So. River to get help from paid EMS staff

SOUTH RIVER — In an effort to provide a more efficient emergency medical service to residents, local first aid officials have formed the South River Emergency Medical Services (EMS).

This organization, which will be overseen by Hank Van de Beek, will use paid emergency medical technicians (EMTs) that will be based at the South River Rescue Squad building on Thomas Street on weekdays between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The paid workers will also use two of the rescue squad's three ambulances.

The volunteers who belong to the rescue squad will remain in use and on call during weeknights and weekends.

When the service starts up later this spring, South River will become the second area town to add the use of paid first aid workers. In 2005, Spotswood formed a paid EMS service to augment the services provided by its volunteers.

"Our principal goal when creating this new organization was for the residents," said William Synek, captain of the volunteer South River Rescue Squad. He said daytime calls in South River were being answered by Spotswood's EMS workers when no local volunteers were available, but that is not the most efficient system. "Sometimes it would take up to 20 minutes for them to respond to a call, and for some calls that could mean life or death. We'd rather not take that chance and would rather go with a paid department."

The South River Rescue Squad, which has 30 or so members on the roster, receives approximately 120 calls per month and 1,500 calls per year. Talks surfaced about a paid service a few years ago in the borough; however, the plans fell through due to a lack of funding.

This past year, members of the South River Rescue Squad took it upon themselves to create a paid squad. Van de Beek and Synek said the lengthy process to do so has been relatively smooth.

"We have been working well together for a long time," said Synek. "It helps that Hank has been on the volunteer squad since 1996, so he knows the ins and outs of what is going on with the volunteer squad."

The two men stressed that the paid squad is not replacing the volunteer squad, which has been providing service to borough residents since 1936.

The paid squad will be overseen by Van de Beek and will have up to 15 per-diem employees.

Van de Beek said he is excited about the new venture, which is expected to start between May 15 and June 1.

"A letter is currently being drafted that will be sent to all residents explaining about the paid squad," he said. "We will read the letter at the April 27 Borough Council meeting and answer any questions that the residents may have."

The letter explains that the South River Emergency Medical Services will not be established or operated by the borough and will therefore not be supported by taxpayer dollars. The letter goes on to explain that as a standalone organization, separate from the volunteer South River rescue squad, the paid squad is also not supported by charitable donations to the rescue squad.

Therefore, in order to offset costs such as salaries for the paid staff, the squad will be required to bill for service. Those bills will go to insurance carriers of those who use the service. Van de Beek said the South River EMS will not bill residents if there is a balance remaining from the insurance company.

"The balance would not be paid," he said.

For more information, call 732-684- 3464 or email info@southriverrescue.org.