 59156 would be a transport ambulance too.

Monmouth County...

All 59-*** units are Monoc only now they go by 201 - 8**

Currently it's the same first two digits = town 15(freehold)59(ambulance) if the squad is the only in town

If there's two it's 28(marlboro)3(morganville ems)62(ambulance) (28362)or 28(marlboro)1(marlboro ems)57(ambulance) (28158).

50-54 are ems officers

55 first responder unit

56-65 ambulances

66-70 - fire officers

71-84 - Engines

85-89 - Rescue/Salvage/Utility

90-92 - Tower

No, you are a volunteer and you are under the age of 18. There is no reason you should be leaving school.

Why do you feel it is necessary to be missing class to answer calls?

Don't arm to the teeth. Use your hazard flashers and headlights if need be; a single strobe to alert people as to your presence should be fine. You're not trying to beat every light and make it around as many people as possible; you're trying to reach the scene safely and efficiently so you can help your patient.

Never use your hazards, I don't know about you, but when I see someone with hazards on it usually means they're having a problem...

A single dash light, if approved by your Captain/Chief is more than enough. I only use mine if absolutely necessary. Running a ton of lights and driving like an a$$hole will get you nowhere. Drive with due regard and only pass if the other drivers yield to you.

Remember, you're only a volunteer, if you miss that rig or truck because you were driving safely, big deal. You'll make the next one.

Be safe

one of my fas officers always stresses to people that can drive:

speed kills

skill saves

Interesting, I used to live in Forest Hills and still visit family there very now and then. I always though FDNY ran everything there now. I know years back (parent's grew up there) there was primarily volunteer service.

Anybody who can actually identify various whacker lights by name is definitely a whacker. :wink:

Expecting that everybody else also knows what a "dual-talon" is is even worse.

This is the problems with whackers. They don't know they are whackers. They think everybody else is just like them!

I figured around here people have a clue, and I said, I have my moments

I have my moments, but I've gotten better.

I have a small very basic first aid kit in my trunk which has come in use (I do a lot of driving).

I'm on the VFD and VFAS in my town (that's all there is providing fire and ems). Only have a dual-talon that is some what hidden and same with small grille LEDs. (small town roads that haven't been improved to handle larger town traffic, proven to make a difference in response time for us).

Occasionally I'll listen to the scanner too, I guess it's just interesting to listen to since I can hear as far as New York City.

I've watched this thread for a long time before chiming in. I know of some rural fire depts, were the chief gets a marked car, and the 2 or 3 asst. chiefs get to put lights and sirens in their POV. Also some counties allow medics to take home a "fly car" when they are on call, and yet other depts' in NYallow certain personnel to get the vehicles certified as "emergency ambulance service vehicles" which allow them to have lights and sirens, and they are certified and inspected by NYS DOH, and carry a required amount of BLS and sometimes ALS equipment.

I know of some depts, that allow their MD to have L and S in thier car, but cant afford to buy them a marked car.

And like someelse said a 10-20 mintue response is not out of the ordinary to some rural depts, and volunteer depts, have such a hard time with recruitment it is unrealistice to ask them to sit in the firehouse for 2-3 calls a week, but when a call comes in they need to respond asap.

I think the bottom line is that some states allow POV's to have lights, some may not, and some allow POV's to have L&S...

As to a light alone being useless, it depends on where you are, and the level of awareness of the citizens in your neighborhood.

some people yeild, some do not.. .

In New Jersey we have a very large amount of volunteer systems. With the roads getting more and more crowded you really do need lights to respond more efficiently. My FD is still one of those that some weeks we'll get 8-12 calls and other weeks 2-3. there is no point in having a 4-5 man crew sitting down at the station.

Same goes for ems, while the call volume is significantly higher, the roads are more crowded than ever and being that it is volunteer we aren't required to sit at the squad building for the entire shift, lights do make a difference in the response time.

Most people are responsible and the ones that aren't know about it very quickly and have either gotten their permit revoked or suspension from the dept.

And in terms of safety, there are times where we have no choice but to respond to scene (read mva/etc is on the road between home and station) I want to be seen at night if I have to stop.

My town was one of the towns that lost the Monoc post when they decided to cut back.

It comes down to Monoc wanting control and wanting to bill. They've been known to easily cancel NorthStar (NJ State Police, staffed with troopers) and transport via ground to Jersey Shore. They lose the chance to bill more if they let NorthStar fly the patient to Robertwood or another hospital of choice. I believe Monoc's main hospital is Jersey Shore Medical Center.

As far as quality goes, there have been some extremely arrogant medics and some really awesome medics I have dealt with as a volunteer.

I don't post here often, but *ducks* being a volly myself aside from school and such, I have observed a few things.

New Jersey still has a large number of "First Aid & Rescue Squads" that are the primary first responders, with ALS to back up if necessary. Same goes for the Fire Service.

I notice a lot of you guys like to throw around the whole buff, do it for the glory, etc... reasons for people that fight to keep the volunteers in service. While this is true in some cases, there is also another fact that I haven't noticed on here yet. I have run into many people (including my own family) who have moved into New Jersey (specifically central) from NYC and were surprised to find out that if you call 911 for Fire or EMS you're getting a volunteer service responding.

I think a few reasons that these services have not progressed to the creation of regional/county career departments/services is because one, people do not want to pay. They spend $600,000+ on that McMansion, over $10,000 in taxes per year, but do not want to pay for a career service. Parts of Long Island are not much better. Why pay if someone is willing to do it for free right? Lets not forget too, all of these towns are primarily commuter towns.

The thing here is, this is the perfect situation for the volunteer services to thrive. You have residents who are happy not paying for Fire/EMS services and the operational and administrative officers who do not want to see any change stay in power. For every progressive one, there are a whole bunch that are still stuck in their power trip. This causes all sorts of problems for both patient and responder as I'm sure most of you know.

Going even deeper, you have towns that still have fire districts, and overlap of services. It is not necessary for all of these towns to have multiple, independently run Fire Departments and Squads. You have fire commissioners who might be the chief of one department and president of the other. The threat of consolidation and progression scares people in those positions.

Remember what I said about commuter towns? Well who do you think runs a majority of the calls during the day? The people that have lived in town for many years, that have those municipal jobs, and by NJ State Law, let them leave work (staying on the clock) to answer those calls.

Monmouth County is probably one of the best examples of this. There are towns that are only a few square miles with their own independent squads, which maybe have 4-5 members each. Lets not mention that these are also neighboring towns and others that operate like the example above.

Eventually, years down the road I would think these departments and squads will become paid. Until a strong progressive influence comes in, this pattern will continue.

It does come down to what has already been mentioned previously on here and other threads, education. I don't mean just of the provider, I mean the general public. Then maybe some progress might be made.

Obviously I can't speak for the rest of the country, but I know New Jersey has been a target on here from time to time. There are plenty of other issues around here I could pick at, but sleep is to be had.

(Sorry if this is a bit disorganized, it's been a long 2 weeks for me.)

I think I understand what you're saying. Sometimes the call still gives you a reaction, but it turns more into maybe tension than an adrenaline rush. Thus you don't even realize your body was being strained so much.

I work for an ambulance company and we don't have alert tones, so when a call comes out it's easier to take your time walking to your car and driving off in a calm reasonable (yes expediant) way. I think if I would respond a lot different if we had those aweful alert tones...I belt half the increase in HR is the physical/mechanical response to that physical stimulus of the loud sound...rather than your emotions causing the stress and elevated HR.

Those alert tones can definitely get you going differently. We have 5 different agencies dispatched on the same frequency, everyone has the same pre-tone, I think even then some get excited just hearing that pre-tone because we're not sure whos going to get hit.

The minitor pagers could easily give anyone a heart attack in the middle the night. Scares the caca out of me some times. Other times I barely acknowledge it going off, even with the amplified base that could wake a deaf person.

NJ is fucked up to say the least :roll:

i dont think anyone can argue that either

Officers are allowed red lights and such

Everyone else, newly revised, is allowed to have as many blue flashing lights on their car, nothing clear, and nothing that requires altering any part of the vehicle.

completely unpredictable

but yes some rules hold true, good sleep, bathroom, meals, usually can be interrupted.

Just this evening, we had six kids show up to our EMT class in the squad car from their fire hall!!'

You might be a wacker if...... :roll:

Hey, depending on where they lived, maybe it was easier to meet up and take one vehicle, I see that as logic not whackerness. When I went through the academy a lot of the fire companies (all volunteer) in the county, including mine, allowed probies to take the utility trucks (usually quad cab pick up or something to that extent) to the academy. Made sense, save gas/wear and tear on POV, and don't have to worry about messing up POV with stinky muddy gear after a good day. Granted EMT class was just a bit cleaner, still same idea applies.

Welcome to New Jersey? I have come to the conclusion no matter what time of day or night, many people just can't drive period. So many times have I been tailgated or gotten behind someone doing 15mph under the limit for no apparent reason. Not saying I'm perfect myself and can be aggressive sometimes, but these people are out of control.

We had an MVA back on Saturday that wound up being a medivac due to a 4 year old with significant head trauma, one lady stopped the cop directing/controlling traffic to ask if she could cut ahead to get her child to a birthday party :roll: unbelieveable.

I live/work in a very suburban area, I chalk some of it up to the housewives/soccer moms running around trying to drop the kids off and get errands done so they can cheat on their husbands before they get home.

857,

That really depends on what agency in NJ. They would like you to take the in class course but a lot places in NJ still accept the online.

Devin

Negative, from both my squad and dept. they have both said the state will not accept the online training. Its not an agency issue.

NEW JERSEY WILL NOT HONOR ONLINE TRAINING

yeah thats basically what I know. we have to actually sit through the classes now.